Stewardship & Forgiveness

Unfulfilled Commitments

As we prepare to enter into this period of Great Lent, we are confronted with the spiritual realities of repentance and forgiveness.  Not only is it the pervasive theme of our entire preparation for Pascha, but the specific theme as well for this Sunday, as we contemplate the expulsion of our ancestors Adam and Eve from Paradise.  The complete understanding and internalization of an authentic attitude of forgiveness, is not only essential for us as individuals regarding our salvation, but is just as important for us as a Church Community, particularly when it comes to Stewardship.

Every year at this time, Parishes around the country look at a certain percentage (usually a small number) of Financial Stewardship Pledges from the previous year that remain unfulfilled, and wonder what to do about them.  Our immediate reaction is to send those “debtors” a polite (sometimes not so polite), strongly worded letter, demanding payment.  Why?  Aside from obtaining some sense of closure (not a bad thing), what is likely to happen?  Have we taken the time to reason through not only what the letter recipient’s actions will be, but also how our action will be received by them emotionally, and what impact that may have on their spiritual life?  More importantly, have we considered fully what message we are sending to our Parishioners concerning the reality of Stewardship in our community, and the future impact that may have on not only their perception, but particularly their connection to the Church?  The answer usually, is quite simply no, we have not.

From a purely practical standpoint, the first consideration is what likely impact will a “collection notice” have on the actions of these “unfulfilled stewards?”  In other words, will it cause them to “become current?”  There may be a small percentage (very small, maybe 10%) of “delinquents” who just “overlooked” their pledge’s fulfillment, and dutifully send in a check for their remainder.  The second practical consideration however, is at what cost to the Church are we to chase down pennies, and I’m not just talking printing and postage here?!  How will the vast majority of “demand letter” recipients feel about their circumstances?  One the one hand, they are “behind” for last year, on the other hand, they are being asked to commit themselves for this year, and in the mean time, they are trying to work out their salvation by participating in the life of the Church.  If these faithful stewards (let’s give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment), were really stretching themselves last year, taking their commitment seriously, giving sacrificially, and just didn’t reach their goal (for whatever reason); will our “collection methods” inspire them to do even more this year?  Not likely!  Their most likely action will be to scale back their giving efforts in order to ensure complete fulfillment, and thus avoid our “nastygram” next year.  The other “delinquents” who don’t fully understand, or have not completely integrated stewardship into their lives are sure to take offense, and will likely either commit only a token amount for this year, or worse yet, stop giving altogether.

Beyond these practical concerns, we must also consider the spiritual implications.  We must never lose sight of the fact that as the Church, we represent Christ, and our responsibility is to do everything possible to encourage and cultivate spiritual growth within the lives of God’s people.  This includes how we approach Stewardship!  The impending period of Great Lent is the perfect time to reinforce Orthodoxy’s holistic understanding of Stewardship, and its connection with our own spiritual journey.  Just as we fall short in our Stewardship of Time (Prayer), and Talent (Fasting), we also must examine our deficiencies when it comes to managing our Treasure (Almsgiving).  Forgiveness is of course the key to our freedom from being stuck in our sinfulness, and offers us the opportunity for spiritual growth.  It is this same forgiveness, exemplified by the life of Christ through the Church, that we must offer those who consider themselves “debtors.”  When one experiences such forgiveness, he is then free to recommit himself in even greater ways to Christ and the Church.  This will be seen in a very concrete way by the Steward, who having fallen short last year in his financial commitment, aspires to even greater sacrifice this year, precisely because of the forgiveness, love, and encouragement he experiences through our actions.  May the Lord our God grant you all a blessed and Spirit-filled Great Lent!  That’s My Two Cents!