Reading on Stewardship

It’s August and maybe you are thinking about your Stewardship emphasis for the fall. I went to the Luther Seminary “Rethinking Stewardship” event in late July. Since part of my job is to be able to speak about stewardship, I was glad to be able to go to think with people from around the ELCA and other denominations about stewardship and giving.
 
What books have you read recently about stewardship?  Over the past year, I have been reading several books that I have found to be interesting and helpful.

Here are a few that I would recommend:
 

• Not Your Parent’s Offering Plate, by J. Clif Christopher (Revised addition: 2015)
• Giving to God, by Mark Allan Powell (2006)
• Ask, Thank, Tell, by Charles R. Lane  (2006)
• Beyond the Offering Plate; A Holistic Approach to Stewardship; Editor: Adam J. Copeland (2017)
• Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, by Diana Butler Bass (2018)
• A Spirituality of Fundraising, by Henri Nouwen (edited 2011)

 
Here are a few kernels I have gleaned recently, in no particular order:

• Think about and talk about your own story of money, giving and generosity – if the leader(s) in a congregation can’t or won’t talk about money, others won’t either.
• Ask: “Where have you experienced generosity?” Invite people to talk about it.
• There is a 100% correlation between “didn’t give” and “wasn’t asked.”
• Debt counseling is available as a benefit for Rostered leaders through Portico. The same debt counseling is available through LSS of MN to anyone in need. Check it out at http://www.lssmn.org/debt/  This is a free gift from LSS MN to anyone.
• Stewardship is a spiritual issue.

           
Please contact me if you have questions or if you think that I can be helpful to you as you work on stewardship issues in your congregation or setting. 


Rev. Peggy Paugh Leuzinger