Every fall, countless pastors and finance chairs step into stewardship season feeling like they’ve been dropped into the wilderness without a compass. Where do you start? What do you say? How do you lead a campaign that inspires giving instead of dread?

Don’t be afraid. You are never alone. Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation is here to help your church thrive in generosity.

Tools for Leaders

We have books to give away that can inspire your stewardship committees and finance teams. These are especially helpful for framing why an annual campaign matters and encouraging church leaders in their work. Our favorites include:

• • Clif Christopher’s series: Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate, Whose Offering Plate Is It?, Rich Church, Poor Church, and Church Money Manual
  • Clayton Smith: Propel
  • Henri Nouwen: A Spirituality of Fundraising

These make excellent reading for finance committees, church boards, or stewardship teams. To request free copies, send an email to Kat@mhmfn.org.

Church-Wide Studies

If your congregation is planning a church-wide stewardship series, we recommend these tried-and-true programs:

• • Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity, by Adam Hamilton
  • Extravagant Generosity: The Heart of Giving, by Michael Reeves and Jennifer Tyler
  • Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life, by Bob Crossman
  • First: Putting God First in Living and Giving, by Mike Slaughter

At the Foundation’s office, we have the full program packets, including leader guides and videos. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood to review them. These are available for purchase through Cokesbury and Amazon.

Personal stewardship for members AND your local community

Stewardship isn’t just about the church budget; it is about helping individuals and families live faithfully with money. We recommend:

• • Saving Grace (a Wesleyan approach to financial wellness)
  • Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University
  • WillPower Workshop: encouraging everyone to have an estate plan and inviting generosity in the process, created by the Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation

Advertise these programs to invite your wider, local community. We have these samples at our office too.

Don’t Miss All Saints Day

All Saints Day is a beautiful opportunity to honor the saints who came before us and to inspire your congregation to leave their own legacy. As we remember those who shared the love of Christ with us, we are invited to do the same for those who will come after. We’ve prepared an All Saints resource on our website to help you bring this to life in your congregation.

Don’t lose sight of the basics:

• • Electronic Giving – If your church doesn’t already offer it, it’s time. Vanco Payment Solutions and Giving Tools are our favorites. This will pay for itself, but if your members don’t believe it, apply for a grant from the Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation to cover startup costs. Then you can prove to the skeptics that it works. Electronic giving is no longer optional.
  • Pledge Cards – Emphasize accountability to God, not just budget planning. Include spiritual language of generosity.
    • Include an Estate Planning Prompt on the pledge cards: “I have included the church in my estate plan. ___Yes ___No.”
  • Tell Stories – Share how your church is changing lives and connect those stories directly to generosity.
  • Review Trusted Resources – The General Board of Discipleship has excellent stewardship tools.
  • Conduct a Financial Review – Prove that funds are well-managed. It doesn’t need to be a full GAAP audit; even a review builds trust. Let your members know it’s available. General Board of Discipleship has a tool to help you accomplish this, affordably, if you don’t already have an audit or financial review.
  • Celebrate Leaders – Give your clergy and lay leaders time to share their gratitude and accomplishments. Their testimonies inspire generosity.

If you ground yourself in faith, you will find your way. Remember, stewardship is not about raising money, but sometimes we forget about that. Stewardship is about deepening discipleship, building trust, and telling the story of what God is doing in your church, in your lives and in your hearts. It’s about caring for what we have and renewing our commitment to God in the process. Point your compass North, and you’ll be ok.

The Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation’s mission is to serve, nurture and secure religious, educational, and benevolent programs related to the Methodist movement. Learn more by visiting here.