Scared to Talk about Stewardship? Read this Series

Posted on September 2, 2018
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Pastors and church leaders, if you’re scared or anxious about bringing up the topic of stewardship and giving with your churches, I’d like to draw your attention to the following series by David Roseberry of LeaderWorks. Stewardship, Giving, and the Third Rail Stewardship is extremely important, yet often extremely uncomfortable to talk about in the…

10 Habits for a Generous Church (Giving, Part 2)

Posted on August 31, 2018
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From LeaderWorks: helping leaders do their work. As I wrote in part one of this series, a church without adequate resources will soon see their visions become vapors. Money feeds momentum. It is a sign of commitment, involvement, trust, hope, and even worship unto the Lord! It is good to talk about! That is why developing a…

Stewardship, Giving, and the Third Rail (Giving, Part 1)

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From LeaderWorks: helping leaders do their work. A third rail is the high voltage power line that runs along a subway train. It is the one you are warned NOT to touch. It powers the train. But don’t touch it. It makes everything go, but if you touch it, it might kill you. Zap! Shock! For…

Payment from the Pews

Posted on June 19, 2018
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In trying to help leaders do their work, we are often talking about how to work smarter, not harder. When it comes to leading a church, this can often be misleading. After all, much of ministry work is only possible through careful, difficult effort. Whether it’s pastoral care or sermon prep, shortcuts or hacks would…

Five Elegant Solutions to Grow Generosity

Posted on May 15, 2018
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Some of you may know the acryonm KISS. I did not when it was first whispered in my ear by an unknown man about five minutes before my first sermon many years ago. He was a robed lay reader and was seated next to me. The church was filled with the good people of my…

Five Awkward Questions Your Church Needs to Answer (Part Five)

Posted on March 19, 2018
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In the last few weeks we have been covering some awkward questions that often stymie leaders in congregations. Either no one thinks to ask the question or no one wants to bring it up. Here’s what we’ve covered so far: Our last question is the big one. And it isn’t one that brings everyone to…

Ash Wednesday Excerpt: Giving Up

Posted on February 14, 2018
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In Giving Up, I relate a moment from a particularly memorable Ash Wednesday. Other memories of this solemn service have been more somber, but none more soberly illustrates our ‘selfie culture’ or the need we have for this Lenten season that can draw us out of ourselvesโ€”if only we will let it. A few years ago,…

The Gift of Lent

Posted on February 13, 2018
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Lent begins with a necessary reminder: you are dust and to dust you shall return. In Ash Wednesday, we speak these difficult words so that we might resist the influential fictions that our daily lives impress upon us. The fiction that we are in control. That we can fix ourselves. That we were designed first and…

It Ain’t Over…Yet

Posted on January 9, 2018
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by David Roseberry I have been so grateful for the many people who have responded to the vision of Giving Up.  Several rectors have texted me and told me that the book made a difference in their thinking and in their planning for the last three months of the year. And, thankfully, in the way…

Generous Resolutions

Posted on January 8, 2018
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Our church year begins with Advent, but self-reflection and goal-setting are good for all of us and the turning of the calendar is as good a time as any to start. This year, why not resolve to be more generous? As we argue in Giving Up, generosity is at the heart of the gospel. To…