Sponsored by the Southeastern and Northeastern Pennsylvania synods
and our partners
Our 2024 Generosity Extravaganza — “Tools for Today” — offered practical, usable ideas and programs to help congregations develop a culture of generosity. Here are videos and other resources from the day’s presenters.
Resources:
Congregations across the country are realizing that the “Sunday morning offering” may not be enough to sustain their mission. Join Grace Pomroy, Director of the Stewardship Leaders Program at Luther Seminary, to learn about alternative financial models for ministry. Over the last year, Grace has spent time researching over a hundred congregations who have found more financially sustainable models for ministry that are deeply integrated with God’s mission for their congregation. These models include specific tools like repurposing church property, social enterprise, impact investing, grants, and more. Together, we’ll explore how God might be calling your congregation to use its resources to fulfill its mission in new ways.
Grace Duddy Pomroy is the Director of the Stewardship Leaders Program at Luther Seminary. She’s a lay, millennial stewardship leader, speaker, and financial educator based in Washington State. She is the co-author of the stewardship book, Embracing Stewardship: How to Put Stewardship at the Heart of Your Congregation’s Life, as well as author of “Stewards of God’s Love,” which is a stewardship resource for the Evangelical Church in America. She is currently working on a book about alternative financial models for ministry with Fortress Press, an imprint of 1517 Media. Grace blogs on her website where she helps couples deepen their intimacy and transform their relationship by having open and honest conversations about money.
Faithful Stewardship Workshop Presentation
Is giving the only expression of faithful stewardship? If Christians on average give away just over 2% of their income, how might God be calling them to faithfully manage the other 98%? In this workshop, Grace Pomroy will explore how good stewards might bring their faith into all areas of their financial lives. Grace will include practical suggestions for individuals and congregation leaders looking to share this content with their members.
Grace Duddy Pomroy is the Director of the Stewardship Leaders Program at Luther Seminary. She’s a lay, millennial stewardship leader, speaker, and financial educator based in Washington State. She is the co-author of the stewardship book, Embracing Stewardship: How to Put Stewardship at the Heart of Your Congregation’s Life, as well as author of “Stewards of God’s Love,” which is a stewardship resource for the Evangelical Church in America. She is currently working on a book about alternative financial models for ministry with Fortress Press, an imprint of 1517 Media. Grace blogs on her website where she helps couples deepen their intimacy and transform their relationship by having open and honest conversations about money.
What does it mean to think outside of the box? Are you interested in learning how to reframe the way you do ministry to move toward greater vitality? Participants will learn ideas for innovative thinking in their ministry context with an emphasis on urban ministry.
Frederick Douglas Powe, Jr. is the Director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and the James C. Logan Professor of Evangelism at Wesley Theological Seminary. Dr. Powe is an ordained elder in the Baltimore/Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. His newest book, The Adept Church: Navigating Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was the number one newly released church growth book just a month after being released. Dr. Powe is a forerunner in African American evangelism, a few of his contributions include: Not Safe for Church: The Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations, co-authored with Rev. Jasmine Smothers, and New Wine, New Wineskins: How African American Congregations Can Reach New Generations. He holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Emory University (2004), a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology (1998), and a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University (1987).
Planned Giving: Everyone talks about it; few understand it. This workshop will remove the mystery! We will illustrate some of the ways you can include the ministries you love in your estate plan while benefitting the people you also love.
Sister Marianne Brock is an ordained deacon in the ELCA as well as a member of the ELCA Deaconess Community. She serves as a Regional Gift Planner for the ELCA Foundation, and enjoys helping people live out their call to discipleship now and after they have joined the Church Triumphant (in other words, after they have died).
Too often we ignore the passions and interests of members and friends of the congregation and miss the opportunities for volunteers and leaders just waiting to be asked and encouraged. To inspire gifts of time, resources, and talents try leading from the center. Like the presence of Christ our Lord and teacher, from the center we can listen and see the gifts and talents that our congregational members are ready to release. When we recognize them, we can cultivate them to resource our congregational ministries and financial capacity. This workshop will share insights and strategies to lead from the center.
The Rev, Dr. Philip D. W. Krey is the former President and Ministerium of New York Professor of Church History, emeritus of United Lutheran Seminary. He has served parishes in Baltimore, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Since 2015 he has been the Pastor of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Perkasie, PA, a thriving and generous congregation in the Philadelphia suburbs. St Andrew’s is a growing congregation, and its income has exceeded its expense budget every year since 2016. In 2022 the congregation completed a capital campaign of over $1 million for a few foci including benevolent giving.
