Telling a Story with your Congregation’s Budget
Are you preparing your congregation’s 2025 budget? Do some people’s eyes glaze over when you pull out the spreadsheets? Does the conversation get stuck in numbers talk? Careful line-item budgeting is good stewardship, but alongside the spreadsheets, there’s a way to tell the deeper story of your congregation’s ministry with a narrative budget. Check out this video from Pr. Tim Brown, director of stewardship for the ELCA and the slides here. If you have questions or want some assistance with doing this in your congregation, contact Pr. Steven Wilco, Associate to the Bishop, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Our Common Life Stewardship Campaign
When we hear the word “stewardship” in church, we often brace ourselves for fundraising. But really stewardship is about how we hold all the things in our common life together – our common life as a congregation, as a community, as member of the human community, as a part of the global ecosystem. Stewardship – understanding all our gifts as ultimately belonging to God and thinking about how we share those in ways that benefit everyone – is a powerful antidote to the individualism and consumerism that pervades our culture.
The earliest church understood this in powerful ways. The description of the Jesus movement in the years immediately following Jesus’ resurrection (see Acts 4:32-37) highlighted that they held all things in common. For some communities this meant selling personal property and sharing those proceeds for the benefit of all. In part, perhaps, they were following Jesus’ command to some of the wealthy people he encountered to go sell what they have and give to the poor. Certainly some members without means were able to live more abundantly as a result. These models were difficult to sustain – after all there is evidence that early in the life of the church there were all the same divisions and inequities that we still face today. Yet the model of that early church is a powerful reminder that our faith in God makes a powerful claim on the way we share life together with those around us.
This is easily lost in an age of great division and distrust. We are encouraged to buy whatever we want (even if we can’t afford it). We are harmed daily by the many -isms that diminish the richness of our diverse communities. Our earth is in peril as a result of our failure to steward its resources with care. We exist in a time of an ultra-polarized political climate. For those using this resource in the fall of 2024, individuals and congregations may especially be feeling the tension surrounding the national presidential election. We need all the reminders we can get of the ways God calls us across division to think about the shared life we have together and what that means for the way we live our own lives and share our gifts. What one person does or doesn’t do, what one person shares or withholds has an impact on others.
As you invite people to estimate their giving to your congregation for the coming year, these resources encourage you to do that in the context of strengthening the bonds between one another and reflecting on your shared life together.
Start by introducing the concept to your congregation with the included letter and in your Sunday worship. The estimate of giving form can be included with the letter. Make sure you take a moment to customize them to your congregation. There is a brief Bible Study you could include in printed form with the letter or use as a template for conversation at coffee hour, adult forum, council or other settings. Consider one or more of the activities that are included on the following pages including a children’s sermon, a coffee hour activity, and invitations for people to set up one-on-one conversations. Lift it up each week in your worship, communications, and announcements using some of the prompts. Remember to plan a celebration of some kind in worship and perhaps with fellowship time after. Follow up with an acknowledgment letter of pledges received as well as with handwritten thank you notes to all who participate.
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Introduction and Activities
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Letter to the congregation
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Bible study
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Worship ideas
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Thank you letter
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Estimate of giving card
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Our common life graphic
We Are Called Stewardship Campaign
- Sample timeline
- Sample letter
- Estimate of giving card
- Worship Ideas
- Congregational Activity
- We are Called graphic
Our Daily Bread Stewardship Campaign
- Introduction and Program Ideas
- Congregational Letter Template
- Estimate of Giving Card
- Our Daily Bread logo
- Bread Shapes template
Rooted to Grow Stewardship Campaign
- Introduction and Timeline
- Congregational Activity
- Visual Aids
- Invitation Letter
- Bible Study
- Estimate of Giving Card
- Thank you Letter
- Logo
Encourage One Another Stewardship Campaign Resources
- Schedule and Outline of Tasks
- Moving the Annual Pledge Appeal Online
- Online Giving Ideas and Resources
- Telling Impact Stories
- Introductory Postcard
- Sample Invitation Letter
- Pledge Card
- Sample Thank you Letter
- Logo
What's Your Story Stewardship Campaign Resources
- Appeal Timeline and Tasks
- Introductory Postcard
- What's Your Story Brunch Guide
- Letter for Information Packets
- Everyday Spirituality Card Deck Questions
- Adult Discussion Series Outline
- Pledge Form and Chart
- What's Your Story? logo
Stir It Up Stewardship Campaign Resources
- Appeal Timeline and Tasks
- Letter for Information Packet
- Introductory Postcard Text
- Stir It Up Reverse Offering
- Stir It Up Brunch
- Stir It Up Pledge Form
Additional Stewardship Resources
Webinar on Electronic Giving from Hartford Seminary - https://youtu.be/eVZ9tIMRfPo
This webinar will help your stewardship leaders think about the benefits of online giving as well as some other general ideas around financial stewardship and member communication around giving.
ELCA Stewardship Resources - https://www.elca.org/Resources/Stewardship
ELCA StewardNET - https://community.elca.org/stewardnet-newsletter-subscribe
This link will take you to a sign-up page for a monthly newsletter from the ELCA Churchwide StewardNET program with a variety of resources for stewardship.
Generation to Generation - Click