Annual Giving: FAQs
I give to St. Stephen’s regularly. Why do I need to complete a pledge card?
When you complete a pledge card, it is an outward and visible sign that you are making a spiritual commitment to give back to God’s work from those gifts you have received from God. It also parish leaders plan well for the coming year. While we may like to think that the church is about more than the secular world, it has to operate in the secular world, paying bills just like any other institution.
Making a pledge (as opposed to simply making a gift) has been going out of style; yet as the world becomes more secular, this action is needed more than ever. Earlier generations of churchgoers expected to be called on for a pledge, and a much larger proportion of a congregation’s family units made a pledge. Today many churches are fortunate to receive a pledge card from a third of their family units. By recovering this spiritual practice we can grow deeper into understanding the relationship between our money and our faith.
St. Stephen’s always seems to have what it needs. We’re one of the largest Episcopal churches in the United States and we continue to grow. Aren’t we in good shape financially?
At a glance St. Stephen’s does look like it has everything it needs, because this is such a large and vibrant parish. In fact, we are in the top 10 of all Episcopal churches in attendance. However, costs continue to rise and the regular pledged gifts we receive do not come close to covering what we are called upon to offer this large and diverse parish. Many large Episcopal churches rely on special gifts and fundraisers to fund their program, as St. Stephen’s has done in the past, but this is not a sustainable model. The generation who has traditionally provided those special gifts is passing on. Also, raising funds during in a transition time is particularly difficult.
The reality of our financial situation is that pledges already do not fully cover the costs of our staff and the building, and “off-budget” funds cannot support our program needs. The vestry and staff are working to pare the budget so that both our staff and our program are sustainable in the future, but giving by everyone will need to increase for the church’s ministries to be viable in the future—including next year.
What about our endowment?
St. Stephen’s endowment is growing but it’s still very small compared to the funds of most churches our size. The endowment committee takes a conservative, prudent, and common approach to using the endowment income, with an annual distribution rate of about four to four and a half percent. The endowment generates income of about $225,000 per year for the church budget to supplement pledges.
The importance of growing the endowment cannot be overemphasized. Because of changing demographics and giving trends, most churches will have to rely more and more on their endowments in the future. If you have the ability to leave something to the church in your will, it will provide for the ministry of St. Stephen’s for years to come.
I give to lots of charities. Why should I give more to St. Stephen’s?
There is no question that giving by all of us to help others is one of the foundations of what it means to follow Jesus. Many charities and other institutions do a tremendous amount of good in the world. Many people find, however, that giving to the church is unique because of the church’s place in their lives. For example, no other institution is the place where we bring our children to be baptized, watch them make a mature faith commitment when they are confirmed, celebrate their marriage, and then bring their own children to be baptized. It is rare that any other institution can, week after week, give us the spiritual foundation to do the good things we value in the world. The church is the place where, as the theologian Walter Bruggemman put it, “our pain can come to speech,” when we are sad, or lonely, or grieving, or sick, or afraid. The church is, for many of us, the place where we make social connections and see friends. Ultimately, as Christians we are called to work, pray, and give to God’s mission, and the church is the place where God’s mission is articulated and pursued.
How much should I give?
The Bible is clear that responding to God by giving to God is what people of faith do. In the Old Testament, the Law called for the people of Israel of leave a tenth of the produce of their fields for the strangers and aliens in their midst, and to care for widows and orphans. The Book of Acts describes how the early church held all things in common, and everyone gave as they could and received as they had need. A modern understanding of how much to give is more complicated, partly because we live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and partly because even as we live in a wealthy nation, there are great disparities in what each of us can give.
Each of us has to decide how much we can give, and the idea of a tithe (10 percent) for many of us is daunting. The concept of proportional giving is very helpful for many people: figure out what portion of your income you can reasonably give, pledge that amount, and every year try to raise your pledge some percentage as you work toward a tithe. You may not be able to raise your pledge some years; some years you may even have to lower it. However, if we know what percentage of our income our giving is, we will know how we are doing year over year as we work toward a goal of greater generosity.