ELCA NEWS SERVICE
December 17, 2003
Stewardship Is More Than Money For Lutherans
03-229-MR
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
is offering services to help busy people evaluate their use of money,
share their faith, and teach children about living and giving. Through
"Salt: Seasoning Faith and Generosity," members of the church are working
to lay a foundation for long-term stewardship that looks beyond financial
contributions.
Salt ministry is a professional service offered by the ELCA to the
10,716 congregations and 65 synods of the church. It is designed to focus
on stewardship growth based on faith and generosity; connecting personal
faith with the management of time, abilities and finances; helping a
congregation build on its potential as a stewardship congregation; and
offering resources to cultivate stewardship leaders.
"Salt ministry is a fresh approach for stewardship renewal in
congregations across the country," according to Keith Mundy, director for
Salt stewardship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries. He said
some congregations in the ELCA "yearned" for a broader approach to
stewardship, something "more than finance."
"Very often people tend to think that stewardship is connected to
money and being connected to the financial times," but "dollars and cents"
is only one way to exercise stewardship, he said. Stewardship ministry
includes "intangible indicators" like the connection between faith and
generosity, the "spirit" of a congregation, identifying the "traits of a
good steward," and the management of resources by individuals and
families." Stewardship also includes "tangible indicators" like examining
giving trends, tracking church attendance and participation, and funding
specific congregational programs and ministries.
Based on these stewardship indicators and ELCA congregations'
stewardship needs, Mundy said Salt ministry focuses on three primary
areas: "life management, funding ministries and leadership development."
Workshops or "modules" are available to guide congregations and synods in
addressing these areas. Three specific modules currently being offered
are "Faith, Money and Security," "Kids, Money and Stuff," and "AppleTree:
A Vitality Process for Busy People."
"Many adults have not addressed their own relationships with money.
This is the focus of Faith, Money and Security," Mundy said. "We have
seen [an] interest in this module from synods and pastors, particularly
from pastors who have not yet addressed their own relationships with
money. It is usually difficult for these pastors to talk about financial
stewardship," he said.
The Kids, Money and Stuff module "allows kids and their parents to
talk about money, possessions and faith, and how those things tie together
as our youth begin to have more purchasing power within their families and
within their communities," Mundy said. It explores questions like, "What
does faith have to teach kids about money and how to manage their
purchasing power? How do they set priorities in that process?"
The Appletree module offers "a personal growth experience by focusing
on personal faith, responsibilities, relationships, lifestyle choices and
time for rest," said Mundy. "It is about how we set priorities in life
and how that connects to faith and stewardship."
These "Salt Modules" are customized and may change from year to year
based on new congregational interests and needs, Mundy said.
"Salt specialists of the ELCA serve more than 200 congregations each
year, but we're finding that more people are interested in leading some of
our Salt modules," Mundy said. To meet that interest, a new session
called "Train-the-Trainer" was instituted this fall. It is designed to
equip stewardship leaders in congregations to conduct the workshops.
"Upon completion of the training, each certified trainer will be able
to lead the workshops in any congregation or at any event across the
country," Mundy said. "This is one way to equip more stewardship leaders
and to expand the availability of these resources."
Other resources available under Salt ministry include "Salt
Seasonings," a monthly newsletter. Each issue includes reflections on the
ministry's three primary areas of focus -- life management, funding
ministries and leadership development -- and stewardship facts under the
heading, "Grains of Salt, Grams of Knowledge."
_ _ _
Information on "Salt: Seasoning Faith and Generosity" is available
at http://www.elca.org/dcm/stewardship/ on the Internet.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
