Let’s say it is December 10th, and you (the Rector) and your Vestry are sitting down to review the giving to date and the giving needed at the end of the year to pay all the bills. Suddenly, you realize that there will be a HUGE deficit at the end of the year. The Vestry…
Getting Ready for 2021 with The Evergreen Project
Getting Ready for 2021 End the Year Strong is a new resource from the Evergreen Project! You can download it for free on The Evergreen Project website. Getting ready for 2021 is vital for wrapping up 2020. Start looking ahead now. Spend some time praying and dreaming! In May of 2020, Tim Keller did a…
End the Year Strong from the Evergreen Project
Take Stock of 2020 The Evergreen Project began precisely to help churches grow for the kind of difficult days we have faced together in 2020. It is the hope of Archbishop Foley Beach and founders of this movement to help churches become “evergreen,” that is, green at all times. You have probably learned a lot…
Churches, Make Sure You Get Generosity & Stewardship Right!
Do you know about The Evergreen Project? The Evergreen Project is an initiative of the Anglican Church in North America to help pastors and congregations grow in generosity and stewardship ministry. The main work of the Evergreen Project is collecting, creating, and curating the best resources for a thriving church. Now more than ever, every…
Stewardship in an Age of Coronavirus
My role as curator and guide for The Evergreen Project compels me to write a few thoughts and ideas for the benefit of all of our leaders in the Anglican Church in North America. Whether or not these ideas and suggestions, and the thinking behind them, make their way beyond our newly formed denomination, I…
When Giving Keeps on Giving! Generosity Can Make a Difference for Decades
I met Herb at breakfast in 1992. He and I were newly elected members of a national board and met for the first time the day before. At breakfast the next morning, I walked right by Herb carrying my plate filled with bacon, eggs, and my morning coffee. “David, join me!” Herb called out to…
Paying the Pastor: How to Figure Out Compensation for Clergy
As the Evergreen Project continues to create, collect, and curate the best resources for a thriving church, the issue of clergy compensation is unavoidable. About a year ago, I wrote an article about this topic as part of a series on Awkward Church Questions. That means it is time to look at this issue again…
Pledge Cards, pt. 2: Additional Factors to Consider
As the Evergreen Project continues to create, collect, and curate the best resources for a thriving church, the issue of pledge cards comes quickly to the front of the line. Recently, we addressed the base level question of whether congregations should use an annual pledge card system as a best practice for regular giving. We…
Pledge Cards: To Have or To Hold
This post is part of an ongoing conversation about generosity and stewardship in conjunction with The Evergreen Project’s fall campaign, “The Joy of Giving Up.” As the Evergreen Project continues to create, collect, and curate the best resources for a thriving church, the issue of pledge cards comes quickly to the front of the line….
Don’t Ignore These Important Trends in Church Giving and Attendance
Recently, I presented a webinar on general trends in attendance and generosity across the United States and Canada for clergy and vestry / lay leadership. The webinar was part of the ongoing training related to the The Evergreen Project and our Fall Program – The Joy of Giving Up. Rooted in a vision of flourishing…
