GENEROSITY & ABUNDANCE

Our Delaware-Maryland Synod Generosity Vision

As interrelated communities of faith called to Christ-centered living, we celebrate God’s grace by abundantly sharing our blessings and gifts locally and globally.

We believe generosity is characterized by a kindly spirit, liberal in giving and marked by abundance.  It is part of being a child of God, a disciple of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit.  In conversation and connections with our synod leaders, we have come to understand the intersection of stewardship and spirituality as centered around the need to share blessings, a response to God’s blessings, an expression of God’s grace, and a Christ-centered spiritual discipline. In our work together, we hope to provide ways to share our generosity, create a culture of abundance and asset thinking, share stories of how generosity has transformed giver and receiver, provide resources to enrich congregational and individual giving, and identify tools for effective stewardship.

Check out the many ways to grow generosity and stewardship:

Congregational Generosity – Access methods and tools for year-round stewardship, annual appeals, inter-generational stewardship, understanding tithing, growing steward leaders, and so much more

Spiritual Gifts and GenerosityIdentify spiritual gifts to enhance engagement and generosity

Mission Support– Understand the ways mission support transforms people and impacts ministry across our church

Mission Story Telling – Listen stories of faith and mission and explore ways to tell stories of generosity and ministry in our church

Giving Techniques – Find out about online and other giving practices and tools

Creation Care – Learn about how to get involved in care for creation initiatives

Planned Giving – Gather resources and contacts on endowments, legacy gifts and effective policies

Personal Stewardship – Connect your personal finances with faith through training with Six Weeks on Money

“I think that generosity has many levels. We have to think generously, speak generously, and act generously. Thinking well of others and speaking well of others is the basis for generous giving. It means that we relate to others as part of our “gen” or “kin” and treat them as family. Generosity cannot come from guilt or pity. It has to come from hearts that are fearless and free and are willing to share abundantly all that is given to us.” — Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Heart of Henri Nouwen by Rebecca Laird, editorMichael J. Christensen, editor