Planning for the future

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways.” Proverbs 14:8.

Creating a healthy and growing stewardship ministry doesn’t just happen on its own. It requires stewardship leaders who are intentional, reflective, strategic and committed to developing a plan that enables your faith community to grow in greater faithfulness as stewards and disciples of Christ.

The role of planning for stewardship leaders is crucial in laying a foundation that connects to what God is attempting to do in your community. Planning helps create a roadmap – a framework and direction for creating and cultivating a healthy and growing stewardship culture.

When we consider our planning, there are at least three aspects to consider:

• First, what is the particular mission our congregation is called to in its unique time and place? What makes sense for your congregation likely isn’t the same as for the congregation down the road and trying to duplicate what works elsewhere may or may not be helpful.
• Second, who should be involved in planning? Rather than relying on just one person for planning, a stewardship team can come together to discern direction and make specific plans to help the congregation and its participants grow in the spiritual practices of money management and generosity.
• Third, what are the key guiding documents to have in place for management? Though a congregation isn’t a business in the traditional sense of the word, it is important to have policies in place that create trust, reduce the likelihood of conflict or impropriety and that contribute to good decision making.

Tips for planning for the future

1. Find connection:

• Select your stewardship team. This is the starting point and the pivotal step for moving forward. A team is two or more leaders that commit to gathering to discern and develop a stewardship plan that invites people to fully participate in God’s plan of living generous lives. 

• Focus on mission, not budget. People get excited to contribute to a cause rather than a budget. Frame your conversations around the church’s mission and vision while explaining to people how their contributions are making an impact. Consider highlighting specific ministries and programs.

2. Create your roadmap:

• Meet as a stewardship team to reflect on and assess recent stewardship activities.
• Adopt the five key stewardship areas from the Everence Stewardship Wheel as your framework for developing your stewardship plan.
• Identify your stewardship goals.
• Identify specific strategies to accomplish these goals.

Planning for the future: Ideas for your church

• Identify your stewardship team. Identify two or more people who meet several times per year for the purpose of reflecting on past stewardship efforts and identifying strategies for the future. A stewardship team should start with the advocate and pastor. Identify others in the congregation with gifts in finance, education or communication, or tap other leadership like elders or trustees. Include a broad range of ages and consider those with an entrepreneurial spirit. Review Church Stewardship Roles for more guidance.
• Participate in the Cultivating Generous Congregations (CGC) event in 2026. A special online version of this transformative workshop will occur over six Tuesdays from Feb. 3 to March 10. There will be a limit of 12 congregations for the online event, and registration closes Jan. 15. CGC events are opportunities for leadership to do a deep dive in exploring what does it take to create a generous culture. We highly encourage all congregations to participate in at least one CGC event.
• Invite leadership and/or congregation to have a conversation about your congregations’ direction and future. Utilize The local church as a missional community to engage your community in actively sharing and discerning the future together.
• Use the five key stewardship areas (Telling, Teaching, Asking, Thanking and Planning) to guide your stewardship team in reflecting on past stewardship activities and guiding your future strategies.
• Check out the Everence church loan program. Is your church considering a capital project sometime in the future? Or are you considering refinancing your current loan? Whether you need an operating line of credit, a lower interest rate or a construction loan to expand your ministry, we can create a solution to fit your needs. We can also assist your congregation in encouraging financial support of these projects.

Dive deeper: Join the webinar

On Thursday, Feb. 12, at 2 and 8 p.m. ET, join Everence Stewardship Consultants and your pastoral and stewardship advocate colleagues from around the country in a webinar that dives deeper into the topic of Planning for the Future. We’ll focus on several topics and ideas listed above. You will have opportunity to hear from each other and to bring your questions. Register or watch last year's recording below.