Stewardship Committee A Holistic Approach to Stewardship

Catholic Finance Corporation

We help optimize the management

and stewardship of the temporal goods

of the church.

What Is… to What Ought to Be…

Current

Culture,

Performance

, Structures,

Systems

Ready

&

Align

Implement

&

Advance

Vision

Culture,

Goals,

Structures,

Systems

What is…Change Readiness

Change Management What Ought to Be…

Discipleship – the goal of a Christian Life

▪ Our Christian faith calls us to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

▪ There are many practices taught by the Church to help us to become better disciples.

▪ One of the practices that helps us to become disciples is stewardship.

Stewardship –as a practice of discipleship:

▪ Is Holy Work...

▪ Begins with the realization that all we have and all we achieve is a gift from God.

▪ A way of being and leads to certain actions.

▪ Helps us understand our relationship with the gifts God has entrusted to us

Stewardship is comprised of:

The Holy Work of offering

▪ Stewardship of Prayer

▪ Stewardship of Participation

▪ Stewardship of Generosity

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Why is it important to ground Stewardship in a theological

foundation? ▪ Stewardship is about more than

“what” we do and “how” we do it.

▪ It includes the questions of “why” stewardship is important to our goal of discipleship and our community based faith.

“… situates church support in its broader context- what it means to be a

disciple of Jesus Christ. This also is the context of stewardship. Generous

sharing of resources, including money, is central to its practice, and church

support. Essentially, it means helping the Church’s mission with money, time,

and personal resources of all kinds. This sharing is not an option for Catholics

who understand what membership in the Church involves. It is a serious duty.

It is a consequence of the faith which Catholics profess and celebrate.”

Stewardship: A Disciples Response , Tenth Anniversary Edition,United States Council of Catholic Bishops, 2002

Gifts of Financial Offerings The Holy Work of Financial Support

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The Importance of Culture in Building a Holistic Approach to Stewardship

▪ Are we “laying bricks” or “building a Cathedral”?

▪ Do we view our work from a narrow “task” perspective, hoping to achieve our vision OR are we working from our vision while completing necessary tasks?

▪ Are parishioners “helpers,” “volunteers,” or the “People of God” serving God’s mission?

Language, Values & Attitudes… A pathway to form & engage disciples

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The Importance of Culture in Building a Holistic Approach to Stewardship

▪ Are members called to serve and being formed in gospel values, i.e. what Jesus said, what Jesus did, and what Jesus told us to do?

▪ Do we motivate others from a sense of “duty” or from gratitude for God’s abundant grace?

Language, Values & Attitudes… A pathway to form & engage disciples

Focus on programs, tasks, recruitment and filling jobs.

Focus on people, with understanding of gifts ministry as a system with many aspects.

Leaders act as “Lone Rangers”. Leaders collaborate and work as partners.

From: To:

Building a Holistic Stewardship Culture Shifting the Cultural Paradigm of Parish Ministry

From: To:Time & Talents - narrowly defined as “special skills”.

Gifts for Ministry

– broadly defined

to include one’s

personality, life

experiences,

strengths and

weaknesses,

preferred ways of learning, working, and interacting with others.

Volunteers “own” their time and talents and control where, when and how they are used.

Ministers are stewards of their gifts and use discernment to cooperate with God’s plan for their use.

Building a Holistic Stewardship Culture Shifting the Cultural Paradigm of Parish Ministry

From: To:

Volunteering is only for a minority of people who are heavily involved in the church. Volunteering is a duty.

Ministry is both a responsibility and a right of all the baptized. Ministry is a loving response to our Baptismal call wherein we were gifted by God.

Building a Holistic Stewardship Culture Shifting the Cultural Paradigm of Parish Ministry

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From: To:

There is a scarcity of skills and competition for them.

God blesses the church with an abundance and sufficiency of gifts for carrying out its mission to the world.

Adapted from the work of Jean Morris Trumbauer in “Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers into Ministers.” 1995 Augsburg Fortress Publisher

Building a Holistic Stewardship Culture Shifting the Paradigm of Parishioner Involvement

Getting started

▪ Recruit a committee, define role and schedule

▪ Create a mission statement and goals

▪ Define activities

▪ Create evaluation process

Recruiting a committee

✓Members:• Spiritually motivated

• Visionary

• Exemplify Stewardship

• Understand the importance of the mission

• Collaborative

• Firm foundation in the gifts of the parishioners

✓Define responsibilities

✓Create position description

✓Define schedule

Mission and objectives

Parish mission statement from St. Charles Borromeo (St. Louis, MO)

▪ We are a parish that, through our communion with Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit: Welcomes all; celebrates unity, diversity and traditions; uses God’s gifts to serve and teach others and be the face of Jesus Christ in the Community.

Objectives

▪ Interconnection of stewardship practices

▪ Comprehensive, efficient and sustainable processes

▪ Building resources for financial generosity and service

SUMMING IT ALL UP

What ideas deserve additional reflection & discussion?

SUMMING IT ALL UP

What are the barriers to

moving forward?

SUMMING IT ALL UP

What needs to

be done to

move the parish

forward? How

can YOU help?

Thank you for all you do

to Build God’s Kingdom!

Mike Laughery

Catholic Finance Corporation

mlaughery@catholicfinance.org

651-767-3665