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Resources from TENS The Faithful Member Home Visitation Program describes the steps you should take to recruit, train and deploy visitors to the homes of other members of the congregation. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. The Personal Note Commitment Program describes what you will need to know to use this new, creative method of gathering a group of members to write personal notes to others in the congregation as the cornerstone event for your parish stewardship commitment program. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. The Festive Meal Commitment Program delineates how to enlist a large group of committed members of the parish in preparing for and hosting a Festive Meal and the how the Festive Meal can serve as the cornerstone of your commitment program. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. The Cottage Meeting Commitment Program describes the way in which cottage meetings can serve as an effective commitment program. The roles are defined for each of the participants in this creative type of commitment program. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. The Home to Home Commitment Program describes how a program that includes creating and routing a packet of pledge materials and parish information around small designated neighborhoods can be effective. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. Stewardship & Giving: How to Increase the Financial Support of Your Congregation by the Rev. Kevin Martin. “Insanity can best be described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Kevin Martin’s creative booklet begins with this statement that leads us into a different way of thinking about the annual pledge drive. Stewardship and Giving is not a resource for delving into the theology of stewardship. It is, however, an effective resource for understanding the response of individuals in your congregation in the past, grouping similar sets of responses, and structuring the appropriate approach to each group. The process avoids the fundamental mistake made by the majority of congregations: treating all potential donors the same. We are taught not to begin by asking, “What is the standard?” but rather, “What do the present giving patterns of our members tell us about their commitment to the Church and their reasons for giving?” Then we follow up by asking, “What can leaders in the church do to increase this commitment?” Use this valuable resource – with its detailed instructions, examples of timelines, letters, pledge cards and more – to map your plan for nurturing greater levels of commitment. To order from the TENS on-line store click here. The Evergreen Stewardship Program, a workbook resource by the Rev. Kevin E. Martin. Building on the common experience that 20% of the members give 70% to 80% of the income of a church, the Evergreen Plan of Stewardship sets out a proven method for reaching this two-tier reality of congregational life. The workbook sets out a clear, step-by-step process. Using The Evergreen Plan normally increases giving from 12% to 25%. This is an affordable and reusable program for congregations of all sizes. Product is currently being revised by the author. Availability will be announced as soon as a schedule has been determined. Contact the TENS office to advise of your interest in this product. Resources from Abingdon Transformed Giving: Realizing Your Church’s Full Stewardship Potential uses principals developed by Dr. John Ed Mathison, pastor of one of the most dynamic churches in America. The resources walk pastors and stewardship teams through organizing and conducting a forty-day study and concurrent financial campaign. To learn more about this resource and to order on-line, click here. New Consecration Sunday. This popular stewardship financial response method takes place during worship. It is a stewardship program for congregations of all sizes, rural or urban, and speaks from a spiritual rather than a fund-raising perspective. For the first time, you may order Consecration Sunday materials from Augsburg Fortress. To learn more about this resource and to order on-line, click here. Resources from Cokesbury The Grow-One Sunday Stewardship Program by Herb Miller is a spiritual-growth program as well as a financial campaign. It is based on the biblical theology of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, not on the need of the church to receive in order to balance its budget. Click here. Resources from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center Each year the denominational members of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center collaborate on the production of a set of annual theme materials that are useful for congregations. To review the current offering and as a gateway to the other resources offered by ESC go here. Resources from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America With God’s Permission: An Asset-Based Program of Financial Response is a program of financial response based on an asset-based approach to congregational dynamics. This simple program can help your congregation fund God’s mission in a fresh and exciting manner, providing enjoyment and energy to the task of asking for and receiving commitments for financial support from your congregation members. “With God’s Permission” is a worship-based financial response method – i.e., members’ financial commitments collected during a worship service – and also includes members in several preparatory “mini-events” during the three Sundays preceding a final Sunday worship service. Everything needed is available here. The ELCA web site has many other useful resources for pledge programs as well as teaching resources. Some of these resources are also available in Spanish. Visit their web site. Resources from the Presbyterian Church USA The PCUSA web site includes many useful resources for Stewardship Education and Commitment (Pledge) Programs. Pay special attention to the Workshop & Worship Resources that include many useful tools to complement, supplement, broaden and enhance your own stewardship and discipleship ministry. Curricula, Lesson Plans and Tools from Generous Giving At the Generous Giving web site, they express caution that you should research carefully for a stewardship strategy that is theologically sound, fits in your budget, works with your time frame, meets your need, and suits your congregation’s disposition. Out of Print Resources TENS has a limited number of copies of out of print publications that were published by the Office of Stewardship at the Episcopal Church Center. Included is one titled A Proven Stewardship Education Approach for Small Congregations and A Proven Stewardship Education Approach for Larger Congregations. If you are interested in receiving a copy of one or both of these “Leader’s Manuals,” contact the TENS office.
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