Stewardship Resources

All listed resources are included below. You can also view them by category on the pages below:

Books/Resource Kits

  • Ask, Thank, Tell, Augsburg Fortress, ISBN 0-8066-5263-2. ($11.99) This is a 2006 book that lays out a structure and understanding of stewardship based on a person’s relationship with God and life of discipleship rather than a church’s efforts to pay the bills.
  • Giving to God, Eerdman’s Publishing (available at Augsburg Fortress) ISBN 0-8028-2926-0 ($13) This is a 2006 book that speaks of stewardship as an act of worship and discipline for spiritual growth.
  • Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty and Delight – DVD with 7 sessions with Dr. Mark Allan Powell on stewardship with study guides. We have 5 of these DVDs in the synod office to loan to congregations – contact Larry Iverson in the synod office.
  • Prodigal Sons & Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child’s ATM, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-25069-4. (Not available at Augsburg Fortress) (price varies) This is a great book for parents, youth and youth educators on materialism and stewardship.
  • Stewardship in the Small Membership Rural Congregation and Stewardship in the Small Membership Urban Congregation, Ecumenical Stewardship Center. These are 32-page manuals with a 3-week stewardship financial response method (Faithful, Hopeful, Loving) for rural and small urban congregations and include a 6-part Biblical stewardship study. Available through ELCA resources at 800-638-3522, ext 2767. ($2)
  • How to Improve Financial Stewardship, Augsburg Fortress. This is a 32-page booklet outlining the 6 most popular financial response methods. Available through the ELCA Resource Catalog, by calling 800-638-3522, ext. 2580, or click here for on-line version.  ($4.95)
  • The Great Permission: An Asset-based Field Guide for Congregations, Augsburg Fortress. This is a 140-page field guide directed toward exploring the assets of a congregation and how best to utilize these assets. vailable through the ELCA Resource Catalog or by calling 800-638-3522, ext. 2767.
  • Our Stewardship: Managing our Assets, Augsburg Fortress ISBN 0-8066-4406-0 ($14.99) This is a book useful for congregational leaders and pastors for strategic planning, management, finance, stewardship or property teams to explore the gifts of a congregation and how to use them.
  • New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program Book, Abingdon Press ISBN 0-687-06315-9 ($8.75 – Augsburg Fortress) There is also a Leader’s Guide ($10.75) This has been one of the most widely used programs in the synod. We have a list of trained presenters on our synod web site.
  • Giving and Stewardship in an Effective Church, Kennon Callahan, Jossey-Bass Publishers ISBN 0-7879-3867 ($17.95) This is a wonderful book for congregational stewardship committees and entire councils to read as well. It is a comprehensive and practical overview about stewardship and the mission of a congregation.
  • Kids, Money and Stuff – course for young people age grade 3 – 8 – resources available through ELCA at web site www.ELCA.org/Growing-In-Faith/Discipleship/Stewardship/Teaching.aspx The synod office has one copy for review. Materials include course guide, participant workbook, Veggie Tales DVD, and book. Contact Larry Iverson in the synod office.
  • Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship by J Clif Christopher, Abingdon Press ISBN 978-0-687-64853-5 ($14). This is a great book discussing the practical and spiritual efforts to raise stewardship awareness and effectiveness in churches.
  • Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money by Christian Smith and Michael Emerson, Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-533711-2 ($24.95). An eye-opening account of why American churchgoers give so little money to charitable causes and how they might be helped to give more.
  • Program Budget - An exciting alternative or addition to the typical line item budget in expressing the budget in terms of the ministry areas in the life of a congregation. So instead of a number on a line item budget, it is expressed as a ministry area. This is part of a larger resource, Step by Step: Fostering Financial Stewardship in Your Congregation. This book offers a general overview of stewardship practice and theology. It is available as a two-part PDF - Step by Step and Theology of Stewardship. Step 12, found on pages 20-21 of the Step by Step portion, is the program budget component. Good Shepherd, Plainview, has shared their program budget as an example.
  • Ministry and Money: A Practical Guide for Pastors by Janet and Philip Jamieson, Westminster John Knox Press ISBN 978-0-664-23198-9 ($13.35 through Amazon). A timely and straightforward discussion of modern-day church finances.

Websites

  • ELCA website for stewardship: www.ELCA.org/stewardship
  • Stories of Faith in Action: www.ELCA.org/stories – annual publication of the ELCA explaining how God is changing lives through the mission and ministry of the ELCA, resources on mission support, budget information, and more.
  • Ecumenical Stewardship Center web site with resources and information about other denominational stewardship materials and annual conference, including some youth stewardship materials www.stewardshipresources.org
  • Gettysburg Seminary in Pennsylvania web site dedicated to stewardship education; they also have a free e-newsletter available – www.stewardshipoflife.org
  • ELCA stewardship-oriented sermon starters: www.ELCA.org/Growing-In-Faith/Discipleship/Stewardship/Stewardship-Now.aspx
  • Simply Giving is a program formerly sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and still endorsed by them, but totally managed by Vanco Services that allows for automatic checking deductions from member checking accounts.www.simplygivingbytfb.com
  • www.stewardshipresources.com – a web site of the company who purchased the stewardship resources of the Pony Express stewardship method from the original developer, and updated them.

Money Management

  • Money Leadership for Thriving Congregations – ELCA money management workshop series can be used as an overnight retreat, or in six sessions. More information at www.ELCA.org/Growing-In-Faith/Discipleship/Stewardship/Teaching.aspx
  • Financial Peace University – a Christian-based program for money management by Dave Ramsey with a 13-session course for adults, also materials for high school age and children 3-12. See web site at www.daveramsey.com
  • Crown Financial Ministries – an adult Christian-based program for money management , also materials for youth, see this web site for information on how to set up a program in your church – crown.org/ForChurch/ChurchManual.aspx
  • Good Sense – a Christian-based program for money management from Willow Creek Association with adult money management resources and also youth materials. See web site at www.goodsenseministry.com
  • Abundant Living – a Christian-based program for money management with materials. See this web site at www.abundantlivingministry.org

Synod Resources

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