One of the key elements of the diocese moving into the third decade of this millennium is that we put mission and evangelism at the heart of all that we do. Christian stewardship has been a strand of theology and practice which has done this for many decades, putting into practice the management and use of God-given resources to engage with mission on our doorstep and beyond.
Our role is to work with parishes in situations such as:
- A PCC reviewing giving in the light of their current or expected financial situation
- A standing committee thinking about a major (capital) appeal for a specific project
- A home-group or study series looking at giving as part of discipleship
- A Sunday service with a theme of giving, commitment, time and talents, or the Christian use of money
But one-off sermons or addresses may not be effective unless tied into an ongoing programme of thinking about God’s gifts to us and how we use them! We encourage parishes to have an annual planned giving review, so that this is looked at regularly as a normal part of the life of your parish. The use of money within any church must be linked to vision and mission (the what and why we do what we do).
In Bath and Wells, we view stewardship as more than just personal giving (which remains top of our priority list) and additionally explore:
- How we acquire and use resources from grant making bodies
- How we use our buildings as a resource beyond worship
- How we use our buildings as a resource for mission and evangelism
- How we use legacies to resource future mission and evangelism.
The pages in this section offer guidance and signpost to further resources. The national Building a Generous Church and Parish Resources webpages provides additional guidance.
Who to contact
Natalie Wainwright, Lead Giving and Funding Adviser
Kate Mayo, Local Giving Adviser (Bath Archdeaconry)
Jonathan Philpott Local Giving Adviser (Taunton and Wells archdeaconries).