Meetings Coming and Going

My wife says I'm a joiner, but I just like to participate. I'm participating right now on the stewardship committee at church.

Tonight we hashed out methods to personalize our "gather, go, give" theme. We talked about our budget, average gifts, giving units, increases, needs, personal debt and motivation.

We're just completing a large construction project, adding a family life center in a neighborhood with many families. Our budget is increasing dramatically to cover the costs of operation.

But no one gives to a budget. No one cares one flip about the budget. If your stewardship campaign is encouraging your members to give to meet the budget, you can help yourself most by saving the stamps that would send that material out.

People give to change lives.

To bring a heartbeat to your annual stewardship campaign this year, you need to define the ways life changing ministries are made possible through the gifts your people give. Have people active in those ministries share with everyone how their involvement helps them grow.

In addition, have people come speak to your church who have benefited from the ministry your church provides. Is there someone from the town where your youth went on mission trip this summer? Is there a homeless person who benefited from a bag of groceries from your pantry?

Is there a military wife whose husband is deployed overseas and your members make sure her grass is cut and her car is maintained?

Is there a beneficiary of the meals on wheels your members drive? Someone who came to Christ because of the outreach ministry of your church?

These testimonies don't have to be eloquent or long. Take a picture, write a paragraph in your newsletter. Have them stand up on Sunday morning. If they are too shy, introduce them, tell their story for them and let people shake their hand after church.

Have someone from Baptist Children's Homes or a new church start share how your gifts through Cooperative Program Missions Giving have changed their life.

You say your church isn't involved in anything like that?

Houston, we have a problem.

Posted by jameson ( Aug 13 2007, 08:55:55 PM EDT ) Permalink Comments [1]