Recommended Commitment Programs

The West Texas Stewardship Plan

This every member canvass program is an adaptation of the Alabama Plan developed by The Rev. Bill C. Caradine in the mid-70's. There are five building blocks used as a framework to devise this successful program.

Statement of Theological Purpose - A clear, open, honest, and concise statement about the theological assumptions that underlie the stewardship program needs to be made.  This is most often developed in the "Vestry Stewardship Statement" (Click preceding link for sample.)  It identifies the stewardship beliefs and practices of the clergy and elected leaders and invites each member of the congregation to prayerfully consider their own response.

Plan of Action - The action plan should reflect serious decision from accurate data including target dates and the stewardship education program staff.

Adequate and Committed Volunteer Staff - Several levels of staff will generally be needed - Chair Persons, Team Captains, Canvassers.  The number of staff personnel at each level and their responsibilities must be clearly stated.  Staff personnel should be recruited on the basis of their commitment to fulfill their responsibilities, their willingness to support the total stewardship program, and their willingness to make some meaningful decision about their own personal stewardship.

A Volunteer Staff Training Program - The goal is to provide  the opportunity for people individually and collectively to openly and honestly examine their stewardship beliefs; make decisions about changes in their response; and establish the goal towards which they will strive.

A Publicity and Education Program - Much like the training program this building block must lead and assist the congregation in making decisions about their commitment to Christ and to the local parish.

The Department of Stewardship is in the process of re-thinking and re-training of our next generation of leaders in funding the mission of the Diocese of West Texas.  The fundamental principles of the West Texas Stewardship Plan will not change.

Principle 1 - The necessity for converted leadership.

Principle 2 - The focus on mission as the most important task.

Principle 3 - The stewardship theology statement by the Vestry/Bishop's Committee is necessary and must be used to inform the congregation.

Principle 4 - The bringing together of Scripture, witness and an opportunity for a decision.

All of these are essential in our future stewardship efforts.  But the methodology of employing these principles is in a time of transition.  The Department is working on new ways of doing stewardship that address the absolute necessity for personal conversion as an inner spiritual resource for serious Christian giving.  The new program will be designed with generation, financial situation, spiritual orientation and mission interest in mind.

Until that time our Annual Giving Consultants can be very helpful. The experienced consultant can be of invaluable assistance in helping to diagnose and analyze the congregation in order to identify the best stewardship development program for a particular time in the life of a congregation. An experienced consultant will know which parts of a particular program are crucial to success and which are optional. She or he knows how to combine the strengths of various programs to create one that is right for a particular congregation.

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Other Stewardship Commitment Programs

Resources: A Manual for Stewardship Development Programs in the Congregation The purpose of this manual, and the accompanying workbooks, is to provide resources to congregational leaders in the timeless teachings of Christian Stewardship and to provide some practical applications of these teachings. Stewardship Development Programs are a two step process, Education and the Commitment Program.  A commitment program with little or no education will not give the congregation an opportunity to focus on the reality of God's forgiveness and grace.  The failure to have a commitment program means that any superb education will have few mission consequences.	By Thomas R. Gossen.  Here is a collection of the material members of the Episcopal Church have developed over the past two decades
Resources:  The Joyful Giving Series may be ordered from Morehouse: 800/877-0012; or directly to Amazon through TENS http://tens.org/ABooks.html (you will leave this site)
Faithful Member Visitation Visitors are recruited and trained to make personal visits in the homes of the remaining members of the congregation Festive Meal All energies of the congregation are focused toward one major annual event.  Table hosts are trained and assigned members whom they invite to join their dinner table group. Personal Note A select group writes their stewardship witness to use as letters and bulletin inserts.  Others gather to write short personal notes to the remaining households in the parish. Cottage Meeting These small group meetings in members' homes provide opportunities for conversations about the work God is calling the congregation to do.

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Faithful Member Visitation Commitment Program

The elements include:

1. Carefully, recruited, trained and motivated visitors; enough so that no visitor is expected to make more than three visits!
2. A thorough training event, no visitors making visits without participating in the training. The training event should include personal witness, prayer, and bible study as well as tips on visiting.
3. Careful screening of the homes to receive visits. Do not visit where there will be no welcome.
4. Leaders to personally report back to after the visits are completed.
5. Mail contact with all households before and after the visits.
6. A celebration to honor the visitors.
7. A signed thank you letter to all pledging households thanking them for their pledge and confirming the amount.

