Stewardship: More Than Just the Annual Pledge Drive

By TED WRIGHT, Stewardship Chair

hen someone mentions stewardship, do you think of something at the core of our Christian faith? Or do you, instead, have images of the church asking you for money each fall?

To be a steward is to be a caretaker; in this case, of God’s gifts to us. In stewardship, we recognize our gifts from God and, freely, we pass on those gifts. God gives us love, and our response is love. God gives us forgiveness and our response is to forgive others. God gives us memory, reason, and skill and we return to God’s use a portion of what those gifts allow us to create. The joy in this sense of stewardship is a far cry from the awkwardness, guilt, sometimes even anger that wells up for some of us when the church’s annual pledge drive goes into full swing. Clearly, as someone who has recently acquired the designation "stewardship chair," this difference is one that is at the front of my mind.

Of course, in today’s world, a church needs a budget and it is almost inevitable that those planning that budget should want to know what resources they have with which to work. This simple logic leads us inexorably to pledges and the necessity of a time and process for collecting them. It is the leap, from this conclusion, to the necessity that the ingathering of pledges take the form of a drive—with all the negative connotations given to that concept by my favorite, local, non-pro˜t radio station and other charitable organizations—where I ˜nd myself holding back. Does the pledge process need marketing or faith? What faith? The faith that, if Saint Andrew’s carries out God’s will in the world, those in our church community will recognize the gifts from God made possible by this church, both those that they receive directly and those that they receive indirectly, because of our involvement in the wider community, and respond as stewards.

What would be the risk in putting Saint Andrew’s on the level of the birds of the air or the flowers of the ˜eld? Quite simply, that the congregation might not respond with the resources—time, talent, and treasure—needed to enhance or even maintain the operations of our church. Perhaps the ground here in Irvine is too dry or the seeds we are sowing have too many weeds. Saint Andrew’s church, as an institution, might be forced to change or it might even fail. However, if such a dire outcome were to come about, would this be a failure of God’s will or a message from God about our pride in thinking that this institution embodies that will?

Clearly, I would not be in this position of stewardship chair if I did not believe deeply in the work that this church is doing. Our services provide an important beacon for the spiritual life of those in our congregation, and, I hope, will continue to do so for many who have not yet joined us. Our superb clergy provide us with direction, guidance, and uncounted hours of pastoral care. As a congregation, we provide each other with much-needed fellowship, in a world that can often be empty and bleak, and we reach out to the community with our donations, our efforts, and through the children’s center.

My goal for stewardship this year is to help all of us discern God’s gifts, especially those centered in Saint Andrews. Certainly, part of stewardship is the annual ingathering of pledges. My hope is that when you are approached, either as part of this ingathering or about some other aspect of our stewardship, that you will be moved by your recognition of God’s gifts. My belief is that our church community is much more likely to thrive and grow through joyful responses, freely given than by the fruits of marketing and guilt. I hope that many of you will be willing to join in this effort.