Covenant Budget Narrative
To assist you as church leaders in communicating how your giving to the Covenant participates in God’s mission to Make and Deepen Disciples, Start and Strengthen Churches, Love Mercy Do Justice, Develop Leaders, and Serve Globally, Executive Director of Finance for the Covenant Paul Hawkinson presents a budget narrative explaining how your contribution is applied to ministry impact.
Watch the full 2018 Budget Presentation Video here. You can also download the Annual Meeting Delegate Notebook to find the printed budget materials 135-141.
Generosity Resources for the Local Church
Churches that are generous financial partners in God’s mission – locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally – have generous members who are faithful stewards of God’s resources and who joyfully contribute toward God’s mission through the local church.
Preaching, teaching, coaching, encouraging, and modeling faithful generous stewardship is a central task in the ministry of discipleship in the church. Enclosed are links to resources to assist you as church leaders in equipping your congregation in generosity and stewardship.
Why are we presenting these resources to you?
First, discipleship that embraces generosity in relation to our money and possessions is a critical need for us today in the ministry of the church. This is a deeply spiritual matter that the Bible addresses repeatedly, yet we are often reluctant to be open and accountable to talking about money in church.
Second, God’s mission is accomplished by the power of the Spirit and we are invited to fully participate in the vision and mission of God for this world in tangible, practical, financial ways as followers of Jesus. We deprive our congregation of the joy of giving and personal expressions of gratitude for God’s gifts of grace and provision when we neglect the call to generosity and stewardship.
Third, justice has to do with the use of wealth, distribution of resources, sharing with those in need, and empowerment of people. God’s prophets call us to accountability and love for our neighbor and our neighborhood. We can’t commit to being people of compassion and justice and mercy without talking about money and generosity.
What are the resources?
- Books – Here is a link to an annotated bibliography of stewardship and generosity resources that provide biblical, practical, foundational teaching for you to use in equipping your church.
View the Stewardship and Generosity Bibliography - Financial Leadership – The Financial Leadership initiative is committed to help sow seeds for ministerial excellence by 1) providing assistance for credentialed Covenant ministers to overcome long-term financial distress; and 2) equipping and empowering Covenant clergy to continue to grow in their ability to nurture environments for generosity and mission impact.
- Stewardship Resource Brochures – including “How to Create a Culture of Generosity in Your Church,” “Loving & Giving – A Stewardship & Generosity Resource,” “How to Create a Narrative Budget in Your Church.”