Strengths of Home Visits

• Involves a large number, as many as 25%, of the households in a significant training workshop about stewardship as conversion
• Provides for face-to- face contact
• Allows for personal witness

Limitations of Home Visits

• Requires overcoming the hesitancy about making home visits
• May require follow up if some visitors do not make their assigned visits in a timely manner

The Festive Meal Commitment Program

The elements include:

1. A wonderful place for the meal!
2. Joyful, up lifting entertainment!
3. A training session for all table hosts/hostesses and discussion leaders that includes prayer, Bible study, and personal witness as well as instruction about their duties at the dinner.
4. Mail to all households well before the dinner.
5. Trained table hosts/hostesses who personally invite persons to sit at their table.
6. Trained discussion leaders.
7. A brief Bible study.
8. A brief lay witness, a personal witness and/or statement of vision by the rector and an inspiring keynote speaker.
9. A signed thank you letter to all pledging households thanking them for their pledge and confirming the amount.

Strengths of a Festive Meal

• Provides for face-to-face contact with members of the congregation
• Educational materials about stewardship and the mission of the church can be distributed easily
• Everyone hears the same presentation and message
• Strengthens the sense of being the Body of Christ

Limitations of a Festive Meal

• Does not reach shut-ins
• A large crowd can limit conversation and discussion
• Does not reach those members of the congregation who chose not to come

The Personal Note Commitment Program

The elements include:

1. Six pieces of mail into each home with the final piece being a personal [perhaps hand-written] note.
2. The five pieces of mail that precede the personal note might include:
   - A letter from the Stewardship Chair with a personal witness
   - A letter from the rector offering both a theology of stewardship and a personal witness
   - A letter from the Senior Warden with a personal witness and highlighting one of the ministries of the parish that our offerings support
   - A letter from the Junior Warden with a personal witness and highlighting another one of the ministries of the parish
   - A letter from the Treasurer, again highlighting a ministry of the parish, being careful not to sound like stewardship is about the church’s need to receive. Remember that stewardship is about our need to give.
   - A letter from a revered lay person offering a personal witness about stewardship.
3. A training session for those who will write personal notes that includes bible study, prayer and witness.
4. Use a very good mail merge program so that all the letters are personally addressed
5. Use first class stamps.
6. Remember “six sticks.”
7. Letters that have a personal touch are more apt to be read. Your goal is to have parishioners respond. It is imperative that your messages have a creative, personal touch.
8. Remember to send a signed thank you letter after receipt of the pledge that also confirms the amount of the pledge.

Strengths of Personal Notes

• Includes all members of the congregation
• Is non-confrontational
• Is great for “shy Episcopalians” for whom speaking about their faith is difficult

Limitations of Personal Notes

• Resembles secular appeal for funds
• May be ineffective if discontent exists in the congregation because of the one-way communication.

The Cottage Meeting Commitment Program

The elements include:

1. A host home for every 8 to 10 persons/households in the congregation.
2. A training session for all host/hostesses, discussion leaders and those who will do the lay witness at the meetings that will not only give them instruction about their duties at the cottage meetings but also serve as a model for the Cottage Meeting itself.
3. Mail contact with all households before and after the visits.
4. A trained host/hostess for each home who will personally invite people to their home and follow up with those they have invited.
5. A trained discussion leader for each home.
6. A brief Bible study.
7. A lay witness about stewardship at each home.
8. Dessert.
9. A signed thank you letter to all pledging households thanking them for their pledge and confirming the amount.

Strengths of Cottage Meetings

• Provides for face-to-face contact with members of the congregation
• Educational materials about stewardship and the mission of the church can be distributed easily
• The presentation and message about stewardship as a conversion issue is delivered by well trained members of the congregation
• Strengthens the sense of being the Body of Christ

Limitations of Cottage Meetings

• Does not reach shut-ins
• Does not reach those members of the congregation who chose not to come
• May be ineffective if there is conflict within the congregation

The Patch and Match/Best-Fit Program

Sometimes it is useful to combine several of the elements of multiple program methods into one.

For example, it is helpful to send out as many as six pieces of mail no matter what commitment program method is used. These letters can contain stewardship witnesses, information about ways in which peoples’ offerings supports mission and ministry programs, etc.

Some people do not want to be called on in their home. Contact them in some other way.

In larger congregations, it may be useful to use a combination of several commitment program methods.