I am not the (only) "Stewardship Guy"

Delegating authority - Exodus 18:13-20

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"

Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.

Stewardship by leaders requires us to delegate responsibility. Jethro encouraged Moses to "share the load" by distributing aspects of the work among other trustworthy and capable individuals within the community.

This is true within the church, where the 80-20 rule often applies. It is also true for stewardship as we, stewardship officers, seek to extend our influence with others. Here are some ideas that I have tried and am developing:

1. Remind the staff and other constituents that you are not the only stewardship person. The skills to see giftedness in others and encourage the use of gifts is not sole domain of the professional.
2. Let others participate in the process so they can experience the joy of helping others express their love for the Lord through generous giving.
3. Discover talent that may not have been used before, but is just waiting to be asked.
4. Keep repeating and explaining the basic themes until others remember and internalize them. I have many teachers come and tell me how they are seeking the time and talent and treasure opportunities.

When we delegate to others, it frees us to have some of the in-depth discussions we need to have.

And, who knows, the new talent may be a significant upgrade to what we do ourselves.

The Week of Fundraising - or blessing?

It is the end of another week of being that lone voice in the wilderness calling people to be generous. Are you tired of doing the things of development, like writing letters, organizing events, and worrying about the school's cash flow?

Let me ask, how about the being of development and stewardship? Were you filled enough to pour yourself out for another? How did you do in listening to some one's heart rather than trying to negotiate a gift?

My wife often asks me, "So, who did you bless today?" It is important to ask this because the question focuses me on the right issue, the heart of the donor or friend.

Here are a few that I can share; none of these resulted in an immediate cash gift:

• Had lunch with a friend from another school who is contemplating a capital campaign; I encouraged him to think of merging with another school who may be struggling.
• Met with a donor who has some longer-term ideas about a special program that excites his family. We discussed how we do some things in the near-term that might lead to these ends.
• Had a committee meeting with volunteers where I was able to share my passion that we do everything be first looking for biblical principles.
• Met with a local business leader who we were able to help by finding them a solution to seasonal parking problems.

In all of these we ask the Lord to direct our thoughts to how we can come alongside a person who has a need. The Lord of the Harvest brings all good solutions to pass.

What a joy to be useful in the advancement of the Kingdom, however He ordains it.

Christian Fundraising vs. Secular Fundraising

The book Revolution in Generosity does a nice job of comparing two mindsets about fundraising,; one honors the fundraiser themselves; the other seeks God's blessing on everyone and in every step of the process.

Let's look at how the two approaches differ:

Philosophical underpinning:

Transactional model - Philanthropy-improving Stewardship for the common good

Transformational model - Managers of what God owns

Focus Raising money through:

Transactional model - marketing transactions

Transformational model - Facilitate raising stewards to be rich toward God, which results in generosity

Ethical framework

Transactional model - Minimalist-”is it legal?” or “will it work?”

Transformational model - Commitment to gospel values of truth, integrity and love

Ideal Outcomes

Transactional model - Donor meets organizational needs

Transformational model - Giver becomes conformed to the image of Christ and becomes generous, like Christ

Solicitation

Transactional model - Manipulative business sales, technique intensive, hype the need

Transformational model -Present giving opportunity, prayerfully matching call to ministry

Motivator

Transactional model -Asker’s style, personality

Transformational model - Holy Spirit works to transform heart toward Christlike generosity

Follow-up

Transactional model -Pressure and persuade to meet quota, don’t take “no” for an answer

Transformational model - Encourage prayer to lay up treasures in heaven and experience godly joy

Accountability

Transactional model - To organization, the law

Transformational model -To God, external values

Predictable Outcomes

Transactional model - Success/failure depends on asker. burnout

Transformational model - Success/failure according to God’s calling

Rewards

Transactional model - On earth, temporal

Transformational model - Crowns and responsibility in heaven for eternity

Anatomy of an Appeal Letter

Each of us receives solicitations for support from several or many non-profits. As we open these (as do our donors) what messages are contained?

Typically, we mention (in passing) how God has blessed the school and wonderful it is to have dedicated supporters (like you!).

Then, we launch into the "ask" where we explain the reasons for our need; you know, the one that sounds like we are almost desperate, but not quite. We don't want to start a panic or have the rumors fly that we are going to close. Sometimes we show specific items that need to be funded to make a connection between a favorite item and a donor's interest.

Lastly, we pull out the "big gun", scholarship aid for needy families. That always "works" if the other items don't connect. Scholarship, like poverty, can tug at heart strings - then, we hope, someone feels sorry for us and throws us a gift.

This is not biblical stewardship; it is manipulation in using guilt or shame to solicit a gift.

Our roles are to remind our donor friends of their blessings from God and to boldly make our case saying why our school is a great investment in Kingdom building. We can and should remind them that each of us are stewards of blessings and how we should give as directed by the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 9:7 "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Look over your letters and see what messages are coming out loud and clear.

The Mentor: Get one or Be one

Acts 11:19-26 The Church in Antioch - How God used Barnabas to advance the kingdom

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.


Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

This looks like mentoring to me; coming alongside, encouraging, and being true to the message he had been given. Also, Barnabas and Saul were meeting with the church for a "whole year" indicating that teaching was occurring throughout. It takes time to change culture.

Have you been called to be a mentor to a "younger" leader, someone who can call on you to be a safe place to exchange ideas and try them on. If the Lord has laid this on your heart, be a good steward of your time and volunteer to go on the journey with someone. You will be a blessing and you will be blessed as well.

Do you need a mentor? If so, find someone who has the maturity and wisdom to give good counsel. He or she will not give you the "answer" to all of the questions or challenges, but he (or she) will help you with maintaining your principles while you explore other avenues of your work.

Giving generously and receiving graciously; both sound biblical to me.