MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GENEROSITY

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Participants in our congregational ministries increasingly look for dedicated giving opportunities beyond their regular support of congregation based ministries.  Use these resources to identify special giving ideas as well as advice and tools to grow generous givers.

ELCA Good Gifts, the giving catalog of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, lifts up more than 65 gift ideas filled with meaning and love. ELCA Good Gifts are a special way you can help make a significant impact on the mission and ministries of our church while giving a gift to a friend, pastor, teacher, neighbor or other loved one.  More at ELCA Good Gifts.

ELCA Vision for Mission Appeal

More at Vision for Mission.

ELCA Foundation offers several free resources to members regarding planned giving.  One such resource is expertise.  Our nationwide network of professional gift planning staff can help you explore a variety of possibilities for making a significant gift to ministry and fulfilling your legacy goals at the same time.  There is no cost or obligation to you and all conversations are kept confidential.  Find the regional gift planner nearest you.

Many congregations receive at least one large gift that the donor intends as a lasting benefit for ministry.  The creation of a congregational mission endowment fund can be a vehicle for expanding ministry and service.  Download these great resources to help in your planning for a congregational mission endowment

    How to Create a Mission Endowment Fund
       How to Encourage Gifts for a Mission Endowment Fund
       Endowment Fund Pooled Trust-Fund A

The Simply Giving® Program is designed to help you conveniently make payments to your congregation. Through the Simply Giving Program, your payments are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account. You determine the frequency of your automatic payment-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Your payment is deposited into the organization's bank account on the same day it is withdrawn from your account.  74% of all Americans pay at least one bill through automatic payment or electronically.  Simply Giving is:

Convenient - Payment will still be made if you are out of town or on vacation.

Secure - No checks are needed which means no lost or stolen checks.

Environmentally friendly - Save on checks, envelopes and postage.

To participate, first make sure your congregation is enrolled in the Simply Giving Program with the company that operates the program, Vanco Services, LLC. Then complete your congregation's enrollment form and return it to the church office.  For more information call the administrator, Vanco Services, at 800-675-7430 or contact a Thrivent Financial representative.

Annual Giving Programs

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How to Improve Financial Stewardship Down load from ELCA Website at http://archive.elca.org/stewardship/improve/index.html

Outlines for several proven financial stewardship campaign models including: 

• Commitment at Worship
• Relay
• Fellowship Meal
• Small Groups
• Mission Festival
• Special Event
• Personal Visit

Grow One Step, Herb Miller

The grow one challenge asks participants to grow their sharing by 1% of income

New Consecration Sunday, Herb Miller

Great entry point for congregational stewardship programs.  Focus is on the spiritual need of disciples to share and to be generous.  A Commitment at worship model with a celebration meal.

The Celebrate Generosity Stewardship Program, Eugene Grimm

Emphasizes tithing and asks participants to grow giving by $1.00 per week moving toward a tithe.

Buckets and Blessings New Jersey Synod

Provides a simple 4 week approach to stewardship education and gathering financial commitments in challenging economic times.  Relies heavily on temple talks and a simple home exercise to build generosity.

Walk with Jesus, ELCA 2006

4 Week response program that stresses financial stewardship as a part of discipleship.  Members are encouraged to give in response to God's goodness rather than congregational need.  CD supported.

Stories to Tell, Gifts to Share, Augsburg 2007

Emphasis remains on telling stories of God's work.  Can be easily used as a two year emphasis.  CD-ROM and other materials support the program. 

Make it Simple, Augsburg 2009

Grows stewards with a focus on simplicity, generous living, and faithful use of God's blessings.  Follows themes of: Following Jesus, Facing the Truth, Acting Together, Sharing Enough. Three different response methods are offered, Commitment Sunday, Congregational Meal, Small Group Gatherings. 

NARRATIVE BUDGET

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Walk through an Instructional Power Pointpresentation to learn how to create a Narrative Mission Budget

View a sample Line Item Budget

View a sample Mission Budget

Mission Clarity

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Peter Drucker says that the two diagnostic questions every congregation must answer are, "What business are we in?" and "How's business?"  But before you can answer the question, "How's business?' you need to know what business you are in. 

What is the business of the church?  In short, it is to make more disciples of Jesus Christ.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddlebrook Community Church and the author of The Purpose Driven Church, suggests that every church is driven by something.  Dave Browning, in his book, Deliberate Simplicity, lists some of the organizing principles that churches adopt either formally or informally include: 

TRADITION:  A church driven by tradition finds itself looking to the pastor for guidance for the future.  "We have always done it that way" or "We have never done it that way" tends to rule the day.

PERSONALITY: A church driven by personality finds itself directed by a key figure or figures.  Energy of the organization goes into pleasing this person.

FINANCES:  A church driven by finances finds itself looking at the budget for direction.  Energy is spent lobbying for what items are included or deleted from the spending plan.

PROGRAMS:  A church driven by programs defines itself by its programmatic excellence and offerings.  Programs begun to meet specific needs soon are served by people rather than serving people.  Programs that have outlived their usefulness are generally placed on life-support indefinitely.

BUILDINGS:  A church driven by buildings finds itself in constant pursuit of bigger and better facilities.  The building ends up being the church's identity.

EVENTS:  Churches driven by events are regularly gearing up for the next concert, pageant, bazaar, or dinner.

SEEKERS:  A seeker driven church find itself trying to get into the mind of "the customer."  Energy is invested in being culturally relevant and seeker-friendly.

PURPOSE:  A church driven by purpose finds itself evaluating what it does in relation to its sense of purpose.  While the intentionality of this model is to be applauded, it needs further focus and must narrow its impetus to: mission.

MISSION:  A church driven by mission is carrying out marching orders from its Commanding Officer.  This is the purpose for the church's existence. 

• Mission has a greater sense of movement to it.
• Mission goes to a sense that there is a cause greater than us that is served.
• Mission is something that we have been given and not something that we came up with on our own.

A clear God and a clear mission are essential for our faith practice in this 21^st Century.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the end of the age."  -Matthew 28:18-20