The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Southern Illinois District (SID) is partnering with the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM) to offer a series of workshops on stewardship titled “Bring Giving Home.” As a result of this partnership, every circuit in the SID will have an opportunity for both pastors and lay leaders to learn strategies for approaching stewardship in the Christian congregation in a faithful, biblical and non-legalistic manner. The workshops, which are taught by the Rev. Heath Curtis, manager of Stewardship Ministry for the ONM, will soon be offered to other LCMS districts that would like to learn these strategies.
In the first part of each workshop, Curtis spends time with the pastors in the circuit discussing the pastor’s theological task in regard to congregational stewardship. In the second part, taught in the evening, he meets with both pastors and lay leaders to present and explain an approach to stewardship implementing three components:
- Teach: The pastor instructs the people in what the Bible says about generosity, stewardship and godly living;
- Ask: The people of God are asked and exhorted to do what the Bible says to do in faith; and
- Plan accordingly: The congregation plans for ministry expenditures that are within the bounds of the people’s generosity.
Each workshop will be coordinated with districts, who may have a district representative at the meetings to share an update on the joint mission work of the district.
The “Bring Giving Home” workshops are based on real-world experiences. They confront the sometimes-challenging issues surrounding Christian stewardship with clear, Lutheran, biblical teaching.
“This approach to stewardship developed out of my own struggles as a parish pastor,” Curtis said. “I continue to live these realities in the parish that I have been serving for 18 years.”
If you would like to hear more about how to “Bring Giving Home” to where you live, send an email to stewardship@lcms.org.
Posted Feb. 7, 2024/Updated Feb. 12, 2024
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