powerpoint presentation · why laity see money-talk as taboo people often confuse their self-worth...

10/31/2019

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Host site: St Stephen Lutheran, Marshall Mn

November 2, 2019

Zoom locations: Western North Dakota

Synod and NW MN Synod

Devotion

The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,

and you give them their food in due season.

You open wide your hand

and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

Psalm 145:15-16

Devotion

The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,

and you give them their food in due season.

You open wide your hand

and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

Amen

Psalm 145:15-16

Review of Session 1 CGC

“Let’s expect that God is going to break into your life.”Michael Binder

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Help us to be more aware of Your work.

GENEROSITY IN CONTEXT

“Generosity is the virtue of giving good things to others freely and

abundantly. It is a learned character trait that involves attitude and

action entailing both the inclination and actual practice of giving liberally.

It is not a haphazard behavior but a basic orientation to life. What

generosity gives can vary: money, possessions, time, attention, aid,

encouragement, and more but it always intends to enhance the true

wellbeing of the receiver. Like all virtues, generosity is in people’s

genuine enlightened self-interest to learn and practice.”

Christian Smith, The Generosity Project, Notre Dame

@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book Page 99

What is Generosity?

GENEROSITY Factors Birthing Generosity

Generosity is…

...a learned or conditioned response.

...motivated by religious practices.

...shaped by our childhood

experiences.

...influenced by our life experiences.

...a habit of the heart.10

Unexpected Generosity

SHAPING A THEOLOGY OF MONEY

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@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book Page 25 13

Shaping a Theology of Giving

▪ How we acquire it.

▪ How we regard it.

▪ How we manage it.

▪ How we spend it.

Sacred Texts – A theology of money cannot be built around a

single text. (See Deuteronomy 14:26)What the Bible teaches about money can be fit into four categories:

“Generosity is what God wants for us,not what God wants from us.”

Pastor Michael Binder

Mill City Church, Minneapolis

CONGREGATIONS

@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book 7

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Transparency

Who are we? IDENTITY

What are we about? MISSION

How do we do what we do? STEWARDSHIP


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Begin with a clear mission statement

▪ Who are we called to be?

▪ What are our core values?

▪ What are our distinct challenges and opportunities?

▪ What are our priorities?

▪ What resources do we need?

@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC 18

Mindset Shifts in Thinking about Generosity in the Church

• Stewardship (Generosity) as Discipleship

• Scarcity to Abundance (or perhaps, Sufficiency)

• Money Follows Mission

• Generosity (fundraising) is about Relationships

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Stewardship (Generosity) as Discipleship

Stewardship is not simply the “church word” for raising money. While raising funds is important, we want people to grow as followers of Jesus and help them to see how being a disciple involves the faithful use of all gifts, possessions and money. “2nd happiest people on the planet…?”

Dr Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio




Scarcity thinking leads us to believe that there is never enough, but we want people to understand that we worship a God of abundance. God richly blesses us with what we need to live (sufficiency). Often God’s gifts to us are so abundant that we can be a blessing to others through our generosity.

“Sufficiency….is not the same as abundance (abundance is more than we need – it is excess). Sufficiency is precise. It means that things are sufficient, exactly enough.”

“There is a principle of sufficiency, and it is as follows: When you let go of trying to get more of what you really don’t need, which is what we are all trying to get more of, it frees up immense energy to make a difference with what you have…. to be known for what we allocate rather than what we accumulate.”

Exodus 16:18 When they measured it (manna) with an Omer, those who gathered much had nothing left over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

…give us this day our daily bread.




It is hard to create excitement about giving to a church budget – as important as the things that budget funds might be. Many people of faith today want to give to something that aligns with a greater sense of purpose and know that they are truly making a difference with their gifts. A clear and focused mission helps people to become excited about what God will do through their gifts.




Stewardship isn’t centrally about money. It’s about relationships – the relationship of the giver to God, to the congregation, to the pastor(s) or leaders, to others, to the wider world. Thankfulness and trust and compassion are essential elements of generosity.

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• Stewardship as Discipleship




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• Tell – Invite members to tell stories in worship of how the gifts given by your members make a difference in your congregation and community.

