Every fall, many pastors feel a familiar tension: They know stewardship season matters deeply, yet asking people to give financially stirs anxiety or stress.
But stewardship is not about money — it’s about discipleship.
It’s about helping people become more of who they already are: generous, faith-filled stewards of God’s abundance. Below are five practices to help you lead your church’s stewardship season with confidence, creativity, and calm.
1. Lead from Invitation, Not Anxiety
How leaders approach stewardship matters. If you feel anxious about “asking for money,” your congregation will sense it. But when you speak with joy, gratitude, and conviction, they’ll feel that, too.
Remember, you are not asking for yourself — you’re offering an invitation to join in God’s redemptive work. Stewardship is a spiritual practice, not a sales pitch. It helps people live into their identity as disciples.
As Henri Nouwen writes in A Spirituality of Fundraising, “Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission.” Frame your invitation to financial giving as an opportunity to grow in generosity and participate in God’s unfolding story.
2. Tell Stories, Not Statistics
People don’t give to budgets; they give to impact. Too often, churches frame stewardship around projects – fixing the roof, replacing the carpet, or updating the parking lot. These are important, but they don’t stir the soul.
What inspires people to give is impact: seeing how their giving transforms lives and builds God’s light and love in community.
Tell stories that reveal how the church’s ministries connect generations – like the retiree who guides new acolytes, or how the church has expanded the scripture readers to include teenagers, or adults serving as mentors through confirmation or Bible study. A culture of generosity grows when stories of impact are told consistently.
3. Make Stewardship a Shared Ministry
Don’t carry the stewardship season alone. It’s too much work for one person and sends the message that balancing the church’s budget is only the pastor’s responsibility. Build a small, intergenerational team — staff, lay leaders, youth — to help plan and lead. Involve them in writing appeal letters, recording brief impact stories, and thanking givers. When stewardship becomes a shared ministry, the church learns that generosity is everyone’s responsibility, and everyone’s joy.
4. Think Beyond the Offering Plate
While weekly giving is vital, many church members might be interested in giving through other means like donor advised funds, stock transfers, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), or estate gifts. Invite someone with financial expertise to educate your congregation about these ways to give.
A short note in the worship bulletin or an informational session can help people connect their generosity with wise stewardship of their financial resources. If appropriate, encourage members to talk with their financial advisors about how to give strategically.
5. Celebrate Generosity Year-round
Gratitude sustains generosity. Ask the stewardship team to help you send handwritten thank-you notes. Celebrate ministry milestones. Tell stories of impact often — not just during the campaign. Consider holding a “Gratitude Sunday” where you celebrate what God is doing through your congregation’s giving. The more people see that their generosity matters, the more they’ll want to give again.
Above all, remember that stewardship is about faith formation.
When you invite people to give, you’re inviting them into deeper trust, joy, and participation in God’s work through their local church.
Approach it as soul work — not paperwork — and you’ll find that both you and the congregation are renewed in the process this year.
Looking for other practical ministry advice? Check out our self-paced, FREE Ministry Leadership Workshops to explore additional best practices and fresh insights for your ministry.
About the author: Jeff McCormick (he/him) serves as the Ministry Leadership Center’s Chief Development Officer and as a lay leader in his United Methodist church. He has a BA from Lambuth University and an MDiv from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He has served in urban churches and nonprofits, including time as both a paid and volunteer youth minister and roles in nonprofit operations and fundraising.
Subscribe to receive a monthly roundup of fresh insights and free tools for senior ministry leaders.
