*FOR GUIDANCE ON STEWARDSHIP DURING CHURCH BUILDING CLOSURES, PLEASE VISIT THIS DEDICATED PAGE*
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.
Stewardship toolkit
This toolkit details recommended stewardship initiatives for your church at a glance.
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.
Giving for Life - PCC 'health check' of your stewardship practices
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 annually.
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.
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.
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.
The Good Giving Guide is a teaching resource developed by Bishop Mike (previously Bishop of Bristol) 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 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:
