Stewardship and generosity
Generous giving is an integral part of the discipleship of Christian believers. Giving within the Church and beyond it not only resources God’s mission in the world but also has an impact on our lifestyle.
However, in many of our church communities, we are reluctant to address issues around money and giving. In the Diocese of Bristol, we want to be open and honest about this area of spiritual growth and unlock the generosity of the people of God for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
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How to... guide exploring Encouraging Generosity in your church:
This is a helpful guide to discerning and articulating your church's vision, building a sound understanding of the theology of generosity, planning a stewardship campaign, and introducing the Parish Giving Scheme.
This toolkit details recommended stewardship initiatives for your church at a glance. Download it here.
Giving for Life: Continuing the Journey is a helpful guide for PCCs to address stewardship in their parish. We hope every PCC will undertake this exercise in 2018/19.
Download the Giving for Life PCC Leaders Guide
Download the Giving for Life PCC Question Sheet
The national church has a fantastic web resource called Parish Resources which includes a further resources to encourage generosity in church.
Giving in Grace is a tried and tested stewardship programme, with a proven track record in significantly increasing giving to the local church and in sustaining that increase. The materials take you through a simple but robust planning process, combining core elements of the programme with optional resources customised to the specific needs of your church.
Find out more about Giving in Grace
Unsure where to start? Take a look at this comprehensive checklist that walks you through the process of planning a stewardship campaign.
The Simple Giving Programme is a similar resource, but aimed at smaller & rural churches. It has a particular focus on engaging the wider community in your town or village, and encouraging those on the 'fringe' to support the work of your church.
Find out more about the scheme, and download materials for your church, by clicking here.
This nationwide church giving scheme launched across the Diocese of Bristol in September 2017. The scheme will help your church to overcome the problem of static giving and reduce your administrative burden.
The Journey of Generosity is a day-long retreat for planned givers to take the next step and explore generosity as part of their discipleship.
The programme resources churches who already teach stewardship regularly, but would benefit from more deeply exploring biblical generosity and living ‘the life that is truly life’ (1 Tim 6:19).
The retreat can be facilitated by individual churches or by the Diocesan Support Services team.
Find out more: www.parishresources.org.uk/journey-of-generosity
The Good Giving Guide is a teaching resource developed by Bishop Mike to help churches face the resource challenge of modern ministry. The material aims to assist churches fund their local vision. You can download sermon notes and a PowerPoint presentation here:
The Good Giving Guide presentation
The Good Giving Guide Sermon notes
The Giving for Life website offers further accompanying talks and material
For more information and advice about stewardship and giving please contact Naomi Buckler or Clare Fussell:
 | Naomi Buckler Giving and Resources Adviser Email:naomi.buckler@bristoldiocese.org Phone: 0117 906 0100 |
 | Clare Fussell Giving and Resources Adviser Email:clare.fussell@bristoldiocese.org Phone: 0117 906 0100 |
The videos below explain the theology behind Parish Share, how the Diocesan Support Services make us stronger together, a few things that Parish Share supports and how the Diocese is funded:
