Celebrating Generous Stewardship

Generosity Stories

It's Not Too Late... And It's Never Too Soon

It’s the right time to get in control of your finances.

It’s October and Christmas is coming. You look back over the past year and wonder where your money went and how you are going to afford gifts this year.

You ask your spouse “How much money do we have?”

You go to the ATM machine to withdraw money and there are insufficient funds.

Your fridge breaks down and you need to purchase a replacement but you don’t have the cash to do so.

These are all very common situations that many of us have encountered. Our personal financial situation can be a very frustrating and stressful topic and the cause of heated discussions among family members. When we don’t take control of our finances, they end up controlling us. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We are all planners. Granted, some of us have a predisposition to planning things down to the smallest detail, while others are more inclined to let most things happen. Everyday we spend time planning. It could be for something quite inconsequential – like changing your route to work so you can do the drive through at Tim Horton’s – okay, not so inconsequential for some people. Or it could be planning the details for a family vacation or for retirement.

But when it comes to financial planning and budgeting – something that should be extremely important – we tend to “let things happen” rather than being in control. Whether you are the steward of a little money and feel like you are just “getting by”, or whether God has entrusted you with significant resources, it is equally important to develop and live by a budget or spending plan.

To many people, the idea of living by a budget feels oppressive. In reality, it’s freeing. A budget is simply a spending plan. It allows you to write out your expenditures and order them in terms of importance. It also allows you to plan for the future – to set goals – and provides a framework to help you attain your goals. You are it’s author.

If you don’t have a spending plan in place, this is a great time of year to start to develop one. As I’ve been speaking with people about stewardship, in particular their personal financial situation, I often hear “It’s too far into the year to start budgeting now. I can see starting in the new year.”

It’s now October 2006 and you probably aren’t too motivated to put a spending plan in place for 2006. I can understand that. But it is a great time to prepare a spending plan for 2007.

Begin by keeping track of your spending. Make a list of all your expenditures and order them in importance – most important first. This may mean keeping track of your spending over the next couple of months. I realize that with Christmas coming, your spending may not be “normal”. Don’t use that as an excuse not to keep track. Simply identify any “Christmas” expenditures as such. Not only will this help you track your normal spending, it will also help you see how much you are actually spending on Christmas.

It is best to keep track for at least two months. Our natural tendency is to change our spending habits when we start keeping track. So if you only keep track for a short period of time, you may not get a realistic picture of your expenditures. Tracking all your spending seems like a daunting task, but once you’ve done it for a couple months, you’ll see it really isn’t that difficult.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to revisit your financial goals. Take some time to pray about your financial goals and then write them down. Include things such as: giving, debt repayment, education, lifestyle (home, automobile, travel, etc), and savings. Some of your goals you may be able to achieve during 2007, others may be long term goals.

As you look at your financial goals, compare them to your current spending patterns. Are they in sync? Or do you need to change some of your spending in order to achieve your goals? This is where the freedom of a spending plan comes in. You will find your financial situation less stressful. Discussions with your spouse will be less contentious and more celebratory. By prioritizing your spending it terms of your goals, you will be in control of your finances.

Stewardship Ministries will be launching its website this fall. You will be able to access it through www.fmc-canada.org or directly at www.generoussteward.org. The website will provide additional information about personal stewardship, budgeting and financial planning. In the meantime, if you are interested in more information regarding stewardship or gift planning, please contact Joanne Bell – Stewardship Development Director.

Finding the Right Funding Partner

Have you ever wanted to start a new ministry or expand an existing one but have been limited due to lack of finances? I think I just heard a very loud collective “yes” across our movement. Every church has faced this situation, for some perhaps many times.

New and expanded ministries usually require additional funds. To increase the possibility of funding opportunities, the Free Methodist Church in Canada has purchased a subscription that provides us access to thousands of Canadian foundations. Though this subscription we are able to conduct searches of over 9,000 foundations that may be interested in providing funding to your project.

Obtaining a grant from a foundation is not an easy process – it requires time to find the right foundation, research the foundation, develop a proposal and a relationship with the foundation. While we can’t help with every step of the process, we can certainly help at the critical point of identifying which foundations would be most receptive to your proposal.

