Stewardship Roadmap Elmhurst CRC Stewardship is first and foremost a lifestyle rooted in grace that expresses the fruit of gratitude. *From Firstfruits by Robert Heerspink
Dear Elmhurst CRC Members and Friends, Embracing a lifestyle characterized by the wise use of the resources that God has entrusted to us is a high and worthy calling. This Stewardship Roadmap is designed to align the efforts of Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Staff Members, and Ministry Leaders as they seek to encourage and advance a lifestyle of stewardship in their areas of ministry responsibility. A roadmap implies a journey. A lifestyle committed to the wise use of God s resources is just that - a journey. It is a journey that is best started at the youngest possible age, continuing joyfully and responsibly into old age. In early 2016, the SLT formed a committee for the purpose of encouraging and guiding the stewardship practices of the members of Elmhurst CRC. This committee, which is called the Ten Talents Team, initiated its work by conducting a congregational survey with assistance from The Barnabas Foundation. *The Barnabas Foundation is an organization devoted to helping Christians, including churches and member institutions, make wise use of the time, talent and treasure that God entrusts to his people. Congregational Survey The purpose for the survey was to determine if the lifestyle of the members of Elmhurst CRC reflects recognition that it is a Christian s responsibility and joy to use one s Godgiven gifts of time, talent, and treasure to bring glory to God and to build his church and kingdom. In the development of the survey questions, the team was especially sensitive to the perception that often accompanies stewardship surveys; that is, that the real goal of these surveys is to find out how to get God s people to give more. That was not the purpose of the survey; the team s deep desire was to discern ECRC members understanding of biblical stewardship and to what degree their lifestyle aligned with that understanding. The survey was conducted during March of 2017 and an analysis and evaluation of the survey results were presented to the team in May. Survey Participants Elmhurst CRC has approximately 1500 members and/or regular attendees. Approximately 900 of the members/attendees were age-eligible (18 and older) and invited to participate in the survey. The following is an overview of the demographic data on survey participants. - Number of Survey Respondents...395 - Number of Surveys Analyzed by Barnabas...341 - Marital Status - Single, Never Married... 4% - Separated, Divorced... 3% - Widowed... 2% - Married, Remarried... 91%
Survey Results - Gender - Female... 53% - Male... 47% - Age of Respondent - Under 30...4% - 30 to 39...20% - 40 to 49... 25% - 50 to 64...31% - 65 to 79... 19% - 80 and Over...1% The survey revealed that our church is blessed with many members who have an overall healthy stewardship mindset and lifestyle. That should come as no great surprise to those whose church home has been ECRC for a significant period of time. At the same time, many survey participants felt that they personally, and/or the church as a body, could grow and improve in this part of their walk with Christ. As our team evaluated and reflected on the responses of the survey participants, we discerned four over-arching themes that could be drawn from the survey findings. In identifying these themes, the team realized that simply identifying the findings and grouping them into themes was inadequate. To have meaning, the survey findings and themes must lead to a vision for action and an invitation to specific actions. The combination of the survey findings, themes, vision and invitation led to the creation of a roadmap that can be used by the leadership, staff and members of ECRC to encourage one another to embrace a Biblically-informed stewardship lifestyle. Roadmap Components The content and organization of the roadmap begins with the major Themes discovered in the survey results. Each theme is accompanied by a summary statement of the Survey Findings that produced that specific theme. The combination of theme and findings led to the next roadmap component called Vision. The vision statement adopted for each theme is intended to challenge our understanding of biblical stewardship. The practical application of each vision statement is an Invitation. Each invitation is presented as a big idea which, when implemented, enables members of ECRC to progress towards a lifestyle characterized by the wise and joyful use of the time, talent, and treasure God has entrusted to each of us. In His Service, The Ten Talents Team
