From the Desk of Our Executive Director

Welcome to another Stewardship Journal!

In this edition of the Stewardship Journal, we explore the current state of giving to the church by reviewing the recently released report by empty tomb, inc., entitled The State of Church Giving through 2019. Our lead post asks, Is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in Trouble? This is a question that every SBC pastor should be asking. We probe this question by looking at recent data published by empty tomb inc. on the giving record of Southern Baptists to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. I believe the findings might surprise you.

Here is a preview of the rest of the Stewardship Journal.

Mark Brooks, The Stewardship Coach, gives us his insight into the newly released State of Church Giving through 2019. His post is entitled The Coach’s Annual Review of “The State of Church Giving.” Mark gives a great overview of the findings and explains why the decline in giving is occurring.

This week’s Bonus Section is entitled A Text for Recurring Giving. It gives you a suggested text for bulletins or other communication vehicles to encourage members to sign up to make their giving automatically withdrawn. This is one of the best ways to ensure summer giving stays strong.

This week’s Mission and Ministry offering moment is entitled The Chicken Neck Sacrifice. It’s a great talk for Mother’s Day, focusing on the sacrificial spirit of mothers.

Would you like to be on the Missouri Baptist Pastors Speak Up list? In our next edition of the Stewardship Journal, longtime MBC pastor Richie Rhea writes a post entitled Should We Teach Giving During VBS? We will follow up that post with comments from pastors around the state in another edition of Missouri Pastors Speak Up About. This time we are asking pastors their views and ideas on VBS. We would love to get your thoughts and views. If you are interested, email Rob Phillips at rphillips@mobaptist.org.

Advancing the Gospel!