Crafting Your Stewardship Storyline
An often-missed stewardship component is the intentional formation of strategy related to the initial crafting, the ongoing cultivation, and the ultimate enculturation of a stewardship storyline. That is a long lead sentence. Let me break it down using Tate Springs Baptist Church as a case study.
Tate Springs’ byline is simple and direct: “Discover your part in God’s story.” It appears everywhere –bold letters affixed to the building, in the foyer and interior hallways, on the marquee, letterhead, web page banner; you name it. If you visit or attend Tate, you will encounter this defining slogan.
The byline contains several inherent implications: First, the Bible tells God’s story of redemption, rescue, and salvation. Second, as God’s children, we are part of His story. Having been saved and now “in Christ,” our responsibility is to discover God’s will so we can fulfill our part in His story. Third, in combining these two statements and personalizing them, it would not be overly reductionistic to say that my story, my chapter in God’s grand storyline, is essentially equivalent to my stewardship of all God intended when He created me. He has determined and numbered my days, He has endowed me with talents, skills, and abilities, and He has entrusted abundant blessings to my care and oversight. Simply put, “My Story My Stewardship.”
How does your church engage congregants in the stewardship arena? Are you helping members “see their part in God’s story” regarding their life stewardship? In crafting a stewardship storyline, the discipline of rhetoric offers insight. Rhetoric is the discipline of persuasion which gains listeners’ sympathetic or cognitive agreement prompting engagement and action. Whether writing or speaking, Aristotle, the father of rhetoric, proposed that your ability to persuade an audience is based on how well your appeals are formulated through three distinct filters: logos, ethos, and pathos.
Logos refers to the arena of using logical reasoning and evidence to persuade. Churches should regularly conduct a stewardship assessment to capture their objective financial reality. The second component, ethos, appeals to the communicator’s character, credibility, and ethical integrity. I often tell pastors if they want to see stewardship practiced in the pew, they must first demonstrate it from the pulpit and in their commitment and practice of stewarding well the resources congregants entrust to their oversite. The third component, pathos, appeals to the emotions and passions that ultimately hinge on their underlying beliefs and values. All three components must be balanced and repetitively practiced as part of your overall communications strategy.
The Foundation regularly conducts stewardship assessments for churches throughout the state. If we can assist your church, please call us at 844-351-8804.
Bart McDonald | SBTF Executive Director