“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Opportunity Springing
As a youth, I was so surprised to learn that “Lent,” the word for our current liturgical season, literally means “spring.” It’s a shortened form of lencten, an Old English word for “spring season.” I’d imagined that it meant “sorrow” or at least “meditation,” given that we clean our spiritual houses in preparation for Easter joy.
But no, it literally means “spring,” smacking not of obligatory moroseness but of opportunity.
Lent is a time when we can reprioritize what we are about, both as individuals and as communities of faith.
A key phrase I’ve come to use in this work is “Money follows mission.” The alliteration sticks like Velcro on the brain. But I would go further: a clear mission attracts not only money but also volunteers, passion, energy and action.
When we are clear about who we are called to be and what our community of faith is called to do in this world, we become focused in such a way that we can’t help but invite others into that mission.
One question I encourage congregational leaders to ponder and honestly answer is, “If our community of faith disappeared tomorrow, what would the neighborhood, the town, the city say is missing?” When we can answer that, we focus on what exactly God in Christ calls us to do for the sake of the world.
Lent is a time for spiritual housecleaning. But that is not a dismal task, beloved! It is an opportunity to renew our callings and our passions so that others might clearly see our mission in Christ and join in that work.
Blessed Lent. Blessed spring.
Pax,
Tim Brown
Director of Congregational Stewardship
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
Cultivating Generous Congregations Spring Cohorts
How do we, as communities of faith, change our thinking on stewardship and generosity to meet the challenges of the moment? In partnership with the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the ELCA is offering congregations the opportunity to reexamine their stewardship thinking and imagine ways to act on their findings in their communities. The six-week webinar “Cultivating Generous Congregations” will offer virtual cohort sessions where congregational leaders can discuss, dissect and collaborate on how generosity might work in their contexts. The webinar costs $550 per congregation, plus workbooks ($30 each), and it qualifies for Thrivent Action Grants.
For a deeper look at what the webinar entails, watch this brief Cultivating Generous Congregations video.
Please contact the Rev. Larry Strenge (Larry.Strenge@elca.org) and the Rev. Tim Brown (Tim.Brown@elca.org) if you’re interested in participating! They will work with your synod to get you registered for the spring cohort.
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Mark your calendar:
Cultivating Generous Congregations
Spring 2023
5 p.m.–6:30 p.m. Central time
Tuesdays, April 25–May 30
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Upcoming Stewardship Webinar: Abundance over Scarcity
What does it mean to believe and trust that God has given you and your community all you need to fulfill your mission? How can we focus on the abundance around us rather than react to the fear of scarcity?
On May 15 the ELCA and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving will host a webinar to help leaders talk openly, honestly and inspirationally about stewardship and generosity through the lens of God’s abundance, hosted by the Rev. Dr. Carlos Perkins and the Rev. Tim Brown.
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Mark your calendar:
Being Equipped to Talk About Stewardship
Monday, May 15
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Central time
Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 835 7971 8246 Password: 000320
One tap mobile: +13017158592,,83579718246# US (Washington DC)
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Stewardship Conference: “Stewardship Kaleidoscope — Minneapolis”
In partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the ELCA Stewardship and Generosity team is proud to present “Stewardship Kaleidoscope — Minneapolis,” a three-day conference digging deeply into stewardship and generosity, with workshops and plenaries that will highlight diverse and authoritative voices from across the PCUSA, the ELCA and partner-church bodies.
“Stewardship Kaleidoscope — Minneapolis” offers real tools for real ministry and is perfect for both rostered and lay leaders. The conference organizers hope to ignite generosity, provide practical tools for cultivating congregational generosity, expand the leadership capacity of stewardship leaders, and cultivate adaptive approaches for funding Christ’s mission throughout the world. Limited partial scholarships are available; contact the Rev. Tim Brown at Tim.Brown@elca.org.
For information and registration go to Annual Conference — Stewardship Kaleidoscope.
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Mark your calendar:
Stewardship Kaleidoscope — Minneapolis
Sept. 25-27
Minneapolis, Minn.
$300 individual rate
$115 virtual rate
$159 for seminarians and first-call ministers
Group discounts available for attendees from the same congregation
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| STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES |
Are you looking for stewardship resources to fuel your ministries and your imagination? Here are a few places to find guidance and support:
ELCA Advocacy Blog. Stewardship isn’t about finances only; it involves every aspect of our being. “Stewardship of Voice” refers to how we use our individual and collective oomph to bend the moral arc through action and advocacy. Did you know that the ELCA has a dedicated advocacy ministry? Check out the ELCA Advocacy blog to see how faith becomes action.
The Rev. Becca Ehrlich’s Christian Minimalism. Have you ever wondered how having and using less as an individual might become acts of Christian witness? Drawing on both theology and personal experimentation, the thought-provoking “Christian Minimalism” blog by the Rev. Becca Ehrlich provides practical tips and personal testimony encouraging readers to think honestly about how they use things in this world. Check the site for information on her book Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living.
Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1993). Eugene Peterson’s short, accessible book The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction is still relevant 30 years after its publication, especially as religious leaders feel more torn than ever between personal and corporate responsibilities. Splitting the book into two sections, the first practical and the second poetic, Peterson argues that “busyness” is deadly for religious leaders (and, really, anyone). Stewardship of time is an important part of stewardship in our world. One must embrace a mindful, thoughtful and intentionally unbusy way of being if one hopes to attend to God’s still, small voice.
Have a great stewardship resource? Send tips on articles, books, movies and other media to tim.brown@elca.org. The best gifts are those that are shared! |
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| STEWARDSHIP IN THE TEXT |
Finding organic ways to speak about stewardship can be difficult, especially in relation to the lectionary texts. Not every sermon should be a “stewardship sermon,” but on any given Sunday, stewardship themes arise from the biblical witness and can be highlighted.
Below are just a few readings for Easter and Pentecost that might inspire thoughts on stewardship:
John 20:19-31 | April 16
This first Sunday after Easter, we are invited to consider how we steward forgiveness in our lives. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (20:23). Though this is a difficult passage to hear (no less interpret), a blessing can be wrestled from the invitation that God in Christ gives us to practice radical forgiveness. Forgiving isn’t easy, and it certainly shouldn’t be equated with forgetting. But even inviting God to forgive others in ways that we can’t may unbind our hearts from the hurts inflicted upon us and unbind the hearts of others from the hurts we’ve inflicted upon them.
John 14:1-14 | May 7
How is your physical building used for God’s glory Monday through Saturday? How could it be better utilized? Jesus invites us to dream big through the lens of heaven when he proclaims that in God’s realm there are many dwelling places, enough space for all. This is an optimal Sunday for inviting your congregation to dream big and imagining how you might steward your physical space to provide for others in your community.
Acts 2:1-21 | May 28
On Pentecost Sunday many congregations read parts of the lectionary text in various languages, opening our hearts and ears to other cultures if only for a moment. But Pentecost Sunday also prompts us to consider how, with God’s love and grace, our offering can expand to other parts of the world. Lifting up the work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response can remind your congregation that God’s work through the ELCA goes far beyond the walls of their sanctuary, their synod, even our hemisphere. God has called us to be church together, in every corner of the globe! How can our gifts better reflect this truth?
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