Welcome to My Stewardship (etc.) Web Site !!

This web site contains:

• documents that I have written on stewardship and other topics,
•  links to such material on other sites,
• what the Episcopal Church has officially said on tithing and stewardship
• other info which I believe will be useful in parishes
• General Convention issues and past decisions
• the triennial reports of the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development to the General Convention

The longest document is a pamphlet on practical parish stewardship ("Hints & Tips" - see below) which is downloadable as a file which you can then use to print from your word processing program. The other documents are not generally downloadable - if you want a copy they can be printed by using your browser's File -> Print command (Print command on the File Menu).  They can also be printed by copying to the clipboard (scratchpad) and then pasting into a blank page in your word processor.  

Stewardship

• "Hints and Tips on Leadership, Stewardship, Money, Parish Canvasses, and Human Spiritual Health" - a pamphlet for lay leaders (and clergy) who have stewardship leadership responsibilities in a congregation, and who want to start out on a sound theological basis, based on biblical teachings.  It includes some practical lessons learned in the 20th century. The first version appeared in 1982; I have made some minor revisions since.  Click here to view it on your screen.
  
  1. Right click here to download the document in Microsoft Word 7.0 format. Choose the Save Link as..  command and then select what you want to name it and what directory you want to put it in.  (If you have another word processor, you can probably use the Import feature to read this version in.  If your Processor can't read Word 7.0, tell your Processor that it's Word 6.0.)

      

  2. Right click here to download the document in plain text (.txt or ASCII format).  Save as above.  You may need to use your word processor clean up the formatting.

     
     

• "Maybe This is What General Convention Meant..." - a witness statement about reaching the decision to tithe which I wrote by invitation for the National Church Center's 1986 pamphlet Ten More Who Tithe.  I have also delivered the same message as a homily (what it's called when a lay person gives a sermon) to about 20 congregations.  It's often helpful to have an outsider (i.e. a visitor, especially a lay person) first introduce the concept of the tithe.  Click here to view it on your screen.  To print, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.  A tape of my delivery of this message at Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton, New Jersey is available by request.  Click here to email me a request. (Don't forget to give me your snailmail address; I haven't figured out how to email a tape!).

• "The Parable of the Employees"  - a familiar parable set in modern terms, emphasizing the the connection between stewardship and management. It's interesting to see what Jesus said was the reward for being a good steward.  Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.

• "Christian Leadership" - a short (two page) essay on how to recognize (or be!) a good Christian leader.  Accountability (the dreaded "A" word!) is part of the concept.  Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser. 

• "Three Attitudes Toward Giving " - It helps a leader if she or he has measures of progress, or categories of diagnosis, regarding stewardship.  Here are three.  Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.

• "Power" - Many of us are convinced that we have little power, and are poor.  Bosh. (one page.) Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.

Every Member Visitation -- How to do it

• Slides for Training the Rector & Stewardship Leaders  - Requires Microsoft PowerPoint or equivalent.  Right-Click here.
  
• Slides for Training the Visitors - Requires Microsoft PowerPoint or equivalent.  Right-click here.

Other Stewardship-Related Web Sites and Pages

[You may want to make a note (benchmark/favorites) of the address of this page so you can get back easily.]

• The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) - Contains excellent downloadable parish resources ("A Treasure Chest") generated/collected/edited by Bruce Rockwell, Stewardship staff member at the Diocese of Rochester and Church-Center-approved stewardship consultant.  Contains other resources prepared by the 815 Stewardship Office staff, and links to still more resources.  Click here to go there.

• Lutheran [ELCA]  Resources - for purchase, with some free downloadables. This page also has links to related pages with other topics of parish interest. Click here to go there.

• Presbyterian Church Resources - An excellent set of resources including downloadable clipart on stewardship topics.  Also material that can be purchased.  Many other topics are also available at this site.  Click here to go there.

• Moody Bible Institute -  Click here to go there.

• "A Stewardship Covenant" - United Methodist Church.  Click here to view.

• "Thoughts on Stewardship" - from the Columbia Theological Seminary (Presbyterian).  Nothing here to disagree with!  Click here to view.

• "How You Can Experience the Adventure of Giving" - from the Campus Crusade for Christ. A set of statements/articles. Some good stuff here! Also available in Spanish. Click here to view.