• Tell – “A picture is worth a thousand words!” Well done brochures, bulletin boards, or power point slide shows are a wonderful way to tell the story of your congregation’s mission. The more faces, the better.

• Tell – As part of the ELCA and your synod, you are joined to a mission that reaches across your state and around the world. Help people know why their gifts matter.

• Ask – Some gifts go ungiven because people aren’t asked to consider giving or growing in their giving.

• Ask – As you ask people to give, especially in an Annual Stewardship Campaign, offer guidance for how they might grow in their financial stewardship.

• Ask – Offer multiple ways to give to and through the congregation, always recognizing that not everyone will respond to every invitation.

• Thank – Create a culture of thanksgiving in your congregation. Begin with recognizing God’s gifts and then extend that thankfulness to the gifts (financial, time, service, etc.) given within the congregation.

• Thank – Look for multiple ways to say thank you. Do it in newsletters, bulletins, announcements, thank you notes, and best of all - in person.

• Thank - Involve the lots of people in saying thank you: pastor(s), Congregation Council, Committee and Team chairs, etc.

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▪ Moral Obligation

▪ Theology of Duty

▪ Institution Centered

▪ Institutions are to be Trusted

▪ Institutions are Autonomous

▪ Budgets are Need-Driven

▪ Financial Focus is Insular

▪ Giving is a Contribution

▪ Fundraising is Raising Money

▪ Incomes Sources are Limited

▪ The Gift as an End to Philanthropy

▪ Different from Business

▪ Donor Cultivation

▪ Theology of Grace

▪ Donor Centered

▪ Institutional Trust must be Earned

▪ Donors are Collaborative Partners

▪ Giving is Value-Driven

▪ Financial Focus is Global

▪ Giving is Creating Change

▪ Fundraising is Nurturing Generosity

▪ Income Sources are Diverse

▪ The Gift as a Means to Philanthropy

▪ Embraces Business Principles &

Practices

The Old Paradigm The Emerging Paradigm

TOOL KIT The Paradigm Shift in Religious Giving: Anything else?


The Pyramid of Giving

What percent of your church’s

income comes from the top 10%

of givers?

What percent of your church’s

income comes from the next

20% of givers?

Create a demographic profile of

a typical top 10%.

Descriptive Prescriptive Diagnostic


Understanding your Context

• What are the things that make your

congregation’s context unique?

• How do the present challenges in

agriculture (e.g. – commodity prices,

weather, etc.) affect your congregational

context?

Experiments in your setting—Table discussion

What did you try?

What did you notice?



• Stewardship (Generosity) as Discipleship




• Leadership is critical!LEADERSHIP

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The Pastor as Innkeeper

“This is what I, what all of

us are doing; we are

performing the duties of

the innkeeper.”St. Augustine


Leaders are Difference Makers

“The single biggest factor determining

whether an organization is going to get

healthier is the genuine commitment and

active involvement of the person in charge.

For the company, that’s the CEO. For a small

business, it’s the owner. For a school, it’s the

principle. For a church, it’s the pastor.”-- Patrick Lencioni



• They lead from the front.

• They model transparency.

• They do the hard things.

• They ask the big questions.

• They are macro-managers.

• They monitor all communication.@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book Page 57

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Divide into groups: Pastors -- Lay Leaders

Lay Leaders group: Pick the two leadership qualities you

think are most important. (page 57) How could you

encourage your pastor(s) in their leadership?

Pastors Group: Pick the two leadership qualities you think

are most important. (page 57) How could you grow in those

areas?


The Taboo of Money-Talk

“Taboo… is

associated with

something so sacred

that to touch it or

even talk about it is to expose oneself to

considerable

danger…”Robert Wuthnow


Money-Talk

Why Laity See Money-Talk as Taboo

▪ People often confuse their self-worth with their financial worth.

▪ They feel they can’t give more.

▪ Older people fear they lack the resources to see them thru to death.

▪ Many feel shame as to how little they give; for them, money-talk creates guilt.

▪ People of wealth fear that they are being exploited.

▪ Younger people see institutions as passé.

▪ People resent people telling them what to do with their money.

