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Stewardship

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WE INVITE YOU TO MAKE A STATEMENT OF INTENT FOR 2022

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As Lutherans, we believe that Christ has freed us from sin and death, and even from ourselves, so that we can love and serve our neighbors. One way we turn our faith into action is by making a financial gift — an offering — to our congregation. Each year, ELCA congregations pledge to send a portion of their offerings to fund ELCA ministries in their synods and beyond. We call these funds Mission Support. Mission Support enables the ELCA’s more than 8,900 congregations and 65 synods to pool resources to love and serve our neighbors in ways that no individual or congregation can do alone. Mission Support is one way we are church together — it’s essential to who we are as the ELCA. Through Mission Support, we expand our participation in God’s life-changing work in our communities and around the world.

 

How do these gifts make a difference?

  • You can find stories about our work together in “Stories of Faith in Action” at ELCA.org/SOFIA.

  • You can also learn more about the ministries, programs, and missions of the Central States Synod at css-elca.org/walking-together.

A MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA MISSION SUPPORT TEAM

Dear partner in ministry,

 

The last year has been one of change, adaptation and creativity. Together we learned new ways of being church as we continued to reach out to our communities and serve the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors locally and globally. We found ways to lift each other up and support one another across all three expressions of the ELCA: congregations, synods and the churchwide organization. The way we do things may have changed in 2020, but the reason we do them — to serve and love God and our neighbor — stayed constant.

 

Being church during a pandemic has produced some of the most inspiring stories of our ministry together. We shared new ways of being community. We shared new ways of caring for one another. Our congregations and synods generously continued to share Mission Support — the portion of your offering that your congregation shares with your synod and your synod shares with the churchwide organization. This Mission Support breathed new life into our ministry together, helped ministries adapt to a changing world and even planted seeds for new ministries.

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We are so grateful for the generosity of this church. We are grateful for the creativity that has sprung out of the challenges we faced in the last year. We are grateful for each of you, for being part of the body of Christ and part of the ELCA. 

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Nick Kiger, Associate Director, Mission Support & Victoria Flood, Director, Mission Support

Victoria Flood

Director, ELCA Mission Support 

Nick Kiger

Associate Director, ELCA Mission Support

SHAPING YOUR CONGREGATION'S PLAN FOR MISSION SUPPORT

As you discuss your Mission Support commitment for the coming year, please consider how your offerings reflect your calling and build up the body of Christ. As a church together, we can have a greater impact in your community and beyond, sharing God’s abundant grace with others.

Instructions: Use the columns below to indicate your congregation’s current level of Mission Support and your 2021 Mission Support plan. You may instead download the form to complete and return to the synod office.

2021 Actual

2022 Projected

Thank You for your submission and support

Stewardship resources

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Central States Synod Quick Facts

The Central States Stewardship Team is committed to:

 

  1. Nurturing congregations in their generosity by developing a mindset and heart for stewardship.

  2. Actively engaging congregations in growing financial giving within the congregation and to the synod and churchwide organization.

 

In order to do this we:

 

  1. Assist congregations in connecting money and mission.

  2. Enable members of the synod to tell the story of the interconnected mission of our congregations, the Central States Synod and the ELCA as we live out being church together.

  3. Assist congregations to develop a year-round stewardship plan that will encourage stewardship leadership within all members.

  4. Enable rostered and lay leaders to be connected to stewardship resources, including stewardship coaching.

  5. Increase financial giving within the congregation and to the synod by at least 1%.

  6. Invite congregations to celebrate stories that demonstrate God's abundance with the mindset and heart for stewardship.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the work of the stewardship team, need help connecting with resources, or have a "stewardship" story to share, please contact communications@css-elca.org.


The Generosity Project

 

  • Helps congregations equip all generations as stewards of God's abundant grace

  • Broadens the understanding of stewardship and changes the overall culture of sharing and giving in congregations

  • Equips households as places where generosity is recognized and responded to

 

For more information contact Pastor Meggan Prosser-Gebhardt at lolpastor@sbcglobal.net .
 

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