Q: We plan to give. Why should we pledge? How is this different from a donation?
First and foremost, it is a spiritual practice. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Pledging enforces our connection to God through our support of God’s house.It is a prayerful promise of financial resources that will sustain the parish’s worship, pastoral care, Christian formation, outreach to the community, and the bricks and mortar of the church and grounds. On a practical level, there is no “membership fee” at church. Instead, we are asked to join in the voluntary practice of pledging as a spiritual practice. In addition, it is difficult for the Vestry to plan and operate the church based on plate offerings.
Q: Why does St. Paul’s call stewardship a spiritual practice?
Any spiritual practice is based on faith–faith that the act repeated regularly will increase our awareness of the presence of God and will gradually remove from our lives walls we erect that block God’s grace. Spiritual practices include worship, prayer, silence and meditation, contemplation, reading scripture, and giving. Giving (financial stewardship) has numerous spiritual benefits. Here are just two:
- Stewardship reduces our attachment to things material. We learn that by giving away something we “have” really does not diminish us at all.
- Giving chips away at our belief in the concept of “mine” and “yours.” Giving helps us better experience truth that we are indeed one in spirit.
Q: How much should I give?
The short answer is: what you can. Every pledge is unique to an individual or family’s respective situation. The Bible does provide guidance by calling us to tithe, returning to God the first tenth of all we earn. It’s based on the principle that all we have, indeed all of creation, comes from and belongs to God. We know that 10% may seem like a daunting proposal and more than many of us can begin to consider, but if you start with a certain proportion of your income and increase the percentage each year, you will be tithing in a short time. Another option is 2½%, which is equivalent to pledging the first hour’s pay of a 40-hour work week. The chart below may help.
Annual Income | 3% of Income | 5% of Income | 7% of Income | 10% of Income | 12% of Income | |||||
Wkly | Mon. | Wkly | Mon. | Wkly | Mon | Wkly | Mon | Wkly | Mon | |
$5,000 | $3 | $13 | $5 | $21 | $7 | $29 | $10 | $41 | $12 | $50 |
$10,000 | $6 | $25 | $10 | $42 | $14 | $58 | $20 | $83 | $24 | $100 |
$20,000 | $12 | $50 | $20 | $83 | $28 | $117 | $40 | $167 | $48 | $200 |
$30,000 | $18 | $75 | $30 | $125 | $42 | $175 | $60 | $250 | $72 | $300 |
$50,000 | $30 | $125 | $50 | $208 | $70 | $292 | $100 | $417 | $120 | $500 |
$75,000 | $45 | $187 | $75 | $313 | $105 | $437 | $150 | $625 | $180 | $750 |
$100,000 | $60 | $250 | $100 | $417 | $140 | $583 | $200 | $833 | $240 | $1,000 |
$150,000 | $90 | $375 | $150 | $625 | $210 | $875 | $300 | $1,250 | $360 | $1,500 |
$200,000 | $120 | $500 | $200 | $833 | $280 | $1,167 | $400 | $1,667 | $480 | $2,000 |
Q: Why does St. Paul’s call stewardship a spiritual practice?
The short answer is: what you can. Every pledge is unique to an individual or family’s respective situation. The Bible does provide guidance by calling us to tithe, returning to God the first tenth of all we earn. It’s based on the principle that all we have, indeed all of creation, comes from and belongs to God. We know that 10% may seem like a daunting proposal and more than many of us can begin to consider, but if you start with a certain proportion of your income and increase the percentage each year, you will be tithing in a short time. Another option is 2½%, which is equivalent to pledging the first hour’s pay of a 40-hour work week. The chart below may help.
Q: Will the Stewardship Committee know what I pledge?
You should know that no member of the church will know what you’ve pledged, neither the Stewardship Committee nor the Vestry. No names are included in the data that is provided to Finance Team or Vestry for their use in developing the budget.
Q: How do I pay my pledge?
You may fulfill your pledge weekly via plate collection, monthly, quarterly, or in other increments. You may also pay online through our website or by setting up regular payments from your bank.
Q: What if my income changes or I face a hardship?
We are very sensitive to the current economic environment and fully understand the difficulty in making a commitment if the upcoming year is full of unknowns. We believe in families taking care of themselves, and in the people of our church taking care of each other. Your pledge should be necessarily realistic, as best you can estimate, and it can always be adjusted throughout the year, either up or down, if your circumstances change. If at some point during the year you find yourself unable to fulfill your pledge, please let the office or Mother Maria know. More importantly, if you are facing any personal or professional hardship, please reach out to Mother Maria for confidential pastoral care, prayer, and support.
Q: How are financial decisions made at St. Paul’s?
Financial decisions are made by the rector and vestry based on recommendations from the Finance Team. The vestry is the name for the church’s “board of directors” who oversee the parish and its operations. Vestry members are elected by the congregation to three year terms.
Q: Don’t we just raise money through fundraisers like the Labor Day Supper and Silent Auction?
Fundraisers like these are special events that we have come to depend on. These types of events are a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together. But, ideally, we’d prefer to designate the funds from our fundraisers to special projects that help support our parish’s mission, rather than depend on them to meet our operating expenses. Fundraiser income simply cannot be depended on to meet the expenses of our operating budget. Pledges supply the vital operating funds needed to support our annual recurring expenses (salaries and benefits, maintenance, Worship and Music, Christian Learning, Outreach, etc.).
Q: Is my stewardship defined only by the money I give to the church?
Absolutely not. Time and service given to others is a critical component of stewardship. Our church cannot function without these gifts of time and service.