In a misguided effort to increase financial giving, many parishes have a stewardship section in their bulletins that only has detailed information on — you guessed it — the parish finances.
Below is a prime example I recently came across. This “stewardship” report, unfortunately, is typical in parishes throughout the country.
So, if this example is exactly what not to do, what should a parish do with regard to promoting stewardship in its weekly bulletin?
The key is to consistently focus each week on defining what stewardship is, how its practice can help each individual parishioner grow closer to God, and to connect the Sundays readings to living stewardship as a way of life. This is the formula for success we see in stewardship parishes across the country.
I realize this task may seem daunting, and perhaps may seem like more than your parish can handle. In an effort to help you get this done, this blog offers a simple solution with the resources you need to produce a consistent, on point stewardship message in your bulletin each week.
It’s as simple as copying and pasting the weekly “Stewardship Bulletin Reflection” we provide here and including them in your bulletin each week. We even run these reflections several weeks in advance to account for bulletin print deadlines. The service is free and, best of all it is proven to be successful as parishes all around the world presently utilize it.
The weekly parish bulletin is an important vehicle for parishes to promote stewardship as a way of life, and I hope you will take advantage of what we have to offer at The Catholic Steward and begin delivering a solid and holistic stewardship message to your parishioners each week.
