Fixing a Toxic Team Culture
Do you have to fire someone to fix a toxic team culture?
Clergy
I’m here to find resources that can help me innovate faithfully and renew Christian communities.
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Engaging Millennials & More Cashless Giving
The rate of change for many of our congregations doesn’t quite keep up with shifts in the broader culture. Oftentimes, that serves as a blessing. At other times — especially when engaging financial stewardship — this rate of change can stall our ministry. This week, mission developer Anders Peterson reflects on digital giving. If your…
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Cultivating & Letting Go This Lent
There are many ways to minster. This week, we hear from the Reverend Lisle Gwynn Garrity, who uses art as a tool for spiritual formation. In the piece below, she reflects on stewardship and the story of the prodigal son. Plus, as a bonus for church leaders planning for Lent, Lisle links these themes to…
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When Enough is Enough
No greater theme has led stewardship talk in the past generation than that of “abundance vs. scarcity.” In today’s piece, David Loleng acknowledges the popularity of the trope while seeking to add complexity. How does abundance language implicate cultural themes of conspicuous consumption or prosperity gospel? As an alternative, David suggests a humbler frame for…
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Illuminating Stewardship in Today’s Culture
Stewardship is an act of practical theology. Accordingly, context matters deeply. In today’s post, pastor Larissa Kwong Abazia engages the contextual challenges of contemporary culture and the call to stewardship. Additionally, I invite you to check out the “Invitation for Groundbreaking Research Project Participation with Fundraisers of Color” announcement at the bottom of this post….
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All Together in One Place
The end of the month is always a good time to reflect on the past. This time we are looking way back, to the culture of the second century Christian Church, as described in the Book of Acts. Fellowship can be spontaneous, but stewardship of community requires dedication. I trust we all seek to improve…
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You Can’t Beat God’s Giving
Inspired by the song “You Can’t Beat God’s Giving,” and her experiences growing up immersed in ministry, Jennifer Kaalund helps us reflect today on stewardship lessons from the African American Church. Other conversations about church stewardship frequently hinge on assumptions about hard money paying for tall walls where congregations gather. Hopefully you can address those assumptions with…
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Sharing Control
Child’s play is nothing to be overlooked, since our understanding of developmental psychology continues to inform everything from teaching tactics to what it means to be human in collective society. After enjoying the animated video linked below, consider how this fresh approach to teaching “sharing” challenges your own assumptions about stewardship. We’ll give you time…
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Stewards of the Promise
Now that fall stewardship campaigns are in the rearview mirror, it’s tempting not to address money in congregations for another six months at least. However, it turns out that when you’re not asking for money is a great time to talk about it. In this week’s piece, Deborah Rexrode reminds us of this potential yearound…
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Ways to Enrich Stewardship for 2019
Huge thanks to everyone who worked to enrich the newsletter in 2018, including both those who wrote thoughtful articles and those who shared them with new readers. Community is what makes this work worthwhile which is why it was encouraging to encounter so many new leaders at the Rethinking Stewardship conference. With sights now set on the year…
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Loving the Least of These
Our call as Christians is to love — not from a distance, but by breaking down boundaries and walking side-by-side with our neighbor.
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Telling our Stories about God and Money
As we near the end of Advent with anticipation for another year of hearing Mary’s powerful testimony in the Magnificat (Luke 1:39-55), I’m struck by the emphasis on money in our Christmas story. In Mary’s short song, she mentions the poor and hungry, the rich and powerful, and the blessings of God. When at its…
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Compost Bin Stewardship
I love a good metaphor, and today’s post by James Dontje really delivers. Metaphors, when they work well, alert us to new discoveries, sometimes even concerning topics we thought we had all figured out. So, in today’s post, enjoy James’ piece engaging stewardship and a theology of…rot! Yours truly, Adam Copeland, Center for Stewardship Leaders…
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Faith-Related Crowdfunding
As digital giving options have become more popular, many churches have turned to technology to help enable their members to give. In this week’s post, I examine a particular type of online giving, one becoming more popular by the day: crowdfunding. A version of this article appeared first with the Lake Institute for Faith and…
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A Holy Process toward Stewardship Speaking: Part 2
Last week, Rev. Anna Ostenso Moore described her journey to “yes…and stewardship.” This week, Anna describes her wise, winding path toward claiming stewardship’s implications for Christian community. I’m grateful to Anna for inviting us, as readers, along for this journey. Yours truly, Adam Copeland, Center for Stewardship Leaders A Holy Process towards Stewardship Speaking: Part 2 Anna…