Stewardship Health The relationship of personal spiritual practices and stewardship behaviors SURVEY FINDING: A majority of survey participants expressed a sense of inadequate personal spiritual nourishment which correlates to unfulfilling stewardship attitudes and practices. VISION: Shape a congregation that is hungry to be responsible and knowledgeable stewards through teaching, mentoring, modeling and affirmation. INVITATION: Every member of the congregation crafts a Personal Spiritual Action Plan for the coming year. Training in godliness has value for all things... I Timothy 4:8-9 Proverbs 3:9-10 Galatians 6:9-10 I Timothy 6:6-10 Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Stewardship Motivation The drivers beneath stewardship behaviors SURVEY FINDING: A strong majority cited gratitude to God as their motivation for stewardship; however, a third of survey participants acknowledged that obligation, not gratitude, is the more dominant motivator for them. VISION: Build an informed and grateful community of believers who are fully aware that God has entrusted his resources to us and that we are privileged to be His agents (managers) in the use of those resources. INVITATION: Annually observe a 3 to 4 week Season of Gratitude leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good... Psalm 136 II Corinthians 9:11-15 Colossians 3:16-17 Deuteronomy 6:10-15 I Chronicles 29:14 Habakkuk 3:17-19
Stewardship Application Identifying and linking community needs with personal resources/interests SURVEY FINDING: There is a desire by the members of our congregation to know where their time and talents are needed; in addition, they want to receive more assistance in identifying how their specific talents can be most effectively used. VISION: Foster an environment where ministry needs and serving opportunities are communicated with thought, imagination and clarity. INVITATION: Engage in a Discover Your Gifts program; create a Community Information/Action Board in the Narthex. Speak and serve so that in all things God may be praised... I Peter 4:10-11 I Corinthians 12 Matthew 6 Deuteronomy 24:19-22 Lamentations 3:22-23
Stewardship Practices Identifying and living into our stewardship convictions with integrity and consistency SURVEY FINDING: Time: The majority of survey participants expressed frustration and guilt with their use of time. There is a corresponding desire to use God s gift of time better and/or more effectively. Talent: There is a high awareness among participants of their personal talents and abilities, with slightly over half feeling that they are not using their talents as well as they should. Treasure: Most survey participants believe in tithing and many actually do tithe. However, that finding is balanced by the finding that less than one-third of participants have a personal or family budget, and 71 percent acknowledge that their spending decisions are heavily influenced by the culture we live in. VISION: Teach the practical benefits of managing one s time, identifying one s gifts, and living by a budget. Provide tools for people of all ages, especially the young, to embrace stewardship practices as a joyful and freeing lifestyle. INVITATION: Invite members of the congregation to participate in a short (Friday night/saturday morning) retreat that is focused on one of the components of stewardship - time, talent or treasure. Jesus says, 'Come and follow me'... Matthew 9:9 Genesis 14:18-20 Ephesians 5:15-16 I Chronicles 22:3-5 Romans 12:6-8 I Timothy 6:18
Stewardship Health Survey Findings Spiritual Nourishment Scale (based on frequency of praying privately, reading the Bible and personal devotions.) 27% 25% Daily Nourished Under Nourished Malnourished 48% Stewardship Health Self-Evaluation 25% Is a Heart Desire & a Life Habit 43% Is a Heart Desire, but not a Life Habit 32% Not Really a Heart Desire
Stewardship Motivation Survey Findings Stewardship Motivation - Giving 1% Giving is mostly motivated by Gratitude to God 34% 65% Giving is sometimes motivated by Gratitude, but often because of Obligation God really isn't involved in why I give Stewardship Motivation - Time 8% Mostly motivated by honoring God 30% Sometimes motivated by wanting to honor God, but often for selfish purposes 62% Most often, use time selfishly without regard for honoring God
Stewardship Application Survey Findings Use of Abilities and Talents 7% Very happy how talents and abilities are being used 52% 42% Know what they are, but not using them well enough Don't know what my talents and abilities are Number of Hours per Month Number of Volunteer Hours Given in Average Month Volunteer At ECRC Volunteer Other Places None 17% 28% 1-2 30% 31% 3-5 23% 19% 6-10 15% 11% 11-20 8% 4% >20 6% 7% Total 100% 100% Median Average No. Of Hours per Month 2.8 2.0
Stewardship Practices Survey Findings Tithing to Church & Other Causes 11% Believe I should give at least 10% of gross income to church and to other causes, and I do 24% 65% Believe I should give at least 10%, but don t Believe I should give whatever I want Spending Decision Influences 11% 18% Spending decisions primarily shaped by Scripture rather than Culture Spending decisions sometimes shaped by Scripture; sometimes by Culture 71% Don t pay much attention to what spending decisions are shaped by