Stewardship resources for all congregations
Jesus has called each of us to be His disciples. As His disciples, we follow Him and learn from Him as we read and study His Word. His love for us compels us to encourage others to follow Him and become His disciples. Acknowledging that all we are and have are gifts from God, we become His faithful stewards who manage all that He has entrusted to us. God honors us with the privilege of being His disciples who live as grace-filled stewards.
The Disciples Living as Grace-Filled Stewards kit, made by the Stewardship Advisors and now available for Nebraska District congregations, includes a four-week set of sermons, children messages, Bible studies, lay reader talks, trifold brochures, letters, newsletter articles, bulletin messages, devotions, worship helps, flyers, commitment forms, and timelines. Congregations are encouraged to download the kit and use it to help in building a stewardship mindset.
Other stewardship resources available on our website are:
- The LWML Blessings of Giving stewardship devotion series
- LWML weekly Stewardship Meditations
- Synod’s StewardCast newsletter
- A free PDF ebook of Stewardship Under the Cross: Stewardship for the Confessional Lutheran Parish
- The LCMS Stewardship Ministry A-Z resource collection
- The Thinking About Stewardship Bible study series of videos and study guides
- LCEF Consecrated Stewards program
Links to these and more are available on our Stewardship Resources page.
The Faithful Steward: Four Tips to Keep Your Family Financially Safe and Healthy
Like Adam and Eve struggled with the concept of stewardship, we struggle still today to balance caring for God’s world, including our church, families and daily lives. Are you paying close attention to bills, fees and borrowing habits to keep our families financially safe and healthy?
Here are four tips for successful financial stewardship:
Paying bills as a sign of good faith – By acquiring only what we can pay for, we are being good stewards and acting in good faith to others. Services such as online banking, bill pay, alerts and the bill calendar at Lutheran Federal Credit Union help make managing bills easier.
Build a buffer – Avoid borrowing or selling valuables for emergency purchases with a bank account buffer. A common rule of thumb is to have liquid savings (those with no penalty if withdrawn) equal to two months of expenses. Keeping that extra cash on hand helps protect against overdraft or interest fee. For larger expenses that need to be budgeted, a Whatever Loan at LutheranFCU offers interest expenses far below credit card rates.
Minimize expenses – When you minimize expenses you have a better chance of staying within your budget and saving. Be mindful of bank fees. For example, at LutheranFCU there are no monthly minimums or fees on any of our checking account options or features.
Borrow mindfully – Debt itself is not bad if you borrow responsibly and use it for assets (like a home) that retain and grow in value. Borrowing mindfully means only borrowing what you can repay and paying back your debts on time. Before you borrow, explore your options. Understand the terms and fees associated with each option so that you can make the right decision for your financial situation. There are several ways with LutheranFCU to potentially consolidate debt, reduce interest payments and free up income for savings.
This post is courtesy of Lutheran Federal Credit Union, which opened to all eligible members January 2016. About LutheranFCU: Lutheran Federal Credit Union opened to all eligible members January 2016. With a robust product set now available, solutions are available for all types of entities, church members, school families and volunteers that are part of our LCMS community. Visit Lutheranfcu.org to learn more.