Holy conversations: our stewardship reflections
The second section of the case statement encourages some reflection on the church's stewardship story and practice. Is our church really, ‘always talking about money’?
In John chapter 1, Jesus invites the first disciples to ‘come and see’. They spend time with Jesus. They eat and drink together. They talk together, long into the night. Knowing and telling our stories matters; as we follow Jesus into a new future nothing is wasted. Learning our new story in Jesus takes time. Needs space. Involves others. It’s how we grow as disciples.
Holy conversations
Nurturing generous disciples and growing our church into a community of generosity is no different. It can’t be rushed. We need to know our shared story as we begin our shared journey of generosity. In the second section of the case statement the planning group take time to have a ‘holy conversation’ The phrase is from ‘Holy Conversations’ by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann. They suggest the task of leadership is helping people, ‘have a purposeful and meaningful conversation about who they are and what they believe is important to do’. The conversation is holy because it is about who we are and what we do before God.
Our holy conversation is about the stewardship practice and culture of the church. We have an undefended, honest conversation. We talk together about what we do - and what we don’t do - around stewardship. It’s a holy conversation because it is about the things of God in this place. As we talk our holy conversation helps us shift from what we do to who we are as a church.
Too often the money story in our churches is one of scarcity. Of limited resources. Of budget shaped mission, not mission shaped budgets. Sometimes out stories include some blame: the village that no longer supports; the diocese that doesn’t understand; the church split from years ago. The power of our dominant stewardship story can crowd out other stories. Close down a new story. It is all too easy for clergy and lay leaders to be captured by this dominant story; it becomes theirs.
Learning our new story
The stewardship story in our church must be more than a business item, reluctantly tabled on a crowded agenda. It can’t be a slightly desperate roll of the dice to resolve long standing financial problems. The holy conversation within the planning group is a small but important step in telling a stewardship story that honours all that is good in the whilst not ducking the challenges of the present and the possibilities of the future. This planning group conversation will help shape the content and tone of the wider consultation conversation with the church leadership around the draft case statement prepared by the group.
We have a rich story to tell. A gospel story of God’s abundance, provision and promise. A story of our discipleship responsibility. A story that goes beyond the transactional business of giving to pay our bills to the transformational generosity that shapes hearts and changes lives.
“The grace given”
Paul’s teaching on generosity begins with ‘the grace given to the churches in Macedonia’ (2 Cor 8:1). Transformational generosity leans into the grace of a generous God, finds it source in the overflowing grace of God in Jesus. (2 Cor 8:9)