Episcopal Press and News
Stewardship Leaders Share Ideas at Florida Conference
Episcopal News Service. March 9, 2000 [2000-062]
Mary W. Cox, Mary Cox is acting Communications Coordinator for the Diocese of Southeast Florida
"We are inventing some good wheels around the Church," says Terry Parsons, national staff officer for stewardship. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we hitch them to some axles and actually go somewhere!"
At the third "Inventing the Wheel" conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, January 21-23, approximately 90 stewardship leaders from more than 20 dioceses had an opportunity to share their visions of how to do just that.
Imagine a stewardship event that began each day with 45 minutes of intensive Bible study, and had more to say about mission than money.
"The [only] reason we talk about money," says Parsons, "is because money is where we confront the culture."
"This is a family event," Parsons told the group gathered on the morning of January 21, explaining that some of those attending had been together at previous conferences, most came with teams from their home dioceses or congregations, and all would become a community during the conference. "You can't sell soap if you don't take baths," she said, reminding laughing participants that involvement in a vibrant, loving Christian community is what the church "sells."
Community-building began with Bible study, following a format called "Gospel-based Discipleship" introduced by the Rev. John Robertson of the Episcopal Church's Office of Native-American Ministries.
After 45 minutes of "engaging the Gospel," small groups -- many of them teams from a diocese or parish -- focused on defining and describing the church's mission.
Using a process designed by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, the groups worked toward developing specific plans for stewardship at both parish and diocesan levels. Participating dioceses and congregations had been urged to send groups of three or four persons, in order to have a leadership team to implement the plans they would bring home.
After defining a mission statement and reviewing challenges and opportunities for carrying out their mission, each group moved on to identifying mission goals and specific plans for achieving them.
One parish group set the goal of adding 20 new members to the congregation in the next 18 months. Another group's goals were "to make stewardship popular," and to increase parish growth and outreach.
"What struck me," says Tom Fleming, stewardship chair for the Diocese of Southeast Florida, "is that in a right relationship with God, our plan for our parish or diocese is God's plan. If we'll just ask God to share it with us, and then listen for God's response, God will tell us where to focus our ministries -- and make sure we have the resources to carry them out!"
Ted Mollegen, past chair of the national Standing Committee on Stewardship and Development, commented, "This felt like an evangelism conference."
Parsons replied, "No -- this was a discipleship conference."