• Stewardship statements by Presiding Bishop candidates -  All favor the tithe!! [Wouldn't it be nice if all bishops did so, publicly?]  Click here to view.

• All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA - a parish where the former Rector, George Regas, wasn't happy with tithing - he gave thirty percent.  He was a believer that people respond well to being held to high standards.  Click here to visit.

Tithing and Stewardship Statements by General Convention

• Tithing Statements and their History - Click here for a history ( and texts) of tithing statements by the Episcopal Church's General Convention, the national legislative body of the Episcopal Church.

• "Stewardship is the Main Work of the Church" - This title won't make any sense if you don't know that stewardship means being in charge of something that is entrusted to you, but is not your own possession.  Click here for this statement, which was adopted by the 1988 General Convention.

Evangelism

The following items will probably someday end up on a separate Evangelism Page.  I list them here at present for convenience, with the thinly disguised excuse that evangelism is stewardship of the Gospel.

• "Notes on Personal Evangelism" -  How to do it, written by and for ordinary Episcopalians. (one page).  I can't claim sole authorship of this one, but I was a participant and recording secretary of the parish evangelism committee that produced it.  Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.

• "Jonestown, Waco, and Hale-Bopp" - I finally found a meaningful message coming out of these tragic events. Evangelism isn't optional; it's urgent.  Click here to view it on your screen; for a hard copy, click "Print" on the File menu of your browser.

• "Reflections on the Growth of the Episcopal Church in Ecuador" - I went to  Connecticut's then companion diocese, The Episcopal Church of Ecuador, in 1984, for 10 days.  I was intrigued by the fact that the Church there was growing rapidly, but the Church in the US is not.  This document gives what I considered (and still consider) to be some lessons learned that might apply in the US.  Click here for the document.

Episcopal Church History

• "An Outline of the Roots and History of the Episcopal Church" - This is in timeline format.  I designed it to be useful in parish confirmation classes and other adult education programs.  It has been field tested in my home parish of St. Paul's, Willimantic, CT. Click here to view.

Episcopal Oversight

• "Proposed Agenda for Saturdays of Bishop's Visitations to Parishes" - A response to my own concern that although episkope (Gr.) means "oversight", there is little practical accountability in the way bishops and rectors normally relate.  As stewards, we should always be improving the way the Church works. This brief article's concepts could also be used at the diocesan/national level in the relationship between diocesan bishops and the Presiding Bishop (in both directions). Click here to view.

• Also see the document on my visit to the fast growing Episcopal Church of Ecuador, listed three items above.  While it was Bishop Caceras who took the initiative to "make it happen," he systematically leveraged his own efforts by systematically asking others to get involved - and they did.  The Church grew rapidly.
  

How to Read the Bible

• "On How to Use (and Not Use) the Bible in Understanding God's Will, and on God's Will Today" - Why bible literalists are wrong. Click here to view.

The Church and Homosexuality

• "Notes on the Findings of Prof. John Boswell Concerning the Performance of Same-Sex Marriages by the Christian/Roman Catholic Church from the 4th Century to the Present" - this one is a real surprise.  Since the talk, Prof. Boswell has published a book on this topic.  He is the former Chair of the History Department at Yale. Click here to view.

The Funding of the Church

• A perennial issue in the Episcopal church is the choice of method (formula) for getting the money to run the national organization (mission, ministry, administration, and ecumenical efforts).  The new method chosen in 1994 has led to major cuts in the funds available to the National Church, and if continued, will probably lead to more cuts.  By what philosophy should the costs be allocated among the dioceses?  This will again be an issue in the July 1997 General Convention.  Click here to see the issues leading to the decision about what will be asked of your diocese.

Standing Commission Reports

Every three years, the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development makes a report to the General Convention, including any recommended legislation.  These reports are being included here as I get them scanned, converted into web pages, and posted to the web site. The reports describe how the Commissions have seen the state of stewardship in the Episcopal Church, and what they have recommended that the Church do. Click here for the index.

Comments Invited

Please email me your comments by clicking here.  

Thanks for Coming!!

Thanks for stopping by.  This site is updated regularly, so come again (& tell your friends)!

9/24/04

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