However it was far from the same conference. First off the vibe was much different. We were in a smaller space, with less people, but we packed the space. The average age of the attendees were also younger which probably lead to greater conversation on Twitter and TodaysMeet.com which, for me, enhanced the experience.
But to the meat of the experience - thoughts and ideas that I have taken away from the conference. Well this is what I posted on Facebook last Wednesday when we were wrapping up:
Ideas from Stewardship for Young Adults Under 40: Giving kiosks. Online giving. Debt exercise. Budget planning/mentoring. Give outside the church, use kickstarter for ideas. Tithe elsewhere for 2 months. Dollar cross. Sermon series on money, not just giving/fundraising. Credit card cross exercise. Tax filing parties. Connect members with lawyers for estate planning and wills-ask for gift. Admit there is need not just in town but also in congregation. Liturgy for job loss and new hire. Website -use the word donate or give. Tell personal giving story, including struggles. Giving circles. Give to the max day/month. I plan to give online note for offering plate, email Mon with details on how to do that. "I give to..." social media badge. THANK THE GIVER regardless of amount.
One friend replied that these ideas seem more about making giving easier than discussing the reason why we give. And yes some of these are to make giving easier (i.e. giving kiosks and online giving) for a generation of people who don't carry cash on them and most of the time have no clue where their checkbook is (that would be me). But many of these ideas are about addressing the entire view that we have towards money and giving in our society and in our faith. They also encourage giving without the entire approach being solely about begging for money (which let's face it, many congregations are guilty of).
Talking about debt, admitting that most people in worship on Sunday mornings owe money to someone, is often a taboo that we don't talk about in churches, much less in worship. If it is ever mentioned, it is about the price of seminary education and that is why pastors need to be paid, and occasionally we talk about student loans in general. But the average indebted American has $15,000 in credit card debt and another $32,000 in student loan debt (Bob's and my student loan debt is well over three times this number). Admitting that each one of us has to make choices every month about which bills we pay is a healthy and positive thing. Just realizing that you are not alone can often make one's spirit feel freer and allow us to feel more connected to the Body of Christ and not that we are cancerous mole that needs to be removed. It also means we can then start talking about systemic issues and how this burden of debt is affecting the Body of Christ.
Encouraging worshipers to give to their money to God by tithing is something that has been part of the church forever (if it wasn't just flat out law). But many people today see this as a way for the church to have money and be financially sound instead of a spiritual practice. Instead, by encouraging people to give that money to another organization for 2 months shows that the offering a congregation collects on Sunday is not about paying the bills (but let's also admit that is how the bills do get paid). Instead the act of an offering is so that people can give back to God what God belongs to God. It is a spiritual practice. And if we encourage tithing solely for the sake of spiritually and not for personal gain by the congregation, we are encouraging people to learn about why they give. And if after 2 months that person decides to continue giving to that other organization and not give a dime to the congregation (well first off I doubt that would happen, but maybe they give half to the church) so what? - we have encouraged giving in and through faith which is what Jesus calls us as church leaders to do, not to paid our personal coffers.
Another idea that was brought up was church endowments. Many congregations, especially in Mainline denominations, are living off their endowments today and those endowments are dwindling. Endowments are most often set up when someone remember the congregation in their death, by giving a gift in their will. But many young adults don't have a will (again that is me...in fact haven't even really considered it since I don't have kids) and many older adults wills might be out of date, or they were never asked to consider the church in their wills. We need to start to asking people to remember the church in their wills. Again not just because we want their money but because through their death, the church can continue to do ministry for future generations. But that also means making rules about how endowment money can and should be used. Most people are only able to give modest gifts in their deaths and therefore want their money to go to directly doing ministry, not to just sit in a bank account so the congregation can slowly live (or die) off its interest. Therefore congregations need to invest time developing endowment policies that use money to enhance ministry in this world and in their community. And many congregations do not have endowment policies and therefore the money is sitting in a bank, waiting for a rainy day, instead of being used to do good in this world.
I have so many more ideas and thoughts that are still rumbling through my head from my two weeks learning about evangelism and stewardship. And in many ways I don't know where to start but I don't want those ideas to get pushed to the back of my mind as I get back into the normal swing of things and get caught up from almost 2 weeks away. So for now I will start with telling my story and thinking about my spending and giving habits. My credit card is now bearing a new Sharpie drawn cross which was done during worship this past Sunday and each time I have pulled it out I've thought a little bit about what I am spending and if I'm using God's resources wisely. And each time we pause, even for a second and think about our spending and our giving, we are thinking about stewardship and about the reasons that we give because it all really belongs to God in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment