Free & Joyous Response
Raising stewards of Christ celebrating God’s gifts and the joy of giving and serving Him!
Free & Joyous Response is based on the need of the giver to give, not the need of the church to receive, and is not tied to the church budget. Most congregations that participate report increases to annual commitments of 15% to 35%. Free & Joyous Response can be conducted as a standalone program or part of your Capital Campaign.
Download Introduction Guide
Features:
Made up of Four Phases
Free & Joyous Response is broken up into 4 Phases which are:
DECISION PHASE: The time in which the congregation considers participation in the program. The length of time will vary by congregation, depending on the approval process.
PREPARATION PHASE: Approximately four weeks of prayer, preparation, and publicity prior to the congregational program phase.
PROGRAM PHASE: Four weeks of concentrated emphasis on stewardship education and commitment. (Experience has shown that this is the best length for such an emphasis.)
FULFILLMENT PHASE: This phase addresses the initial offering, program evaluation, and ongoing attention to stewardship education.
Some of the Key Elements Include…
Raising stewards of Christ celebrating God’s gifts and the joy of giving and serving Him!
Free & Joyous Response is based on the need of the giver to give, not the need of the church to receive, and is not tied to the church budget. Most congregations that participate report increases to annual commitments of 15% to 35%. Free & Joyous Response can be conducted as a standalone program or part of your Capital Campaign.
Download Introduction Guide
Features:
- Ties the commitment process to the Sunday morning act of worship.
- Does not have members asking other members one-on-one for a financial commitment.
- Can be used any time during the year.
- Solid Lutheran Bible study materials and sermon outlines
- Guidance for stewardship witness talks
- A process to celebrate congregation ministries
- Publicity and communication aids
- An optional workshop for leaders
- A certified Guest Leader
Made up of Four Phases
Free & Joyous Response is broken up into 4 Phases which are:
DECISION PHASE: The time in which the congregation considers participation in the program. The length of time will vary by congregation, depending on the approval process.
PREPARATION PHASE: Approximately four weeks of prayer, preparation, and publicity prior to the congregational program phase.
PROGRAM PHASE: Four weeks of concentrated emphasis on stewardship education and commitment. (Experience has shown that this is the best length for such an emphasis.)
FULFILLMENT PHASE: This phase addresses the initial offering, program evaluation, and ongoing attention to stewardship education.
Some of the Key Elements Include…
- Publicity resources for reaching every member.
- Role-specific instructional material for each committee member.
- Four weeks of Bible study and stewardship sermons, including a special Bible study led by the Guest Leader.
- Stewardship witness talks in which members of the congregation share their stewardship journeys.
- Celebrations of ministry-weekly celebrations of special ministries within the congregation.
- Leaders’ luncheon to inspire your leaders’ growth and commitment.
- “Consecration Sunday” worship and luncheon-commitment takes place as an act of worship.
- “First Offering Sunday” Celebration-celebrates the results of the emphasis and encourages people to begin their commitment on a certain day.
- Free & Joyous Response’ Guest Leaders provide a customized design, committee training and ongoing support.
- The Free & Joyous Response Guest Leader makes three on site visits to provide training, lead a stewardship Bible study, and assist with the congregational commitment process.
- The Guest Leader provides telephone support for additional committee meetings
