Hybrid conference a ‘joyful conversation’ about stewardship

(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

On April 20, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., the South Wisconsin District (SWD) of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), in partnership with LCMS Stewardship Ministry, will host a hybrid Philippians Conference in Milwaukee and online.

The conference, which will be held at the SWD office and available to watch online, will be facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Nathan Meador, SWD mission executive and LCMS National Mission stewardship specialist.

The title of the conference comes from Philippians 1, in which St. Paul addresses “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” about the advance of the Gospel. The conference offers an opportunity for pastors and lay leaders to spend a day together looking at the theology and practice of stewardship while grounding congregational stewardship on the solid foundation of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. The conference will also help local congregations to assess, strengthen and even change their local stewardship culture.

Attendees will get a fresh perspective on stewardship and leave the event with one or two action items to put into practice immediately at their congregation.

Melissa Lee, who chairs the stewardship board at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, Wash., has attended a Philippians Conference in the past. Lee said the conference “lifted the burden of talking about stewardship with our congregation.”

“It does not need to be an onerous conversation about listing our talents or giving,” Lee said, “but rather, it can be a joyful conversation about how richly God has blessed us and how we can share these gifts with our neighbors. Pastor Meador’s teaching method was engaging, and he presented stewardship concepts in a way I had not thought of before. At the end of the workshop, our congregational attendees gathered to discuss what stewardship looks like now at our church and what we want it to look like going forward. We were so engaged we did not want to wrap up at the end of our time. It was an enjoyable day, full of new insights and ‘aha’ moments.”

The Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher, pastor of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Black Hawk, S.D., said, “The Philippians Conference has expanded our congregation’s understanding of God-pleasing stewardship. Understanding Christian stewardship as a response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not out of the necessity of the law has clarified God’s theology of stewardship and our practice of giving with a generous and grateful heart. Christian stewardship is not compartmentalized into time, talent and treasure but is evident in every good gift given to us by our creating and sustaining First Article Father. Rev. Meador does a wonderful job grounding Christian stewardship in the gifts of Word and Sacrament first given to us.”

Pastors, elders, other elected leaders and other members of the congregation are all invited to attend. Local congregation groups are encouraged to attend in person at the SWD office in Milwaukee. In-person registration is limited to only 100 attendees.

Since in-person registration is limited, congregations are also invited to host an online “watch party” in which the congregation’s pastor(s), congregational leaders and members gather at their church to participate as a group via Zoom. There will be an online moderator to ensure the presenter addresses any questions.

There is no cost to participate in this event. Both in-person and online seats are limited, so interested congregations should register as soon as possible at swd.lcms.org/hybrid. If you intend to attend in person, please be ready to register your complete list of attendees. The registration form closes on April 15.

Any questions may be directed to Rev. Meador at meador@swd.lcms.org or by calling 414-464-8101.

Posted March 25, 2024