Jesus and Money

The following is from a presentation by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran (authors of the book Rebuilt) on the stewardship of money:

• Begin in prayer – the Holy Spirit is needed to help change hearts.
• Lead yourself – parish leaders must be good examples of generous giving.
• Teach people what God says about money – use parables and scripture; develop a series of weekly messages.
• Ask people to give and thank them; people give to a vision, not to neediness.
• Put rungs on a ladder – most people will not automatically go to a 10% tithe. Take steps to get there: help people plan their giving annually, emphasize it’s a priority, give a percentage of income and progress (increase) the percentage annually.
• Set people up for success – the electronic giving option is a must for all parishes.
• Celebrate giving – what is celebrated is repeated.
• Eliminate competing systems – this requires courage and discipline, encourage giving to weekly offertory and eliminate parish fundraisers.
• Persevere – be patient and obedient, need three to five years to see a change.