investing in mission
"Investing in Mission is all about building a giving church.”
The Investing in Mission team has been working for some time to find and develop an initiative for the Diocese to improve its financial position. The Team believes that a living church should be supported by its living members and should not rely on fees and the giving of past generations. The team exists to assist and support the Diocese in becoming financially self sufficient in order to enable it to meet the challenges presented by “Venturing in Mission”.
Research carried out by the team has identified that the “Parish Giving Officer” scheme shows the potential to increase and sustain increases in parish giving over several years. The role of the parish Giving Officer can include
- Ensuring the church teaches regularly on giving and stewardship issues.
- Leading the organisation of an annual renewal of stewardship pledges.
- Promoting Christian giving through magazine articles, circulating leaflets, etc.
- Encouraging taxpayers to give tax-efficiently through Gift Aid, etc.
- Ensuring the church thanks people for their contributions at least once a year.
- Helping local residents and casual visitors to give effectively
- Being a point of contact for the parish with the Diocesan Investing in Mission team.
- Narrating the budget, explaining what the needs are, and the possibilities arising from an increase in giving.
The team intends to develop a network of Parish Giving Officers in St. Davids Diocese in order
- To have someone in each parish or benefice who will promote giving and raise the issue of stewardship so that it becomes a natural part of the daily life of the church.
- To have contact with a group of people who could be more easily supported and resourced by the Diocesan Investing in Mission team.
The Parish Giving Officer scheme has been running successfully in the Church of England since the early 1990s – over ten years in the case of Sheffield diocese - and it is the team’s hope that this success can be mirrored in St. Davids Diocese.