▪ Money-talk creates anxiety.

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Money-Talk

Why Clergy See Money-Talk as Taboo

▪ Clergy do not find satisfaction in dealing with financial matters.

▪ Clergy do not see stewardship to be a meaningful measure of congregational vitality.

▪ Clergy fear that talk about money will alienate members.

▪ Clergy fear that members will interpret them talking about money as them asking for a

raise in salary.

▪ Clergy have not been trained as money managers.

▪ Clergy often feel uncomfortable around people of wealth.

▪ Many clergy are personally struggling to financially make ends meet.

▪ Clergy often see money to be more evil than a blessing.

▪ There is no agreement as to how best to talk about money in the Church. @LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book Page 59 44

Money-Talk

In your groups of Lay Leaders and Pastors:

▪Lay Leaders: Do you think it is difficult for your pastor(s) to

talk or preach about money? If so, why do you think that is?

▪Pastors: How comfortable are the lay leaders in your church

talking about money and giving? How comfortable are the

lay leaders when you talk about these topics? Is money a

taboo topic?


The Language Conundrum

The Language of OBLIGATION

The Language of RECIPROCITY

The Language of GRATITUDE

What language do we use to talk about faith, money and giving?

“The Christian life does not and cannot have obligation as its deepest root. The

life of faith is entirely responsive, springing from gratitude rather than duty.”

Sandra Wheeler


Obstacles to Development

1. Language and words used in fundraising

2. Theological ambivalence

3. Lack of training or preparation

4. Sense of discerned vocation

5. Unease with asking people for favors

6. Fear of rejection and failure

7. Anxiety about integrity in fundraising


Motivations for Religious Giving

▪ Giving to achieve reciprocity with God (can be “prosperity gospel” or “deeper relationship w/ God)

▪ Giving to achieve reciprocity with a particular religious group (do my fair share giving)

▪ Giving as an extension of the self (passions!)

▪ Giving as an act of thankfulness or altruism (events or memory)

▪ Think of “triggers” for each/any of these in your life. Discuss.


See Implementation Plan question #1—What can youimagine?

What are three areas you would like to “grow” in the nextyear?

4 practices: Inform (facts). Motivate (stories)Invite (Thank

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Adaptive Leadership

▪ Get on the balcony (step away and witness/pray)

▪ Identify the adaptive challenges to be addressed (raising

a child (adaptive) vs building a rocket (technical)

▪ Identify the new behavior to be acquired (Procedure

▪ Identify what might be lost (If we change this….)

▪ Create a holding environment of candid conversation

(do experiments!!) @LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC | Book Page 65 50

Cultural Change Comes Last, Not First


Narrative Budgets


@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC 53@LakeInstitute | #LakeCGC 54

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The Philanthropic Autobiography

1. What are your earliest memories of giving and volunteering, either in your family or congregation?

2. Who has been a model for you in giving and generosity?

3. As a child, what did you learn about money from your family? Did you know how much they earned and how much they gave away?

4. To what people and places do you feel a sense of gratitude?

5. What is the most meaningful gift you have ever received or given?



• For this activity – divide your group in two. (Count off 1,2)

• One half forms a circle, facing out. The other half forms another circle around them, facing off one to one with the inner circle.

• Begin with first question. Give each person in the pairing one minute to respond. Facilitator lets the group know when it’s time for the other person in the pair to talk.

• Before second question, the outer circle moves one person clockwise. Again, each person has one minute to respond.

• Continue in this way until you have completed the five questions.



• As you participated in the activity what

surprised you?

• What was the most important thing you learned

about yourself or those you spoke with?

• How might you use an activity like this in your

church?

Looking ahead

• January 11, 2020—9-12:30 p.m.

• Do a “debrief” with your group

• Schedule a time with your coach

• Begin (or continue) “Implementation Project” (final tab)• See #1, 3, 4, 5

• Clergy/rostered leaders: work on #6 and 8

• Incorporate at least 2 “ideas” to cultivate generosity in your setting

EVALUATION

•What did you find most valuable in today?

•What would you have liked to have more of?

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powerpoint presentation · why laity see money-talk as taboo people often confuse their self-worth...

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