Generosity

Our Common Life

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.

Our Common Life

Introduction and Activities

Sample letter

Estimate of giving card

Worship Ideas

Bible Study

Thank You letter

Our Common Life graphic

We are Called

Our Daily Bread Stewardship Campaign

Rooted to Grow Stewardship Campaign

Encourage One Another Stewardship Campaign Resources

What's Your Story Stewardship Campaign Resources

Stir It Up Stewardship Campaign Resources

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.