Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

120 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
single parish-wide mailing
• Requires almost no resources beyond announcements and a
possible stipend for the guest preacher, speaker, presenter or
celebrant
SOME COMMITMENT SUNDAY APPEAL CONCERNS:
• Generally requires several “information” sessions prior to
the Commitment Sunday appeal
• Depends upon all parish households being available for a
particular service
• In the context of a liturgical setting, the appeal can be easily
viewed as coercive
• Disrupts the liturgical calendar or mediates the sacred nature
of Sabbath observance
• Is unlikely to pique the interest of less interested or
marginally associated parishioners
• Communal atmosphere of worship service can have the
unintended consequence of leading people to declare their
financial commitment in a moment of exuberance, rather
than as the result of prayerful consideration and reason
• The constraints of liturgical demeanor preclude the
opportunity for questions or expressions of concern
INDIVIDUAL-BASED APPROACHES
By far the most successful annual stewardship appeals enable
the needs of the parish as a whole to intersect with the personal
understanding and commitment of individual parishioners. Individualbased
approaches give parishioners the information and answers they
need, and enough time to prayerfully consider their own resources and
how best to render them in the service of God’s Church. An important
feature of these appeals is that information is provided to parishioners
well in advance of a personal meeting. This allows parishioners to
reach their decisions prayerfully, thoughtfully, and reasonably, in the