“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ”) Matthew 22:21 Giving in Recent Years: Year Income Total 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 263,030 282,903 271,799 273,258 291,659 307,320 269,213 ? _______________________________________________________________________ During the Same Recent Years: Number of Pledges Dollar Amount Pledged 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 183 180 167 148 128 128 112 96 240,055 240,177 250,000 201,538 201,045 234,178 210,289 168,768 With total pledges and pledging units declining with each year over the past decade or more, our finance budgeting team of necessity has begun relying more on historical giving and perceived capacity of the congregation, rather than on the decreasing number of formal pledges received in advance each fall. There could be many reasons for this shift, but no doubt changing demographics, economic uncertainties and culture shifts are among them. There are many churches not only in America but throughout the world which continue to thrive by keeping a strong discipleship focus on commitment to the mission of Christ – without asking their members to pledge ‘publically’ in advance exactly what they are going to give throughout the coming year. Rather than keeping track of what congregational participants have promised to give, the leadership of these churches instead focus on communicating clearly and transparently the vision of the congregation along with the current status of the finances. In so doing, they trust in God’s leading and God’s provision for the life and mission of the church – particularly in changing or turbulent times. Such a move promises to reconnect each of us in a refreshingly direct way with the broad overall mission of the church – trusting as we do that together we have the power to raise or lower our mission commitments, as these Spirit-guided decisions are made ultimately in the pews rather than in a budget committee room. To paraphrase Jesus, budgets are for the church, not the church for the budget. Our individual giving is in response to the call of Christ upon our lives; the accumulated budget of the church will be created in response to that giving. As we move forward in our continuing stewardship of Christ’s mission, we invite you to commit yourself as you give throughout this year to listening prayerfully and responding decisively to his Spirit in our midst. -Your Financial Stewardship Leadership Team =============================================================================================
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