Stewardship Programme talk outline
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The importance of Christian Stewardship Christian Stewardship is important principally because it is our response to God’s love and generosity. When we say the Creed we affirm that
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Our thankful, sacrificial response to God’s love and generosity
Part of the way in which we respond to God’s love and generosity is to use all of ourselves in his service as part of the church family.
One of the pictures the Bible uses to describe the Church is the Body of Christ. In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 we read that every one of us is a part of the body with God-given gifts to use and a part to play.
These passages remind us that God has given us - his church - all the resources we need to carry out his will. We need to find, value, develop and use these resources to their best effect. We need to encourage people to review their commitment.
We need to be encouraged to think of Christian Stewardship
as a way of life in which we regard ourselves and our possessions as a trust
from God to be used in his service.
This means we are stewards of
- our time our abilities
- our possessions our money
- our whole lives
In summary, Christian Stewardship is about encouraging
the church to discover and use the God-given human, material and spiritual
resources to their best effect.
Encouraging commitment
People are more likely to review their commitment if they are enthusiastic about the purpose for which their commitment is being asked. They are more likely to respond to purpose than to need.
The purpose of the local church
In broad terms, God’s purpose is the same for all churches:
- worshipping God
- caring for and building up the church family
- reaching out to the local community
Reflecting on and praying through the way you are putting God’s purpose for your church into action may lead to a focus for your stewardship programme, for example
- affirming the need for a living church here
- affirming all that has been achieved so far
- affirming all that has been achieved today
- affirming people’s commitment
- encouraging people to review their commitment
- informing about church finance and other resourcing needs
- setting out improvements in church life
- setting out new priorities for your church
- communicating a new vision for your church
Planning a Stewardship Programme
When planning a programme the four main questions which need to be asked are:
- What positive message do you want to put to the congregation?
- Who are the congregation?
- What is the best way of giving the message?
- Are there any obstacles which may hinder the congregation’s response?
Please prayerfully consider your response to these four questions.
The Stewardship Department would love to help your church plan and run a programme. In doing so we would work closely with you to ensure that your message was communicated as effectively as possible to your congregation.
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