Fundraising 101: Our Firm Foundation

“Stewardship” is a hot term these days in Christian circles. Your church might have a “stewardship Sunday” or your financial planner might have a “stewardship plan”.  You might be getting sick of all this “stewardship” talk. In Christian-speak “stewardship” has become synonymous with giving. But stewardship is not just about giving money to a new construction project at your church or to a mission agency. It’s more than that.  God has entrusted each of us with treasures, resources, knowledge and abilities. Stewardship is about using those resources well.  

1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (NIV)

The Strong Foundation
All strategic gift planning at the Christian Reformed Church in North America is based on the overarching principles of the denomination’s faith statement, vision statement, mission statement, calling statement, and ministry plan (desired future). Every project or campaign we run aligns with these. You probably have something similar at your church (or even a direct copy of this).

If you’ve not reviewed it in a while, we suggest you take a look. You can find 4 sections: Our Faith, Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Journey, and Our History. These are important as they say who we are to our community, our brothers and sisters in our local congregation and to those who give to support our work.  

I'd love to hear what you think about the word "stewardship" in the comments below. 

If you'd like stewardship resources, fundraising support or have questions for the advancement team, please reach out to me or write to [email protected].