Slides included in video
Generosity campaigns should be life-giving, not life-draining. This session will explore practical applications to energize your annual generosity campaign – from stories and impact, to year round planning, to forming asks that motivate generous responses. Generosity helps fuel mission and ministry. As you head into a new year in ministry, pick up some practical approaches proven to energize congregational generosity.
Clyde Walter brings experience, energy, and innovative thinking, based on over 15 years of Executive leadership and Board service for non-profits across the United States. Known as an engaging leader and catalyst for organizational growth, Clyde brings expertise in Fundraising, Strategic planning, Board development, Governance, Marketing and Branding. Prior to joining GSB, Clyde served as Chief Growth Officer for Josselyn, a long-standing and rapidly growing mental health provider serving Northeastern Illinois. As Chief Growth Officer, Clyde partnered in the creation of a growth plan for this 70-year-old organization, which included leading the organization’s brand refresh, partnering on an ambitious 5-year strategic plan and increasing fundraising from $2.5 Million to over $8 Million within 2 years.
Additionally, Clyde has served in Executive leadership, development, and board roles with a diverse array of faith-based organizations from national non-profits to a local congregation and parochial school. Holding a graduate degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, and an undergraduate degree from Augustana College, Clyde brings passion and expertise to organizations large and small.
In this workshop we will talk about the spirituality of fundraising. We will discuss how we look around us and see God’s abundance even when we live in an urban setting and all we see around us is scarcity. Some questions we are looking to address: What are our assets? Why give? What does scripture reveal to us about stewardship?
Rev. Dr. Andrea L Walker currently serves as pastor of the historic 180-year-old congregation, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in DC. Previously, from November 2012 to January 2020 she served in the Global Mission unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as the Area Director for Madagascar, West and Central Africa. In this role she had responsibility for the ELCA’s mission in nine countries on the continent of Africa, and the island nation of Madagascar. These responsibilities included traveling to oversee the relationship with Lutheran Churches in these countries, including budgets, projects, programs and missionary personnel.
Before taking on this position, she served as pastor of St. John’s in Summit, NJ for nine years. There She worked with the congregation through engaging stewardship education to bridge the gap of a sizable deficient.
How do you balance part-time work in a parish while working full-time or part-time in another job (either in the church or out of the church). And how to discern and balance the call to a multi-point parish (serving two or more congregations).
The Rev. Micah Krey serves in a shared ministry partnership as the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Cockeysville, MD and as the Assistant to the Bishop for Generosity in the Delaware-Maryland Synod. Micah received his MDiv in the Co-Op track from LTSP in 2017 and is currently enrolled in the STM program at ULS in Biblical Studies. He regularly writes about his life in recovery from alcoholism and also posts a weekly preaching commentary on the lectionary gospel text. Micah lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife Pastor Sarah Garrett Krey and their dog Henri Nouwen Garrett Krey.
Is the offering portion of the liturgy a time-out? A space for a breather or break? Or can it be a high point of the service, combining story and a response to God’s generosity with our own?
Tim Brown is a pastor, a professional fundraiser, and is a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. He served an inner-city parish in Chicago, was the Senior Pastor of a large parish in suburban Raleigh, NC, and is currently the Director of Congregational Stewardship for the ELCA. When he’s not helping people achieve their goals or non-profits fund their mission, he’s a partner, father, and a writer for Living Lutheran, The Christian Century, and 1517 Media. He is also a member of the ELCA Coaching Board and Green Bay Packers fan.
Explore generosity far beyond dollars given and hours served. Based on a new research study by Thrivent and Barna.
Carolyn Wilt is an Engagement Leader with Thrivent, covering the Greater Philadelphia Market. She has been with Thrivent for 14 years in Eastern and Western Pennsylvania and enjoys engaging with churches and nonprofits as well as encouraging Thrivent clients to use their Thrivent Action Team and Choice Dollar member benefits. She has an MBA from Georgia State University.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA
Stewardship of Life Institute
Advent Lutheran Church, West Chester
Calvary Lutheran Church, West Chester
Reformation Lutheran Church, Media
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Perkasie
St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church, Springfield
Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale