Hearing a young attorney speak of the faith-based reasons for which he had just made a substantial monetary gift to a community youth center, Clif Christopher asked the speaker if he would consider making a similar contribution to the congregation of which he was an active member.
"Lord no, they wouldn't know what to do with it!" was the answer.
Unlike leading nonprofit agencies and institutions, we too often fail to convince potential givers that their gifts will have impact and significance. That, in a nutshell, describes the problem churches are facing in their stewardship efforts, says Christopher, who writes about it in his book, Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship.

The book is the first in a series for the new SNEUCC Stewardship Book Club. The club will meet bi-monthly on Monday evenings, beginning June 8, via Zoom (other scheduled dates are June 22, and July 6).  All who want to learn about - and discuss with colleagues - recent thinking and best practices in the areas of stewardship and fundraising, with the goal of improving and developing stewardship in your church, are welcome to join - both lay leaders and clergy.

Discussions will be facilitated by SNEUCC staff Rev. Mary Nelson, Regional Minister for South Central Connecticut, and David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Transitional ACM for Stewardship and Financial Development.

For more details and to join the book club, visit the event page.