When we receive a Search Request Form from church, we are provided with details about the project that enable us to narrow our focus and exclude foundations that don’t make a good match with the project. The criteria we look for includes:

Geography – where does the foundation provide funding?
If a project is located in Saskatchewan but the foundation only funds projects in British Columbia, they are excluded
Many foundations fund projects across Canada
Funding Interests – what types of projects does the foundation fund?
If a project is focused on meeting the needs of children, then foundations that don’t fund projects for children will be excluded
Application Guidelines – is the foundation accepting proposals?
Some foundations do not accept proposals and therefore would be excluded
Funding History – what has the foundation done in the past?
We examine what organizations have received funding in the past, how much have they received and when?
If a foundation has not given grants to similar organizations we may exclude them
If a foundation has not given out grants in recent years, they may be excluded
If the grant sizes are not close to what the project requires, the foundation may be excluded

Our goal is to provide you with the best possible chance at success in approaching foundations that will be receptive to your project. The more detail you can give us about your project, the better the information we provide to you.

I want to encourage each church to consider taking advantage of this service. For more information about the foundation search service and to obtain a request form, visit the generous stewards website at www.generoussteward.org. Click on the Leaders link and then go to Project Funding.

Moving From a Scarcity to an Abundance Mentality

When I worked in the field of fundraising I attended conferences to develop my skills and abilities. At every conference I went to, I remember presenters focused on the fact that there are a limited number of people with a limited number of dollars willing to donate to charities. So as a fundraiser, you have be the best at finding those people with those dollars. You have to be the best at communicating your message to those potential donors so that you would receive those dollars to allow you to do what you want to do.

Steven Covey calls this a scarcity mentality. He contends that people with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me.

People with a scarcity mentality have difficulty sharing recognition, credit, power, or profit. They also have a tough time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. It's almost as if something were being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition or success.

People with a scarcity mentality either hoard their money because they are afraid of what will happen to them in the future, or they spend now because if they don’t they might not have another opportunity to make that purchase. They tend to be stingy – with their time, their money and themselves.

A church with a scarcity mentality sees itself as competing with other churches for people and other ministries for money. If there is a budget surplus the first reaction would be to hold onto the money because you just never know if you might need it in the future.

But there is an alternative – abundance mentality. Biblical Stewardship is consistent with an abundance mentality. Our God is a God of abundance. He is the creator, the owner, the provider. Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

People with an abundance mentality celebrate the success of others. They are truly happy when someone else receives recognition. They don’t see themselves in competition with others. They prefer collaboration They understand there is enough… enough for everyone. They rest on the Sabbath because they believe God has provided them with enough time. And people with an abundance mentality are generous.

Churches with an abundance mentality are generous. They are pleased to see other churches growing. They trust that God will direct people to their church and when they arrive, they look after them well. They seek out opportunities to meet needs in their communities and beyond.

So how do we move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality? First, we need to deepen our understanding of God. We tend to shrink him down and box him in, but as we get to know him, we begin to catch a glimpse of just how big God is.

Second – We need to give as God directs. The act of giving in obedience to God sets a number of things in motion – good things. As we give, our faith in God is deepened. Matthew 6:21 comes to life for us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We begin to care more about the meeting the needs of others rather than fulfilling our own desires.

Third – We need to broaden our worldview. Rather than comparing ourselves and our own situation to others in North America, let’s compare ourselves to the rest of the world.

If your income is $25,000 Canadian or more you are in the top 10.64% of the richest people in the world
Only 8% of the people in the world own cars
Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.

A simple change in focus can be powerfully effective. Canadians in general are a very blessed people. I’m not saying there isn’t economic disparity in Canada – there is. And those of us who have been blessed need to respond to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor – in Canada and around the world.

“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.”
Luke 12;29-32 The Message

It's a Matter of the Heart

I survived the first ever Stewardship Foundational Course. I did much better than just survive - I had a wonderful weekend with the 17 people who attended the course. Here is a picture of our group.

As we progressed through our 20+ hours together, we began to joke about how we kept coming back to "it's a heart issue" as we wrestled with the issues of biblical stewardship. It was kind of funny after awhile - but I think by the end of the weekend we all really understood that God cares much more about our motives and our attitude than He does about the the amount we give or the things we have.

If we truly believe that God is the owner of all things and that we are to faithfully manage all that he has entrusted to us for His purposes, not our own self interest - I believe He will be pleased. When we view our possessions - our home, our car, our stuff - as things to not only enjoy but to use for Him - I believe God will be pleased.

It's a matter of the heart - it's a heart issue - it's making sure you love and worship God above all other things.

So, where is your treasure? Because that is where your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

Dave Ramsey Video

I found this video on youtube.com and thought it was good. Dave Ramsey heads up an organization specializing in helping people move towards financial peace. He has written several books and has a very popular syndicated radio show in the US. Dave is a christian and his Financial Peace University course material is biblically based. To find out more about Dave Ramsey and his organization, visit his website.