Stewardship Campaign, 'Again'

Friday, Sep. 16, 2016

As the summer ends, across the Diocese of Salt Lake City there will be increased talk regarding stewardship. What will be our campaign for 2017? More often than not, pastors and stewardship committees are trying to find the right program that will produce the right “bang for the buck.” From a pragmatic perspective, this means that pledges made will enable the parish to cover the expenses for the ministries of the parish. The process is repeated year after year in congregations large and small, rural and suburban. Each year the pastor and parish leaders look to discover the “magic bullet” that will solve all the stewardship challenges the parish faces.

The truth is, there is no “silver bullet,” no publication or program that will turn reluctant givers into cheerful, faithful donors. This is not to say that an organized, well-thought-out program is not needed. What will result from an organized, well-thought-out program will be technical changes – a sense of obligation to meet the financial needs of the parish. The technical changes can be helpful and lead to more dollars in the offering plates, but in reality what is needed is changed hearts. 

It is impossible to calculate changed hearts, but the changed heart of a steward sees giving and service as a response to God’s generosity rather than just giving more and serving more because they like the priest or want to fulfill an obligation to keep the parish going. Teaching stewardship from the position of obligation may bring about results, but they will be grudging results. Stewardship that flows from thanksgiving to God will produce heartfelt change.

The challenge for the priest and the stewardship leader is to foster change at the heart level of individual stewards. The difficulty is that no one can see the heart and measure its movement. We are only left with the external signs of the steward. There is one way to measure real change – heart change – and that is when the focus is on the Word of God and the sacramental life of the Church, which must be frequently emphasized from the pulpit.

The reality is, only the Holy Spirit can change the heart of a parishioner to make him/her a faithful steward. Such an approach makes stewardship a heartfelt response, and not a human decision, based on thanksgiving to the radical generosity of God, the owner of all things.

Charts and thermometers may be useful tools that lead people to give more, but they are only mechanics. If the change does not occur in the heart this year, or any year, the effort will ultimately fade and be less in line with the Church’s mission and ministry – changing hearts.