Stewardship Kaleidoscope workshop touts the importance of simplifying giving campaigns among PC(USA) faith communities

Workshop leader: ‘You’re never too young to give’

by Sissy Clayton Perryman for the Presbyterian Foundation | Special to Presbyterian News Service

Carson Brown (Photo by Gregg Brekke)

Stewardship isn’t an act. It’s an attitude.

This is how Carson Brown, Director of Christian Education at Cypress Lake Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, Florida, started his workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope, an annual conference focused on stewardship, generosity and finances for churches. The conference was held both virtually and in person in Savannah, Georgia, Sept. 26- 28.

This profound idea is essential to understand as we consider how to ensure that the youngest disciples of the church understand the role they play as stewards, Brown said. As someone who ministers to children, youth and their families, Brown said it is vital to shatter our assumptions and examine the giving habits and motivations of young givers. Brown is himself a young adult.

“Our first problematic assumption is to think that everyone under the age of 45 is the same when it comes to stewardship, that everyone under the age of 35 is the same, that everyone under 25 is the same,” Brown said. We apply those same thoughts to children, youth and young adults, and that’s rarely the case.

But it is also true that some aspects of our youngest disciples are universal and important to understand.

Children

Brown defines children as ages 12 and younger.

The attitude of a congregation toward children (and youth) is parallel to the attitude of children towards giving. In a recent Barna poll released in 2022, a majority of children’s ministry leaders agreed that children’s ministry is often forgotten by their church.

In addition, Brown finds that the biggest obstacle for participation of children can be parents, who are busy and working. As a practical tip, he encouraged those on staff in congregations or volunteering in children’s ministry to be creative to overcome busy schedules, such as providing rides or carpools and being thoughtful about times of activities.

 Take away: Children are a powerful reason why families join a church and then give to a congregation.

 Youth

The essence of youth (13 to 17 years old) is a slow crawl towards independence. Youth are universally skeptical of institutions. The most important motivator a church can supply for a youth is a reason to give.

Youth can track the scent of empty promises or shallow appeals. They expect to be giving towards something that they know will include them. Brown said, “When we do not fit them into our church plans, they will not fit us into theirs.”

 Take away: Youth are a wealth of potential contributions in time, talent and guidance for programs. Consider placing a youth on your session or a church committee (or both).

 Young adults

Young adults (ages 18 to 25) present a fascinating opportunity to increase involvement and study stewardship effectiveness in your congregation. Brown suggested, “No more ‘listening sessions’ with just the highest-giving donors. Consider the optics of exclusionary events, especially for young adults who have been victimized by church systems.”

Brown also said that many young people are candidates for the “time” and “talent” categories more than treasure, but not always. Young professionals are increasingly common, and young adults who came of age during the 2008 recession have a strong appreciation for fiscal responsibility.

Young adults face multiple “life benchmarks” that force them to examine their priorities. This pushes them to make decisions about where they want to send their contributions. Give them a reason why it should be your church.

Take away: Young people crave authenticity. Make young adults feel included. If you do, they will include you in their plans.

Overall tips

In addition to discussing the differences in these three age groups, Brown encouraged simplifying stewardship campaigns and processes. “There is a danger associated with complex stewardship,” Brown said. “Many of us have people in our church who really understand money and finances. We produce lots of information with a whole lot of numbers and big words. But the reality is most people don’t understand all this information. When presenting a bunch of numbers, people shut down.”

This is where child-like stewardship comes in. Brown said all stewardship information should be able to be understood by a child. Keep it simple. “The part of us that pushes back on this idea is that church finances are not simple,” Brown said. “But we must simplify things as much as possible. Make your entire stewardship campaign something that a 13-year-old can understand as well as an 85-year-old. I guarantee you if you do this, it will help everyone to understand.”

In closing, Brown reminded everyone to be inclusive and welcoming and to target the hearts of our youngest disciples. “When we do this, it makes all the difference in their attitude towards giving.”

Sissy Perryman has more than 25 years of public relations, grant writing and fundraising experience in corporate and nonprofit settings. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Beaufort, South Carolina. Send comments on this article to robyn.sekula@presbyterianfoundation.org.