LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 171

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ADMINISTRATION 171

motivations such as guilt or duty—cultivation is necessary for
growth.

Programs in stewardship cultivation include the goals of
leading each Christian to a deeper understanding of the prin-
ciples and practices of his or her stewardship life, enlisting and
training the laity for significant church involvement, growing in
the grace (not guilt or duty) of Christian giving, and gaining
more effective skills in personal and family money management.

During the past 2 years, activities in these areas have focused
on four programs.

1. Findings of the recent North American Interchurch Study
underscored the fact that an annual Every Member Steward-
ship Visit (EMSV) is the most effective single congregational
program to help individuals grow in the grace of Christian
giving, provided it is carried out consistently and is surrounded
by ongoing stewardship cultivation.

The board promotes this program by annually producing
and sampling a packet of materials for an effective EMSV to
each congregation. Every year between 1,500 and 2,000 congre-
gations use this material through direct order. Many others use
the ideas presented and develop their own programs. A supple-
mentary multimedia tool designed to train EMSV callers pro-
duced by the board was purchased by 2,100 congregations.
Members of District Stewardship Boards were trained to
conduct workshops aimed at interesting congregations in the
EMSV approach as well as helping congregations to improve
already existing programs.

2. Stewardship understandings and approaches which focus
exclusively on giving are limited, shallow, and ultimately fail
in helping God’s people grow in their commitment and dedica-
tion to His mission. A congregation needs a functioning steward-
ship committee (or other responsible group) to help develop
a balanced year-round program for stewardship ministry.

To help equip such committees, the board produced two
brochures during the past biennium. “A Stewardship Primer”’
is a concise, six-step approach toward a clearer understanding
of a congregation’s stewardship ministry, including suggestions
about organizing a stewardship committee. ‘Planning a 12-
Month Stewardship Program for Your Congregation” suggests
ingredients for a year-round stewardship calendar.

3. Family money management seminars were conducted
with members of six District Stewardship Boards in the past
2 years. Training in the knowledge, procedures, techniques,
and skills of family money management enables District leaders
to conduct their own seminars on a local level. Assistance is
given to Districts which request further visits to work with
existing programs.

4. Our society is moving away from “‘cash on the barrel’’ to
“credit on the card” (or in the bank). In attempting to meet this
move toward a cashless society. the board has begun field-test-
ing an ACTS (Authorized Contribution Transfer System) proj-
ect. This experiment allows an individual to automatically have
his bank debit his personal account and credit the account of
his congregation (or some other agency). The project is designed
to test the acceptability of this method of pledging and receiving
offerings, as well as providing data on its theological and social
implications.

B. Problems and Challenges

1. The value and necessity of stewardship as a congrega-
tional program and ministry still is not accepted by many
congregations. “Stewardship” is translated into “finances,”
and the person who talks about money is often only the trea-
surer. No stewardship committee or equivalent exists.

Such a view misses stewardship as a ministry, a way of
looking at life and all its resources as gifts from God to be used,
an atmosphere of cheerful dedication in a congregation. Sucha
view may miss the love-motivation of Lutheran stewardship
and grab for law-oriented non-Lutheran money-raising mate-
rials when dollars are needed.

This really is a double challenge/problem. One is that some
pastors see no need for stewardship ministry, because they
assume the dollars will just come in. Is it possible that many
of these pastors have never known as adults the lack of money
caused by a depression or world war? Has the “good life”
dulled our senses to God’s ministry of stewardship?

The second challenge is that the Synod has mandated the
Board of Stewardship to produce stewardship cultivation

materials such as Bible studies, stewardship sermons, and
children’s materials. This has not been done, because we have
not been allocated the money to do it.

2. Many congregations have a less effective stewardship
program because they do not use an EMV approach. The reason
often is that a well-run EMV takes person-power, organization,
time, and an atmosphere of openness. Other methods can be
partially effective if they include some parts of an EMV. But
how can we get congregations to try an EMV-—proved by
research as the most effective method?

3. The No. 1 social problem faced by North American fami-
lies, according to the Gallup Poll, is ‘making ends meet.”
Twenty-five percent of divorces are caused by tensions between
spouses over the way money is used. Countless families must
struggle with economic survival.

Our program in family money management is designed to
help Christians live more meaningfully and joyfully under the
Gospel in managing their wealth. How can this program help
more people? How can its benefits be multiplied? How can the
church use it to help Christian family life? These and other
questions pose a challenge for the coming years.

II. Mission Education and Synod Promotion (Information)
A. Activities

Restyling the mission education and Synod promotion pro-
gram began in the 1973—75 biennium. The restyling is based
on an ongoing review of the work of the Mission Education
Services of the Board of Stewardship, conducted by a study/ac-
tion team of eight persons. They represent a cross section of
professional and lay members of the church. Four 2-day sessions
have been supplemented by staff work and special assignments.

Two areas were especially explored. One was the field of
media for mass communications. Every known way that can be
used to reach, inform, persuade, and enable Christians in their
mission was examined. But primary — and initial—attention was
given to working through a planning process, starting with a
clear statement of purpose and the setting of objectives.

Strategy emerging from the study/action team is to ignite
a fire for missions, through five fueling factors: God’s people in
congregations, the right information in the right media, Bible
persuasions, regular challenges asking response, and the power
of the Holy Spirit. The strategy has two major factors: (1) a
special mission promoter or promotion team in every District
and congregation and (2) annual skill shops, to train leaders with
a knowledge of missions and skills in presenting missions. The
study/action team also has recommended that ‘mission con-
ferences” be held regionally by groups of Districts every few
years, featuring programs of inspiration, information, and
demonstration.

To carry out an information program, synodical staff must be
involved in the aspects of a business enterprise, with successful
production, distribution, and advertising of materials which
can be produced only if they can be sold. Also needed are
customer services, a lending library, and a regular mission news
publication (Plus. now sent every other month to all pastors).

New mission materials on Ghana, the Middle East, and
Portugal were released in 1974. Similar materials on India are
scheduled to be introduced in 1975. Media used are filmstrips,
records, magazine-style story packets, prayer posters, and slide
sets. In addition, an annual mission occasion packet samples
free mass distribution materials to all congregations.

B. Problems and Challenges

1. “We couldn’t hear nobody pray,” goes a black spiritual.
It has been a painful discovery that we can’t really ask our
people to pray for missions—we don’t know how. Praying ‘‘in
our own words” and “out loud” so that we can pray together
apparently isn’t part of our synodical tradition. ‘‘Brethren, Pray
for Us’ materials encourage prayer for missions. They can be
a tool of the Spirit to help us untie our hands and fold them in
prayer, intelligent and specific prayers for the mission of our
Lord.

2. Problems in the Synod, particularly in the Board for
Missions, take the heart out of leaders and make the effort seem
futile to very many people. We can’t generate enthusiasm for
a sad situation. What’s worse, news of much of the dramatic
mission and ministry going on overseas is being overwhelmed