Stewardship resources

Annotated Bibliography of Stewardship Books

The Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry: An innovative sourcebook for church leaders, Vol. 1 Donald W. Joiner (editor), Norma Wimberly (editor) Abingdon Press, 1995
Designed to assist leaders of the congregation in soliciting, managing, and utilizing donor contributions or other sources of revenue in an effective and appropriate fashion. In addition to providing information that facilitates effective stewardship within the congregation, this volume contains numerous features to help maximize income and minimize wasteful expenses.

The Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry: An innovative sourcebook for church leaders, Vol. 2. Donald W. Joiner (editor), Norma Wimberly (editor) Abingdon Press, 1996
This volume contains numerous features to produce a good attitude toward giving while also minimizing wasteful expense. A bonus feature is a complete commitment campaign that can be adapted for use in any congregation. This volume also includes a reproducible 24-page workbook for the commitment campaign “Seeking Something Better”. Sample cards and covenants are presented.

The Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry: An innovative sourcebook for church leaders, Vol. 3. Donald W. Joiner (editor), Norma Wimberly (editor) Abingdon Press, 1997.
This practical and inspirational “how-to” manual offers tips that help church leaders to talk about money, helps preachers proclaim the word, assists the church with money management and planned giving, provides helpful tax advice, suggests ways that church leaders and members can live faithfully.

Afire with God: Spirit-ed Stewardship for a New Century Betsy Schwarzentraub, Discipleship Resources, 2001
Schwarzentraub calls congregations to see themselves as communities of stewards called to a dynamic, spirited stewardship of the gospel that overturns institution-oriented fundraising methods and assumptions. She helps church leaders apply the biblical foundation for stewardship in their personal lives and in the life of the congregation.

Basic Accounting for Churches: A Turn Key Manual Jack A. Henry, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994
A true everything-you-need-to-know guide to church money management with complete, simple explanations and a step-by-step approach.

Basic Budgeting for Churches Jack A. Henry, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995
The clear, comprehensive guide explains all the basics of building a solid church budgeting system. The book includes sample forms with complete instructions and commentary.

Becoming a Giving Church Herbert Mather, Discipleship Resources, 1985
A tool for pastors and financial leaders to help your church focus on financial stewardship with theological integrity and joy-filled practical response.

Behind the Stained Glass Windows – Money Dynamics in the Church John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, Baker Books, 1996
In this groundbreaking book, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle reveal the stories behind their three-year study on money dynamics in the church. Their findings are not only telling and fascinating, but they have far-reaching implications for the future of the church. The study reports on what church members and leaders think about money and the role it plays in church dynamics. The sharp decline in church giving is due in large part, they say, to the shifting of Americans from a survival mode to a pattern of mass consumption.

Cherish the Gift: A Congregational Guide to Earth Stewardship Cindy Ubben Causey, Donald Conroy, Judson Press, 1996
Pastors and lay leaders will find practical ideas and timely information in this hands-on guide to environmental stewardship for the church. A sound biblical argument calls congregations to action, followed by facts and figures that detail the current environmental woes that plague the earth. Subsequent chapters focus on specific activities and programs that congregational departments can organize, from fellowship dinners, worship services, and youth groups, to the church office, educational programs, and property maintenance. Includes tips for use at home, a checklist at the end of each chapter, and a list of resources for additional information.

A Christian View of Money: Celebrating God’s Generosity Mark Vincent, Menno Link Books, 1997
This book combines Bible study, real life scenarios, and practical suggestions to help Christians clarify their beliefs about the earning and use of money.

The Church Finance Idea Book Wayne C. Barrett, Discipleship Resources, 1989
Hundreds of proven ideas for funding a ministry. Includes ten strategies for commitment campaigns. Presented in smorgasbord fashion, this book serves as a good primer on funding ministry in the local church.

Clergy Personal Finances Wayne C. Barrett, Abingdon Press, 1990
An excellent resource book that will help pastors in managing their personal resources. This step-by-step guideline shows how to get control of their money and achieve their financial goals.

Creating a Climate for Giving, Donald W. Joiner, Discipleship Resources, 2001
Church leaders are often heard to say that old ways are not working any longer. Joiner brings a vision for a fresh way of  creating a climate for giving in local churches. We must refine “fund-raising” to “fund-ministry”. A financial campaign for developing Christian philanthropists is included.

Creating Congregations of Generous People: Money, Faith, and Lifestyle Series
Michael Durall, Alban Institute, 1999
Asking parishioners for money is very different from creating congregations of generous people. This book will help clergy and lay leaders initiate and sustain effective stewardship programs.

The Crisis in the Churches: Spiritual Malaise, Fiscal Woe
Robert Wuthnow, Oxford University Press, 1997
A thought-provoking study of the financial and spiritual crises confronting American churches examines the failure of the clergy to address the link between faith and money, work, giving, and economic justice and argues that churches must minister to the concerns of their middle-class parishioners.

Don’t Shoot the Horse (‘Til you know How to Drive the Tractor): Moving from Annual Fund Raising to a Life of Giving Herb Mather, Discipleship Resources, 1994
Mather looks to the future and sees a congregation where giving is a natural but non-intrusive year-round endeavor, part of a continuous process of spiritual formation for healthy, growing Christians. In practical and systematic ways he shows how to lead a congregation toward this way of life by defining mission, expanding leadership, building trust, telling stories, and staying in touch with key moments in the life of both giver and congregation.

Effective Church Leadership: Building on the Twelve Keys, L. Callahan, Harper San Francisco, 1990
Callahan shares an understanding of leadership for the missionary pastor who, united with key leaders, accomplishes the central leadership tasks. Callahan helps pastors and key leaders build on their creativity and imagination in order to revitalize their local churches and advance their missions.

Extraordinary Money! Understanding the Church Capital Campaign Michael D. Reeves, Discipleship Resources, 2002
Reeves helps church leaders examine the issues involved in developing and carrying out a capital fundraising campaign. The book is not a capital campaign program; rather, it is an excellent tool to help churches determine if a capital campaign suits their setting, then, if so, select an appropriate program and carry it through successfully.

Firstfruits Living: Giving God Our Best Lynn A. Miller, Herald Press, 1991
This easy-reading stewardship study will promote lively discussion and renewed lifestyles around the subject of  “Firstfruits Living”, which is giving back to God off the top of our paycheck instead of what is left after expenses.  It is giving God freely of our time, not what is left over after job and family responsibilities. It is giving God our lives, living each day as God’s servants – on the job, in the community, and at home.

From Proclamation to Practice Clifford Jones, Sr., Judson Press, 1993
Building on the strength and importance of preaching in racially diverse congregations, this resource combines sermons by many of the best-known African American pastors with a “how-to” section providing the essential elements for putting their insights into practice.

Fundamentals of Fund-Raising, David L. Heetland, Discipleship Resources, 1989
Addresses in a theologically way, yet with a hands-on approach, the whole subject of stewardship as it relates to the local church. Heetland describes accurately and persuasively the role of clergy and laity in advancing stewardship.  Concise, practical, encouraging, and optimistic.

Generous Living Ron Blue, Zondervan Publishing House, 1997
Ron Blue challenges and encourages the reader to live generously by addressing such topics as – It’s better to give than to receive, teaching children to give, how to give away money wisely and strategically, and how to make a will.

Generous People: How to Encourage Vital Stewardship Eugene Grimm,  Abingdon Press, 1992
Grim gives down-to-earth prescriptions to move us beyond the myths of stewardship, enabling readers to see how to effectively execute stewardship education and practice in churches of every size.

The Gift of a Lifetime: Planned Giving in Congregational Life J. Gregory Pope, Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2000
Pope provides careful, common sense financial planning for Christians and churches. Pope shows one how to make one’s money work most effectively by managing one’s resources during life and properly planning for meaningful distribution after death. The book includes step-by-step plans for starting a planned-giving program in congregations.

Give to Live: How Giving Can Change Your Life Douglas M. Lawson, ALTI Publishing, 1991 This book holds forth the promise that if you want more out or your life and are willing to take some simple steps, you can have a richer, fuller, happier existence. It lays out effective steps you can take to get involved, increase your ability to make a difference in the world, and receive in return not only satisfaction, but also an improvement in your physical life.

Giving and Stewardship in an Effective Church Kennon L. Callahan, Harper Collins, 1992
A practical plan for the growth and development of giving and stewardship in the congregation, complete with action worksheets.  Callahan asserts that money is not the first issue of stewardship – a clear sense of mission is. Churches who follow this approach will become strong, vital congregations.

Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as a Ministry Thomas H. Jeavons, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000
Based on a three-year, nationwide study of Christian organizations whose efforts are successful both in raising needed financial or material resources and in encouraging the spiritual development of their donors, this groundbreaking book identifies key characteristics that enable fundraising to function on both levels at once. The book explores in detail how Christians act on their confidence in God’s abundance and cultivate spiritually mature leadership.

How to Increase Giving in Your Church George Barna, Gospel Light Publications, 1997
This book provides the professional research and insights into the American church that leaders have come to expect from George Barna. It’s a must for everyone who desires to be the best possible steward of God’s assets.

Just In Time: Stories of God’s Extravagance Lynn A Miller, Herald Press, 1997
Miller tells of what happens when we open our hearts, wallets, schedules, businesses or homes to others – revealing the joy of “first-fruits living” in which we give the best of what God has offered us back to God. These moving and sometimes hilarious true stories show the connection between God’s stewardship and real people doing real things.

Living from the Center: Spirituality in an Age of Consumerism Jay McDaniel, Chalice Press, 2000
How do we fit the life of the spirit into an existence overwhelmed by over-consumption? Jay McDaniel draws on such sources as Christian tradition and process theology to explore a spirituality that embraces sustainability in day-to-day life. Using stories and images from poetry, he offers an understanding of a spirituality based on wisdom compassion, and inner freedom.

Money Isn’t (Is) Everything: What Jesus Said about the Spiritual Power of Money
Herb Miller, Discipleship Resources, 1994
According to Miller, known for his Consecration Sunday stewardship program, the way we use or misuse money is a spiritual matter that affects both the quality of our life and the quality of our relationship to God. Miller uses a mixture of biblical concepts, humor, illustrative stories, spiritual insights, and reflection/discussion questions.

Money Matters/Personal Giving in American Churches
Dean R. Hoge, Charles Zech, Patrick McNamara, and Michael Donahue, Westminster John Knox Press, 1996
The authors conducted an exhaustive study of church giving in five representative denominations. With detailed information from 625 churches, this book offers surprising conclusions about member contributions and about the current condition of American churches.

More Money, New Money, Big Money: Creative Strategies for Funding Today’s Church
Wayne C. Barrett, Discipleship Resources, 1989
In this follow-up to The Church Finance Idea Book, Barrett shows that every congregation has significant sources of new and untapped income. Dozens of ideas and insights to increase giving and expand the ministry of your congregation are offered.

The New Context for Ministry - Competing for the Charitable Dollar
Lyle E. Schaller, Abingdon Press, 2002
Schaller begins this book by pointing out an overlapping set of changes that have taken place in American society and American churches in recent years. Old patterns of fund-raising and old assumptions about stewardship will no longer work.  Schaller helps the reader navigate through the difficulties and opportunities for churches in this new age of charitable giving.

The Pastor as Steward: Faithful Manager and Leader
Kenneth H. Carter, Discipleship Resources, 1991
Explores the question of what it means to give pastoral leadership in the area of stewardship. Carter shows how this plays out in the practical areas of pastoral life and work. Each chapter includes focus questions that bring the topics home to personal experience, prayer, and reflection.

Sharing Possessions
Luke T. Johnson, SCM Press Ltd., 1986
A theological reflection on the connection between being a Christian and the way we own and use things. Much of this book is devoted to what is said about possessions in the Bible. Readers are challenged to struggle with their own personal choices. Johnson challenges the tradition of communal possessions found in the book of Acts and shows how other forms of sharing have a more satisfactory theological foundation.

Soul and Money; A Theology of Wealth
W. Taylor Stevenson, Office of Stewardship, Episcopal Church Center, 1991
Explores the connection between Jungian and Christian perspectives on money and wealth. Inquires into the forms of mammon illness and takes an imaginative reflection upon greed.

Speaking of Stewardship: Model Sermons on Money and Possessions
William G. Carter , Geneva Press, 1998
This collection of 23 superb model sermons offers a wealth of biblical insight, practical wisdom, illustrations, inspiration, and helpful advice about the crucial themes of stewardship, giving, and the use of money and possessions in the church.

Stepping Stones of the Steward: A Faith Journey through Jesus’ Parables
Ronald E. Vallet, Eerdmans, 1994
Vallet’s inspirational study teaches Christians how to gain a sense of purpose, how to properly use resources, talents, and money, and how to reach out with compassion for the welfare of others and for the planet.

The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age
Douglas John Hall, Eerdmans, 1990
Working from numerous angles, biblical, historical, sociological, theological, and ecclesiastical, Hall explores the rich meaning and implications of stewardship, recapturing the most basic meaning of the biblical metaphor of the “steward” as a caretaker, a servant.  Hall maintains that ever since the fourth century, the church’s understanding and practice of stewardship has been distorted by its alliance with institutional power. He also puts forth a warning about the fate of the earth unless we heed the call to be stewards of creation.

Speaking about Money - Reducing the Tension
Mark L. Vincent, Herald Press, 1998
This book is enormously helpful for laypeople, clergy, and congregations. Vincent provides an instructional and inspired work that is practical and theologically sound. The way to joyful Christian freedom is by openly sharing about money as Jesus did.

That’s What My Mother Taught Me
Herbert Mather, Discipleship Resources, 2001
Interviews with over 100 people identified as generous givers resulted in a wealth of giving stories. The experiences of these people from a variety of backgrounds, congregations, ethnic groups, ages, and locations are woven together to describe how giving patterns develop in real congregations among real people.

For those with internet access, another stewardship bibliography is available from the General Board of Discipleship at: http://www.gbod.org/stewardship/resources.html