Wells Stewardship Challenge Grant 3.0
The Stewardship Challenge Grant is an excellent place to begin to put together a year-round plan to grow generous givers. The Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation has developed the Wells Stewardship Challenge Grant to encourage and reward congregations that develop an appropriate, intentional stewardship plan. By providing a cash incentive, this Challenge Grant hopes to encourage churches to develop a comprehensive stewardship program that will help achieve their goals in the area of stewardship.
When your congregation’s application and plan are submitted to the Foundation, you will receive $200 (the encouragement part!) When the final report is received the remainder of the money will be sent (the reward part!) There is no designated start date to this program. After your initial plan has been submitted and approved, the activities should be completed and the final report submitted all within 12 months. A church may apply once a year in three different years. To begin, complete the application and email it to Rev. Jason Mahnke at the Foundation.
Link to Wells Stewardship Challenge Grant 3.0
Year Round Stewardship Booklet
How to Write a Narrative Budget
A narrative budget is a representation of the line item budget in simple, easy-to-read descriptive terms. It transforms a line item of money and expenses into an exciting picture of ministries and missions of the congregation. Research studies indicate churches often fail to communicate the value of the ministries they provide and the changes occurring in personal lives through ministries. Contributors, therefore, have a limited understanding of the use of their gifts or relationship with those receiving ministry benefits. A line item budget is an effective tool for the committee on finance to manage financial resources. It is not an effective means for interpreting those ministries or their impact. On the other hand, the narrative budget helps members of the congregation understand what the church is doing in ministry, evangelism, discipleship training, and missions. It is a connecting link between the contributor and the church’s ministries. A well-composed narrative budget will educate and inspire everyone. And remember, a picture is worth 1,000 words!
Workshop on How to Write a Narrative Budget with Foundation President Krystal Goodger
Narrative Budget Example #1
Narrative Budget Example #2
Annual Stewardship Campaigns
It depends! Any Stewardship Campaign should:
- Make space for people to wrestle with their faith and their personal finances. That’s not just giving, but also their earning, saving, and spending practices along with their relationship to personal debt.
- Provide opportunities to lift up real world stories of how your church’s ministries are making a difference in peoples lives.
- Hopefully incorporate some fun and enjoyable aspects to the topic of financial stewardship.
Beyond that, there are different types of campaigns. The campaigns listed IN THIS BROCHURE are organized into categories according to the style of approach used. Many of the campaigns are tricky to classify, so don’t automatically rule out an option because it is in a certain category. For more resources regarding Annual Stewardship campaigns, click here.