This excerpt is from the very end of a very good article. A good read for clergy and laity alike. Read the whole article before you judge it. It may stretch you a bit, but there are excellent points made in it.
The Alban Institute - 2009-10-19 Stewardship and Simple Thinking:
"If you are a clergyperson reading this as you prepare a fund-raising sermon, or a lay leader getting ready to make the fall pitch for money, I suggest you go ahead and pander. Tell them God rewards a generous giver (to your congregation) and that all your problems will be solved (with money).
But next time—or this time, if you have a few months' lead time—gather some of those wise heads and ask yourselves what challenges (other than a lack of dollars) face your congregation. Look beyond the need to maintain real estate, meet payroll, or continue customary programs: what changes in the world are gradually rendering your ministry irrelevant? What are the glimmers of a new ministry that need attention? What fresh ideas are your structures of decision-making squelching? What human needs cry out, and how could you respond?
By raising such disturbing questions early, with the right people, and at the right speed, you might find yourself, next time you prepare a fund-drive message, less tempted to take refuge in the simple answers and more willing to call on people to join in addressing the real challenges of stewardship."
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