Consulting on the Case
The draft planning group Case is shared with church leaders. The goal: leadership support and personal advocacy.
The planning group draft a Case Statement which has their confidence, their personal ownership and their personal commitment to respond to the financial challenge. The final step is to share the draft Case Statement with the church leadership. This may be a local church leadership team, a finance or standing committee or the full PCC. This is the consultation at Section 5 of the Case Statement.
Continuing a holy conversation
The Case Statement that comes to the church leadership is a living document. It’s not an argument to be sustained; a position to be defended. It was born out of an honest, holy conversation about the financial challenges facing the church and our stewardship practice. Church leaders should first reflect individually on the Case. Next they will discuss the Case together, allowing sufficient time for a thoughtful, undefended and prayerful conversation.
A culture of generous discipleship
The task of the leadership consultation is not to get the job done but to be a part of building a culture of generous discipleship. We want our church to be a community of Christians who know they are stewards of personal finance, of the environment and of justice in an unjust world. The hallmark, the litmus test of our stewardship is generosity. It’s a core value. It’s the resource that unlocks ministry. It’s something worth our time and attention.
Three practical steps
First, send each member of the consultation group a copy of the draft Case Statement prepared by the planning group - along with a copy of the final Knowing our Numbers report. Church leaders are asked to review the Case Statement and the financial report individually. There are some starter questions on page 7 of the Case Statement to get the ball rolling.
Second, the church leadership meet together to review the Case Statement. They will discuss, perhaps amend and settle on a final version of the Case Statement.
Third, in this meeting or another the PCC as Trustees record their decision to run a Giving in Grace programme with a brief summary of the reasons for the decision in the PCC minutes. This aligns with the Code of Fundraising Practice (see our blog) guidance on documenting key fundraising decisions.
Two blessings
Our leadership consultation can reap rich rewards. The first is the support and investment of church leaders in the giving programme. Where stewardship programmes have limited impact the cause can often be traced to reserved or lukewarm leadership support. Leaders must be champions, advocates, story tellers in support of the programme, in word and deed.
The second blessing of consultation is the personal commitment of leaders. Leaders are not are not asked simply to sign off on a form of words. They are asked in the Consultation about their personal commitment to review - at a later time - their own giving as part of Giving in Grace.
Eager willingness
Paul’s encouragement to generous discipleship in Corinth speaks of the churches not only being first to give but also first to desire to give, their eager willingness. Consultation affirms the ‘eager willingness’ of church leaders.
(2 Cor 8:10-11)