Stewardship
The power of Christ, through Spirit-gifted workers, supported by financial resources converge to accomplish the mission and vision of every local church. The New Testament records this convergence in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 8:1-3) and the ministry of Paul (Phil. 4:10-19). Stewarding financial resources is critical to the mission.
Faithful financial stewardship characterises the transformed life. Like the other Christian discipline, discipleship, faithful stewardship develops through teaching, training, practice, and accountability.
The purpose and mission of The Metropolitan District Leadership Team is to Resource, Equip and Empower pastors to lead healthy growing churches.
The following financial stewardship resources and services are available for developing disciples and strengthening the stewardship culture in your local church:
Good $ense Budget Course
Transformational Stewardship for Today’s Church
The Good $ense Budget Course helps participants discover tools and develop strategies that enable them to control their finances rather than allowing their finances to control them. More than a learning experience, Good $ense challenges values in a life-transforming way. No matter what their circumstance - financial crisis or abundance - Good $ense can help everyone in your church. Implementation This budget-training course can be implemented in several ways:
- A DVD of Dick Towner, author of Good $ense, instructs the participants.
- A trained Good $ense local church leader.
- Dick Borg, South Jersey RTL, is a trained Good $ense instructor.
Availability
All Good $ense materials are only available from the Willow Creek Association.
Go to their website for the latest information and pricing at www.GoodSenseMinistry.com.
Putting God’s House In Order
A Self-Assessment Inventory of Your Church’s Financial Health “Putting God’s House In Order” is a comprehensive self-assessment/diagnostic tool to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the stewardship culture in a local church. The use of this tool will empower pastors to empower lay leaders for needed changes for developing a healthy and generous congregation. The inventory is designed to be used in a workshop format for best results. Implementation This self-assessment inventory can be implemented in two ways:
- The pastor facilitates the workshop. Detailed instructions walk the pastor through the preparation and setup for the workshop and how to facilitate it.
- Workshop facilitated by trained leader. The pastor preps church leaders, but an outside facilitator is asked to lead the workshop.
Availability
- Hard copy or CD is available at no cost to Metropolitan District churches
- Soft copy is available for download at cost to non-Metropolitan District churches at www.designforministry.com (under Resource Emporium)
Chief Steward in the Household of God
Pastors and lay leaders will benefit greatly by reading the chapters of “Chief Steward in the Household of God”. While the target audience is pastors and specifically their leadership role as Chief Steward among the stewards of God’s wealth, lay leaders will be challenged to follow and lead more effectively.Chapter Summaries
I. Has Anyone Seen the Chief Steward?
Research indicates a long-standing leadership crisis in the American church - the most affluent church in the world. Chief-Steward leadership is missing. The pastor’s leadership role as Chief Steward in the household of God is ignored in their training and discouraged in their ministry, yet they’re blamed for the decline in giving. This chapter calls for change - change in pastoral leadership, change in the institutions that train them and change in the church’s lay leaders.
II. Changing Hearts - Raising Stewards
Nearly every Biblical biography of exemplary spiritual leaders reveals leadership in the stewarding of personal and corporate wealth in the people of God. This chapter is an overview of nine leaders from Abraham to the Apostle Peter, highlighting their experiences as Chief Stewards among God’s people. This precedent is clear and convincing.
III. What Would Jesus Do and Say?
If Christ is to be followed, obeyed and served, pastors and leaders cannot neglect all He did and said regarding money and possessions. To do so is to leave the people of God unchallenged in their idolatry. Christ’s ministry must be mirrored in the ministry of His pastors whom He gives to the church as gifts for the maturing of God’s people which is “the fullness of Christ”. This chapter highlights the gospel events and teachings of Jesus on wealth and possessions.
IV. The Great Gain
This chapter answers the question: What kind of pastor/leader is needed if the American church is going to impact a society of discontents? The Chief Steward’s leadership begins and rests on his own contentment. The pastor will appreciate the seven great leadership gains when contentment is added to his godliness, such as breaking the silence over money, preaching authoritatively on giving and modeling generosity. Furthermore the pastor will look at the challenges to his own contentment that are unique to his calling and four keys to cultivating contentment.
V. A Family Well Managed
The pastor, as Chief Steward in the Household of God, must prove his leadership credibility as a maturing steward in his own home. This chapter explores the financial challenges unique to ministry couples and their children. The pastoral couple will more fully appreciate the potential benefits to the life of the church when they open up their well-managed family for the congregation to observe the practice of Biblical stewardship.
VI. Commanding the Rich
Preaching on stewardship is a universal fear. This chapter describes twelve nuances of this fear to help preachers pinpoint their unique set of inhibitions and how to overcome them. The pastor will be able to critique his own stewardship sermon by understanding the particular differences between persuasion and manipulation when preaching about money and giving. Suggestions are offered to the beginner to ensure a positive first sermon on stewardship.
VII. Changing the Stewardship Culture
The downward spiral of giving as a percent of individual income can only be reversed in a local church with visionary leadership and empowered people engaged in strategic ministries. Such a church can easily change its stewardship culture. Using John Kotter’s model for cultural change, ordinary pastors are shown how to intentionally lead the church in developing strategies that result in extraordinary stewardship.
VIII. Extreme Giving
There are many aspects of financial stewardship, but the act of giving is its crowning achievement. This chapter examines the myths, motivations and methods of giving that every Chief Steward and lay leader must understand to effectively lead the church in giving to ministries locally and globally. The pastor will take a fresh look at tithing, benevolence, faith promise and estate giving. The last section will feature seven methods of raising funds for capital projects that safeguard the church from Biblical compromise.
IX. Taking Pains
This chapter provides practical applications for raising the level of confidence in the management of the church’s corporate assets. A self-assessment tool is introduced that measures strength and weakness in sixty areas of church stewardship. Ten vital signs of church financial health are unpacked as well.
Implementation
Pastors and teachers will find “Chief Stewards” to be instructive, empowering and resourceful for teaching, preaching and leading. Availability
Chief Steward in the Household of God is copyrighted, and any or all chapters are available to all Metropolitan District licensed workers and church lay leaders upon request. Contact Richard Borg.
Pastoral Compensation Review
A Proven Process for Lay Leaders
Since the pastor is the church’s most valuable ministry asset, he should be cared for appropriately and Biblically. How can the local church fulfill the Biblical mandate of “double honor” (I Timothy 5:17)? Using the Pastoral Compensation Review will answer that question and take the tension and frustration out of this annual responsibility. The Pastoral Compensation Review is a proven process that will benefit the pastor and congregation in at least ten specific ways. Implementation
The Pastoral Compensation Review should be assessed by the pastor and then given to the Board of Governance for their consideration.
Availability
The Pastoral Compensation Review is available at no cost to all Metropolitan District licensed workers and church leaders. Send your request to Richard Borg.
Alliance Capital Development Program
Churches anticipating property/building acquisition or facility construction must deepen the commitment of the congregation both to the vision of expanded ministry and the giving of financial resources stewardship for property ownership. The Alliance Capital Development Program (ACDP) is a proven, Biblically-based program that effectively casts the church’s vision and leads the congregation to higher levels of giving to underwrite the project. Churches that fail to use an outside consultant will more likely jeopardize the project or the church’s future financial capabilities.
Implementation
The Alliance Capital Development Program consultant for The Metropolitan District is Rev. Richard Borg, the author of ACDP.
Availability
The Alliance Capital Development Program for all C&MA churches is only available through the Alliance Development Fund (ADF). You may contact ADF at (888) 878-3060.