July 25, 2005
By Jerry Hames

In what one participant described as a "watershed event," Episcopalians came to Minneapolis and the Mall of America for a stewardship and education conference that examined the moral issues related to consumption, consumer spending and the effect of advertising aimed at children and teenagers.

The conference, "Will Our Children Be Stewards?," was a historical change of course for the national stewardship office of the Episcopal Church in which children from ages 4 to 9, as well as several teenagers and young adults, joined their parents to discuss what support the church could offer to combat the consumer lifestyle of North American society.

Participants had a personal encounter in a "living laboratory" of consumerism, the Mall of America, the largest enclosed retail and family entertainment complex in the U.S., with more than 520 specialty stores, four department stores and Camp Snoopy, a seven-acre enclosed theme park with 30 rides and attractions.

"We're not against the mall, or mall shopping," the church's missioner for stewardship, Terry Parsons, stressed before buses took everyone from their hotel to the mall. "But we need to be sensitive to what we hear, see and smell. Who, and what, is it that is shaping our financial habits?"

Underdeveloped values, overdeveloped expectations

Speeches from experienced financial advisors, family life experts, consumer alert advocates and stewardship leaders from other denominations left a clear message: churches provide little support to help beleaguered parents counteract a culture in which consumer advertising reinforces a message to children that says "It's all about me."

"Our country now faces a crisis because children are growing up without balanced financial values or a well-thought approach to how they use money," said Nathan Dungan, president of Share Save Spend, an organization that promotes wise financial habits, and author of "Prodigal Sons & Material Girls: How Not to be Your Child's ATM."

"Today, every young person is at risk of growing up with underdeveloped values and overdeveloped expectations." Duggan said the average young person has four credit cards and is $3,000 in debt. "That's consumer debt, not the cost of school tuition," he added.

He said young people receive a lot of advice on issues such as sex, dating, drugs, alcohol and careers, but get very little help on how to deal with money. Parents themselves are poorly equipped to talk about money management because few have developed their own values and financial philosophy, Dungan said.

"Society is working overtime to addict our children to spending. What is leading our moral values today? Consumerism, greed and materialism."

Gary Ruskin, co-founder of Commercial Alert, a non-profit organization that he described as designed to protect children and communities from commercialism, said that virtually every consumer-goods industry targets their advertising to children. He encouraged parents to shield their children from television programs and movies that are in conflict with their values.

"Turn your home into a refuge, a sanctuary from the advertisers and marketers," he said.

The Rev. David Bell, director of the Center for Christian Stewardship of the United Methodist Church, said that Christian stewardship is a life-style decision.

"God is the owner of all. Our Christian responsibility is to take care of ourselves, others and all that we experience in life," said Bell.

Sharing, saving, spending

One after another, speakers stressed the concept of sharing as an equal component to saving and spending, and said the church had abdicated its role as a support to parents.

"If the churches don't help to integrate into our culture a "share, save, spend" attitude, it will fundamentally affect the churches," Dungan said. "People will say they want to be generous, but the question is ‘Will they have the capacity to be generous?'"

Eugene Roehlkepartain, director of family life and congregational initiatives for the Minneapolis-based Search Institute, and author of "Growing Up Generous: Engaging Youth in Giving and Serving," said churches need to identify positive experiences, relationships and opportunities that all young people need in their lives to help them make healthy choices.

He encouraged an "asset-building approach" in which families, neighborhoods and faith communities unite around a shared vision that builds strength in the lives of young people and their families.

He said the Search Institute concluded there are several broad obstacles in congregations that impede to financial giving by youth. "There is discomfort in talking about money; there is often a loss of tradition to motivate giving; there is frequently an exclusive focus on institutional needs, such as roof repairs; there are financial anxieties of clergy and youth leaders and often there is a belief that youth shouldn't be expected to give.

"Young people can find enjoyment and fulfillment through acts of giving and serving if given the opportunity," he said. "When they are personally invited to participate, they possess self-confidence and a belief in their own ability to make a difference."

Leaving a legacy

The newest field officer of the Episcopal Church Foundation, Charlene DeWitt of Nebraska, encouraged Episcopalians to develop a spiritual and financial legacy.

"How would you feel if you had achieved something of significance? Would it transform you? Think honestly about what you own and don't own, and what you owe – also about what you possess spiritually," she said. "Do you have any confidence that you will be leaving a legacy? If you don't have confidence yourself that you will leave a legacy, then how will you pass that idea on?"

Parsons said "Will Our Children Be Stewards?" was not a conference designed to provide all the answers. "We wanted to be clear first about the questions and then determine what the church should be doing," she said. "With our children receiving some 3,000 messages a day urging them to spend, where is the church – the voice in the village – inviting them to share?"

She said that the response from participants on the final day clearly showed they want and need resources for the congregation.

"Primarily, they say they need a solid curriculum about consumerism and debt, one that provides a theological perspective. They want a resource for clergy to help them talk to children about money matters. They want resources for teens, including pledge cards and envelopes.

"There is a popular, but wrongly held, perception that you need to be a college grad, or over the age of 21, to pledge to the church," she said.

Parsons said overriding concern of her office is how to be a better support for families. "We have got to think much more about family ministry, how we nurture and support healthy families."

Episcopal News Service
Jerry Hames is the editor of Episcopal Life, the Episcopal Church's national newspaper. Susan Barksdale, assistant in the communications office in the Diocese of Minnesota, contributed to this report.