With mid-August upon us, many pastors and church leaders are beginning to think about annual stewardship campaigns. Many are finding themselves in the same place they were last year: unsure what to do, unsure what to say, and generally feeling like it’s time for the annual doctor’s checkup: everyone knows it’s good for them, but no one wants to go!

Don’t be that church!

The United Methodist Foundation of West Ohio is YOUR go-to resource for stewardship education information. If you need help with this year’s campaign, give us a call and we will discuss it with you.

If you just want to get through this year but know that changes are needed, our program, Generosity Abounds!is free to any church to use. It is NOT a plug and play one-size fits all annual campaign package. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you increase discipleship and engagement and start on a path to creating a culture of generosity in your church. The best time to start this program is about a year in advance of when you want to start seeing results. So start now for next year! We can walk you through it or you can do it on your own. Find out more at https://umfwestohio.org/services-for-churches/stewardship-education-resources/ or give us a call.

Here are some other great learning opportunities that have shown up in our in-boxes recently:

Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being – we’re excited that Wespath is providing an online version of this course open to anyone this fall, starting soon on September 9. Financial literacy is one of our stewardship standards, so we highly recommend this for any church leader who wants to provide the class in their church next year.

Financial Leadership for Churches – this comprehensive course with content similar to our Generosity Abounds program is offered through Garrett Theological Seminary. It is pricey but you can get 2 CEUs and take  another person. Call us if you want to attend and we can discuss scholarships. There is also a $500 incentive program for attendees who qualify.

Cultivating the Craft of Asking - develop your skills and confidence in asking donors for financial support. Through the five online sessions, you will learn techniques to help you deepen donor relationships to connect vision to mission while actively making progress on your own ministry goals – from a capital campaign to funding mission work. Provided through Myte Ministries.

The Foundation has lots of other resources we can share with you. Just give us a call to discuss your needs so we can make tailored recommendations.

sblack@wocumc.org   380-223-9257