December 17, 2003

CHICAGO - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering services to help busy people evaluate their use of money, share their faith, and teach children about living and giving. Through "Salt: Seasoning Faith and Generosity," members of the church are working to lay a foundation for long-term stewardship that looks beyond financial contributions.

Salt ministry is a professional service offered by the ELCA to the 10,716 congregations and 65 synods of the church. It is designed to focus on stewardship growth based on faith and generosity; connecting personal faith with the management of time, abilities and finances; helping a congregation build on its potential as a stewardship congregation; and offering resources to cultivate stewardship leaders.

"Salt ministry is a fresh approach for stewardship renewal in congregations across the country," according to Keith Mundy, director for Salt stewardship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries. He said some congregations in the ELCA "yearned" for a broader approach to stewardship, something "more than finance."

"Very often people tend to think that stewardship is connected to money and being connected to the financial times," but "dollars and cents" is only one way to exercise stewardship, he said. Stewardship ministry includes "intangible indicators" like the connection between faith and generosity, the "spirit" of a congregation, identifying the "traits of a good steward," and the management of resources by individuals and families." Stewardship also includes "tangible indicators" like examining giving trends, tracking church attendance and participation, and funding specific congregational programs and ministries.

Based on these stewardship indicators and ELCA congregations' stewardship needs, Mundy said Salt ministry focuses on three primary areas: "life management, funding ministries and leadership development." Workshops or "modules" are available to guide congregations and synods in addressing these areas. Three specific modules currently being offered are "Faith, Money and Security," "Kids, Money and Stuff," and "AppleTree: A Vitality Process for Busy People."

"Many adults have not addressed their own relationships with money. This is the focus of Faith, Money and Security," Mundy said. "We have seen [an] interest in this module from synods and pastors, particularly from pastors who have not yet addressed their own relationships with money. It is usually difficult for these pastors to talk about financial stewardship," he said.

The Kids, Money and Stuff module "allows kids and their parents to talk about money, possessions and faith, and how those things tie together as our youth begin to have more purchasing power within their families and within their communities," Mundy said. It explores questions like, "What does faith have to teach kids about money and how to manage their purchasing power? How do they set priorities in that process?"

The Appletree module offers "a personal growth experience by focusing on personal faith, responsibilities, relationships, lifestyle choices and time for rest," said Mundy. "It is about how we set priorities in life and how that connects to faith and stewardship."

These "Salt Modules" are customized and may change from year to year based on new congregational interests and needs, Mundy said. "Salt specialists of the ELCA serve more than 200 congregations each year, but we're finding that more people are interested in leading some of our Salt modules," Mundy said. To meet that interest, a new session called "Train-the-Trainer" was instituted this fall. It is designed to equip stewardship leaders in congregations to conduct the workshops.

"Upon completion of the training, each certified trainer will be able to lead the workshops in any congregation or at any event across the country," Mundy said. "This is one way to equip more stewardship leaders and to expand the availability of these resources."

Other resources available under Salt ministry include "Salt Seasonings," a monthly newsletter. Each issue includes reflections on the ministry's three primary areas of focus - life management, funding ministries and leadership development - and stewardship facts under the heading, "Grains of Salt, Grams of Knowledge."

Information on "Salt: Seasoning Faith and Generosity" is available at http://www.elca.org/dcm/stewardship/ on the Internet.

ELCA News Service