Stewardship Resources

The Faithful Stewards Commission has compiled a valuable list of online resources and book recommendations that will inform and strengthen your annual, planned, and special giving campaigns.

Do you have a suggestion for a resource to include on the list? Please submit your ideas to the Faithful Stewards Commission Chair, Linda Buskirk.

EDNIN Stewardship Resources

Sample 2020 Stewardship Plan
Here is a sample stewardship plan for 2020 provided by St. Anne’s (Warsaw).

Online Stewardship Resources

Project Resource
All materials for this three-day course are available at the website. PR teaches fund-raising as a ministry firmly grounded in Scripture. Annual giving resources include a step-by-step timeline for year-round stewardship ministry—choosing a leader, building a case, developing a theme, planning a communication strategy, launching and celebrating, thinking, and planning for next year. Sample sermons, stewardship letters, pledge cards, and tracking forms, as well as a wealth of pertinent reading and resources for further learning are also available.

The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS)
TENS’ vision is to provide training and resources for stewardship leaders across the Episcopal Church and beyond. Our diocese paid for a membership so that all of our faith communities can utilize TENS materials for FREE!  To obtain the user name and password for members-only TENS resources, contact the Faithful Stewards Chairperson, Linda Buskirk.

At the April 4, 2020 ONES Forum, Holy Family Angola provided a trove of materials regarding their successful use of TENS campaign resources. (Contact Carrie Wilson if you did not receive the materials or need more information.)

United Thank Offering (UTO)
This program bases stewardship on a foundation of encouraging people to respond more often with gratitude. It is set up in blocks of time, from a month to a year, for mounting a campaign. Materials are divided into six weekly segments, each with a different theme around gratitude, meant to be carried out every Sunday. These include bulletin announcements, surveys, formation activities, and take-home activities. The program is compact, straightforward, and uncomplicated. Download a forty-four-page guide called Building Gratitude and Generosity Together to get started. If you have questions about UTO, please contact our Diocesan UTO Coordinator, the Rev. Michelle Walker.

ECF Vital Practices
This Episcopal Church resource promotes stewardship as a way of life. The website offers many resources including pledge cards and numerous articles and links to webinars on topics such as talking about money and reframing stewardship and strategic planning. Register to receive monthly emails offering practical ideas from around the nation. Example: The Essential Annual Campaign Timeline, a one-page, easy-to-follow schedule for conducting a year-round annual campaign.

Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF)
The mission of the Episcopal Church Foundation is to strengthen the leadership and financial capabilities of Episcopal congregations, dioceses, and related organizations to pursue their mission and ministry.

The Episcopal Church - Stewardship
The Episcopal Church sees stewardship as more than simply contributing money to the church; it’s also about contributing time and talents, and volunteering for ministry and mission. It’s about reaching out to build relationships from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity.

The Center for Congregations
The Center for Congregations strengthens Indiana congregations by helping them find and use the best resources to address their challenges and opportunities. The Center is a gift to the congregations of Indiana from Lilly Endowment Inc., so most services are offered free of charge. It offers workshops around the state and published resources. Find resources at thecrg.org, search “stewardship.”

Ecumenical Stewardship Center
The Ecumenical Stewardship Center connects, inspires, and equips Christian steward leaders to transform church communities through a vital relationship with a generous God and in fellowship with today’s church—gathered, outreaching, and scattered. Its website offers annual campaign graphics, kits, samples, and resources to download for a small cost and promotes events, books, and newsletters on the topic of stewardship.

Stewardship Books

A Spirituality of Fundraising, by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Now available is the Workbook Edition of Nouwen’s classic. Covering fund-raising as a ministry, our relationship with money, the fear of asking, and creating a new communion, the four-week program can be used by individuals or groups (your stewardship committee?) to solidify and strengthen a parish’s spirituality of stewardship.

Vestry Resource Guide, by the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF)

Finance Resource Guide, by the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF)

Funding Future Ministry: A Guide to Planned Giving, by the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF)

Planned Giving on Demand, a comprehensive package of print and online resources to help you establish, enhance, and sustain an effective planned giving program created by ECF.

Remember the Future: Financial Leadership and Asset Management for Congregations, by Gerald W. Keucher

Back from the Dead: The Book of Congregational Growth, by Gerald W. Keucher

Ask, Thank, Tell:  Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation, by Charles R. Lane

Not Your Parents Offering Plate, by J. Clif Christopher