Some time ago I was at a meeting with a corporate leader and he said this: “What you pay attention to grows.” I have thought a lot about that statement. If you pay attention to your garden—it grows. If you pay attention to your prayer life—it grows. If you pay attention to your relationships—they grow. If you pay attention to your investments—they grow.

Who is paying attention to stewardship in your congregation? Who is looking at growing forward the giving and generosity of your church family? The truth is that most churches don’t have anyone leading this important need. We struggle constantly for stronger stewardship and generosity but never think to have a team “pay attention” to it.

In the United Methodist Discipline, the Finance Committee is charged with this responsibility. Truthfully, most Finance Teams have a lot to do paying attention to costs, budgets, and investments. But still, each church could benefit from someone “paying attention,” even if it is a committee that relates to Finance. Building a small leadership team pays big dividends, and it is important to have the right people on the team.

The next time your church Board or Council gets together ask the question: “Who is paying attention to the growth of our giving and stewardship?

Need Help? Your Foundation does Stewardship Mentoring to help churches with its year-long plan for stewardship and giving; or invite us to lead a workshop at your church for Building a Giving Development Team. Contact me at ghowell@umfindiana.org or 317-788-7879.

Glenn Howell
Director of Development
United Methodist Foundation of Indiana

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