| F.A.Q.
(Frequently Asked Questions)
I’ve
never done this before. Where do I start?
An excellent starting point for congregations, pastors and stewardship
committees is on the ELCA stewardship web site, www.elca.org/dcm/stewardship/started.html.
The
“Slice of Life” presentations by congregations at our Synod
Assembly were great. Is there any way I can get a copy of what they
said?
Yes, click the "Slice of Life" button above for the Power
Point presentation (text not included) or call 816-861-6584.
Some
of our members are totally opposed to pledging. What can we do about
it?
Sometimes people are opposed to pledging because they have had some
bad experiences in a previous congregation or in their present congregation.
Open up the conversation with your area ministry or synod stewardship
resource people by asking them to come out and visit with your council
and stewardship committee about some of the alternatives to pledging.
God will bless your efforts greatly, your congregation will be stronger,
a spirit of hope and confidence will replace discouragement and scarcity
thinking.
How
can we get our pastor to preach a sermon on stewardship?
More and more congregations are asking that very question. It is helpful
if one begins by trying to understand why your pastor is hesitant to
preach about stewardship. Perhaps s/he has the mistaken notion that
stewardship is only about money instead of lifelong discipleship. Perhaps
s/he is simply uncomfortable because of lack of training. Begin by having
a conversation with your pastor about this important question.
Where
does our offering go?
This is the most frequently asked question we receive. Most people don’t
realize that 91% of every dollar put in the offering plate stays in
that local congregation. The remaining 9% of the offerings is divided
about half and half between mission work in the Central States Synod
and mission work in the ELCA. Most of the mission support that goes
through the synod and ELCA is used for missionaries, congregational
services, and seminary education. For a more comprehensive description,
you may download "What Does
My Offering Do?" or visit the Office
of the Treasurer on the ELCA web site
What
kinds of resources and programs are available that our stewardship team
can use for our congregation’s stewardship drive?
The first place to check is the ELCA stewardship web site, www.elca.org/dcm/stewardship.
You will find titles like Getting Started, Financial Response Methods,
Teaching Stewardship, Year-Round Stewardship, Raising Funds and
Interpreting the Mission of the ELCA.
Who
do I contact for help with our congregation’s stewardship program?
The closest help available is from your own area ministry mission interpretation
and stewardship team member. For the name of the Stewardship Leader
in your Area Ministry, click the "Resource People" button
above. If you are unable to locate your representative, contact Dr.
Ed Kruse at 816-373-5116 or 816-806-9170 (cell), or edkruse2@cs.com.
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