Why make a pledge instead of giving regularly?
To be a member of Christ Church is to make a financial pledge to Christ Church. It is good stewardship, and allows the Vestry and Finance Committee to budget responsibly.
However, many parishioners resist the pledge, and for many legitimate reasons. A person may be unemployed, or unsure of their income. They may be experiencing unexpected expenses, so making a commitment is difficult. Also, many parishioners did not grow up in the Episcopal Church, and do not know how central pledging is to how Episcopal churches manage the finances.
Still, I believe every person who is a member of Christ Church must take responsibility for its well being, and therefore every member should pledge. If you give financially, you can pledge.
"But I don't know how much I can pledge?" Then, do as several parishioners do: Write "Will Give Regularly and as Able" on the pledge letter. Or, do not pledge an amount, but pledge a proportion of your income. Simply write, I/We pledge 3% (or 1%, or 10%, etc.) of our income.
Why Give Proportionally?
“It shall be the duty of Rectors” reads the rulebook directing my work, “to ensure that all persons in their charge are instructed concerning Christian stewardship.” In doing so, I am first and foremost to teach a “reverence for the creation and the right use of God's gifts.” That reminds me that stewardship is not about giving money to Christ Church, but honoring God through the way we order our lives and set our priorities in God’s creation.
I am to instruct that Christian stewardship is a “generous and consistent offering of time, talent and treasure for the mission and ministry of the Church at home and abroad.” Those historic three words, “Time, Talent, and Treasure,” are listed in order of importance. We honor God and revere the creation when we give our precious time back to God through worship and service. Though I understand, I am sad when someone says, “I don’t have time to be at church, but don’t worry, I’ll keep sending in my contributions.” To give the time to Christ Church is blessing in itself, and a necessary sacrifice that puts in balance an overly programmed and hectic life.
When we give our time, we give our talent. To worship on Sunday deploys all of our collective talent through our prayers, song, and hospitality. We give talent when we tutor, cook a shelter meal, arrange the flowers, sing in the choir, rake the garden leaves, sit at the Welcome Desk, fret over financial statements, and pack cookies. At Christ Church, we have more than 30 ministries that need our talent and time, and those gifts more important than giving treasure.
Of course, it takes treasure, too. I ask that we all remember we aren’t giving to a budget; we’re giving thanks to God for the blessings of creation, and the privilege of being part of it.
By November 14, we as the stewards of Christ Church are called to pledge to our budget for 2011. As always, there are challenges: to fund our next full-time assistant minister, expand our music programs that Parker Kitterman that has magnificently begun, and maintain and improve our facilities that welcome and inspire 300,000 people a year, calls for our financial giving to increase 20%.
As I am directed to teach, financial stewardship should be about a proportion of your financial resources, not an amount. Take your current pledge, and divide it by your income, and that tells you the percentage, or proportion, of your giving. For example, if you’re giving $3,000, and your income $60,000, you are offering 5% in gratitude to God. Does the proportion you give honor your talents that God has blessed you with?
Maybe you are giving 2%. Prayerfully consider 3% Make the journey to the tithe, or 10%, which, I am supposed to teach, is “the biblical standard,” but that is just too legalistic for me. We all live complex financial lives, and when it comes to percentages, “one size does not fit all.”
Still, I urge us all to calculate the percentage. To do so is an important spiritual practice. Truly, when we give a portion of what we have, rather than an amount, much of the financial anxiety of pledging dissipates.
You’ll have 2011 pledge cards by November 7, and they are to be returned on Sunday morning, November 14, at 10 AM, when we have one joyous service to begin our 316th year. I pray we all are made more aware of our blessings in the completing of them.
Timothy Safford