1 = More budget driven / 10 = More spiritually driven

Stewardship is our response to God’s love and redemption. It is what we do to live out our commitment to Jesus Christ. The focus of stewardship is not asking members to give so a church can balance its budget. The message needs to be Gospel motivated. How effective is your church in conveying that stewardship is a love response to Christ rather than raising money to finance the costs of running the church? Your stewardship ministry should focus on helping people grow spiritually. People with grateful hearts will give generously.

1 = Weak leadership / 10 = Strong leadership

Stewardship leadership is very important. Both the clergy and lay leaders need to know their responsibilities and enthusiastically participate in stewardship leadership. Leaders need to identify, recruit, train, encourage, and make maximum use of members’ abilities and spiritual gifts. The pastors are to provide leadership through preaching, witnessing, teaching, and providing pastoral care. Pastors should continually encourage and challenge their members in stewardship. They need to help set the vision. The stewardship committee must also provide leadership and direction. The members of the committee can be very influential in what they do and say because stewardship is both caught and taught. Leaders always need to be accountable. The accountability extends not just to one another but to God. Leaders should be tithers or growing toward the tithe.

1 = Poor communication / 10 = Good communication

Good communication is essential. For individuals or families to give to their church, they need to have a personal awareness of the church’s mission and ministry. Members want to be involved and feel part of the ministry, and that is accomplished through communication. If a church is active in spreading the Gospel and making a difference in its community and in the world, the people will give. Members want to know what’s happening and they have a right to know. People want to be assured that the money they give makes a difference. Well-informed and involved church members give more than non-informed members do.

1 = Non-active stewardship committee / Involved stewardship committee

An active and involved stewardship committee is needed. The committee should be made up of members who recognize and model their commitment to the mission and ministry of the church. The committee should be instrumental in planning and shaping the stewardship education ministry of the congregation. The committee should understand that their task is one of an educational process, not a program. There will be some programs but the programs will be part of an entire stewardship process. Within the context of the church’s plan, stewardship goals need to be set. Goals should be established for both the short and the long-term, and the plans to reach the goals should be established. As a committee, members need to be accountable to the pastor and congregation. If the committee is involved in the budget process, they need to demonstrate good stewardship. Stewardship committees should evaluate themselves annually on their strengths, weaknesses, and achievements.

1 = No commitment requested / Seeks every member commitment

A vital part of a church’s stewardship ministry is its annual stewardship emphasis. An important part of this effort is to give every member an opportunity to make a commitment of his or her time, talents, and treasures. The emphasis should be designed so that spiritual growth is a major part of the program. Any emphasis must first focus on giving one’s heart and self before the giving of time, talents, and treasures. God is more concerned with our attitudes and values than what is given. A well-conceived, well-run stewardship emphasis will raise the level of giving and commitment of your members. As God’s people grow in their faith and trust in the Lord, they will grow in their giving. The financial commitment or estimate of giving is a faith promise of the amount an individual or family is committing to give for the next year. These programs contain sermons, Bible studies, commitment forms, etc. The annual stewardship emphasis should last a minimum of two Sundays.

1 = No year-round stewardship ministry / Year-round stewardship ministry

In addition to an annual stewardship emphasis, a year-round stewardship education ministry is needed. With year-round stewardship education, time can be spent in developing stewardship as a way of life that honors Christ, thus experiencing greater involvement, commitment, and generosity. This growth will not just come from understanding firstfruits and proportionate giving, but through challenging Christians to live out their commitment to God day by day. A primary educational objective is to teach people to give from their blessings, not to the church budget. This education process will help enrich the relationship they have with Christ.

1 = Hoarding / Giving

Is your congregation a giving church? Does your church share proportionately of what it receives with the Synod office or some other hierarchical level? As a church, are you helping the poor, the needy, the suffering. It has been said that the strength of a church is measured by what it gives out, not by what it takes in.

1 = No youth stewardship education / Offers youth stewardship education

An often neglected but an important part of a church’s stewardship education ministry is youth stewardship education. Youth need to be taught about offering envelopes, the concept of tithing, and money management principles, which will set a pattern for life. Service activities should be offered on an ongoing basis.

1 = A standard budget / Budget reflecting future ministry opportunities

A budget is a ministry action plan that prioritizes the church’s ministry. The budget should be a flexible spending guide for the church, not a barometer for what members should be giving. Ministry planning needs to precede the budgeting process. Is your church tithing ten percent of the offering income to Synod? Does your budget emphasize missions? Good stewardship in spending the church’s money is important. The congregation expects that there will be very little waste and that there is proper accounting for all income and expenses.

1 = Non-active mission activity and education / Active mission activity and education

Mission education is often a joint responsibility between a stewardship committee and a mission committee. The church membership needs to be aware of the congregation’s mission ministry. At least once a year, the church should sponsor a mission emphasis. Your congregation should be encouraged to sponsor one or more missionaries. Mission activities need to be reported to the congregation. People will give more to mission than builders or maintenance. Prayers and financial support for missions should be continually encouraged and offered.

1 = No money management workshops / Offers money management workshops

The church needs to help its members understand that their income and money is a trust from God. We are caretakers and managers of His gifts for which we are accountable. God calls His people to be responsible in their giving, saving, and spending, but many people in our churches have financial lives that are in chaos. Factors such as poor planning or credit card misuse have caused many people to lose control of their finances. Each church should make an effort to provide educational workshops on budgeting, financial planning, investing, and estate planning. These classes will help people control their money rather than letting money control them. All sessions should incorporate the Biblical principles of firstfruits and proportionate giving. Helping Christians become better managers of money will help many to become better witnesses for Christ. Personal money management training should be part of premarital counseling.

1 = Tithing and percentage giving are not encouraged / Tithing and percentage giving are encouraged

Both tithing and percentage giving are Biblical concepts for giving. God’s people are called to honor Him faithfully with their firstfruits and proportionate amounts of their incomes. God asks His people to give, not because He needs the money, but for the good of His people. Scripture promises that we will be enriched when we generously share with Him. God knows the joy His people will have in their giving and the blessings they will receive through their generosity.

1 = No will or trust workshops / Offers workshops and personal visits by lay leaders

When God’s people acknowledge that all they have comes from Him, it is fitting that they will want to continue their stewardship of their accumulated lifetime assets. Churches should offer seminars on Christian estate planning and personal visits by trained members that educate their membership on gifting strategies at death. Major gifts will come from wills and trusts if people are taught and encouraged to gift a portion of their assets in their last wills and testaments. Planned giving through gifts of financial assets such as stocks, mutual funds, or life insurance should also be encouraged.