Thousands of churches conduct the annual stewardship campaign in the fall of every year. Many mainline churches as well as non-denominational churches see the value of having an intentional generosity conversation every year to revisit why we give and who we give to.
The fall campaign possesses the ability to renew each person’s commitment to God through their giving. There is a challenge to grow in giving as God’s blessings have been present in people’s lives and they want to give back to God. The fall is a great time to look toward the new year and to challenge each person to enter into a partnership with their church as they work together to achieve their God-inspired vision.
The fall of 2021 will be one of the most critical seasons for churches as we enter into the post-Covid world. There are so many unanswered questions for every church leader to answer. One of the top questions is “Will we have enough financial resources in 2022 to fully fund our God-inspired vision for our church?” Another is “Should we have an intentional fall stewardship campaign in 2021?”
I believe that you absolutely should have a fall stewardship campaign in the fall of 2021, and here are three reasons why:
1. You took 2020 off (or it was very low-key).
The fall of 2020 was one of the craziest seasons anyone alive has ever seen. The people in our churches were hurting. They were scared. They were struggling financially. Many churches chose to not conduct the fall budget campaign out of fear of being insensitive to their people. Others chose to have a very low-key annual stewardship campaign for the same reasons.
While it may have been the right thing to do in the moment, many churches saw their giving struggle in 2020. As we enter into the post-Covid world, all churches will need a renewed commitment to the vision of their church and to their giving. 2. You are ready to launch a renewed vision for your church.
Many “experts” in church leadership are marking the fall of 2021 as the beginning of the post-Covid world in churches all across the globe. Many churches have taken the opportunity over the past 18 months to reflect on how their church reaches the people of their community for Christ. Many churches have rewritten their vision and are ready to unleash it on the people of their church this fall. This new vision will need to be financially resourced. 3. You are not sure who is still in your church.
Many church leaders have had a difficult time over the past 18 months evaluating who is actually still involved with their church. We all know how much of a struggle it was in the last 9 months of 2020 to have any sense at all if we still had people committed to the vision of the church.
Even as churches have begun to have in-person worship, the people certainly have not been “knocking down the sanctuary doors”. Now, with most states lifting all restrictions on public gatherings, people are still not rushing back. It is a bit discouraging and certainly concerning for churches.
“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34. Nothing galvanizes a commitment to something like a financial investment. An intentional stewardship commitment effort in the fall of 2021 will give people a formal opportunity to say “I am here and I am committed to the next steps for our church.” It will give church leaders one way to measure who is in for the next season of ministry. This is certainly not the only (or best) reason to have people return commitment cards, but in the fall of 2021, it is more valid than ever.
Having an intentional conversation about generosity is always a good idea for every church. It is essential to our spiritual health and relationship with God to pray about and reflect on our financial giving back to God.
The generosity conversation this fall has never been more important to resourcing the mission and ministry of your church.
Rooting for you!
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