God First
2017-2020 Strategic Plan
GOD FIRST
“Complexity should not be admired;
it should be avoided.” Unknown
Vision
For every church member to establish the
habit of putting God First in every area of
life.
Mission
To help leaders and members develop habits
necessary for spiritual growth and faithful
stewardship.
Focus
Recognizing that Christian Stewardship is a
very broad and important concept that
reaches into all aspects of a life dedicated to
Christ – from family relations and patterns to
health habits, from time management to the
care of the environment;
Focus
Recognizing that to promote commitment and
faithfulness in all those areas would be too
great a task for only one department;
Focus
Recognizing that, differently from many other
denominations, the Seventh-day Adventist
Church has assigned other departments to
deal with almost each one of those aspects of
Stewardship (for example, Health Ministries,
Youth Ministries, Sabbath School & Personal
Ministries and Family Ministries);
Focus
The Stewardship Ministries department will
therefore work mainly, but not exclusively, on
the task of promoting
• [1] trust in the Lord,
• [2] faithfulness and
• [3] a missionary mindset through financial
stewardship,
using the following approaches:
Stage Front
Churches, Local Fields, Union, Divisions
1. Growing Spiritually
a) Developing spiritual habits –
• Personal, family and communal
worship
• Personal prayer and Bible study habits
(“Revived by His Word” and “Believe
His Prophets” program),
• Family worship
• Church attendance.
1. Growing Spiritually
b) Rationale:
• Faithful tither = faithful member in
church attendance, regular prayer,
SSQ studying (McIver, 2016).
• TMI – probably more inclined to
participate in mission.
1. Growing Spiritually
c) Method:
• Commitment call
• Commitment Card (See the
“Promise Card”)
• Once a year and in every STW
event
1. Growing Spiritually
d) Goal (quinquennium):
• 25% of church members renewing
their commitment–to put God First
• Using Commitment Cards - at any
time
• Also part of the annual Stewardship
st
Sabbath, the 1 Sabbath of Dec.
1. Growing Spiritually
e) Evaluation: The percentage of
members reached by the commitment
renewals.
2. Growing in Nurture
a) Visitation program:
• Pastors and church elders
• Encourage church members–God First
2. Growing in Nurture
b) Rationale:
• Tithing/offerings can be an indicator of
spirituality
• Not tithing/offering may be an indicator
of potential apostasy.
• Visitation - to encourage a
comprehensive spiritual growth.
2. Growing in Nurture
c) Method:
• Holy Convocation–pastors/elders
engaged in a purposeful visitation
program
• To use the ”Visitation Agenda”
• Why to begin with those who are not
currently tithing?
2. Growing in Nurture
d) Goal (quinquennium): To grow the number
of regular tithers by 5%.
2. Growing in Nurture
e) Evaluation:
• To collect clear statistical data on the
tithers in every field and
• To analyze the growth curves showing
the percentage of regular tithers.
3. Growing in Knowledge
a) Education on Trusting and
Generosity:
• Focus on regular and systematic
(percentage-based) offerings (Promise)
3. Growing in Knowledge
b) Rationale:
• Offerings–compliant end of the
systematic benevolence spectrum
• Not every tither is a Promisor
• Promisors are generally faithful tithers
• Emphasis on Promise–both will grow
3. Growing in Knowledge
c)
•
•
•
Method:
Family Finance Seminars
Stewardship Conventions
Stewardship Certifications
3. Growing in Knowledge
d) Goal (Quinquennium):
• Average level of liberality of church
members reaches 5% of member’s
income in offerings by July 2020.
3. Growing in Knowledge
e) Evaluation:
• Making use of the Generosity Factor (or
Liberality Factor)
• Our main evaluating initiative
GOALS
Growing Spiritually:
• 25% of members – Commitment Calls
Growing in Nurture:
• 5% growing on the number of regular
tithers
Growing in Knowledge:
• Promise (Generosity Factor) by 5%
Back Stage
Stewardship Department
all administrative levels
1. Annual Continuous
Education Program
•
•
•
•
•
District Pastors
Church Elders
STW Ministries directors
Treasurers
To be promoted by STW and Treasury
2. Regular Reports
To send regularly the following reports to
demonstrate spiritual growth:
• Generosity Factor
• Percentage of regular tithers
• Percentage of regular offering-givers
• Tithe per capita
• Growth per above categories
3. Transparency and Accountability
(Organizational level)
To provide regular reports about
• Incoming resources and their
administration
• What has been done
3. Transparency and Accountability
(Organizational level)
a. To provide reports, integrate efforts
with:
• Treasury, Global Mission, Sabbath
School, Adventist Review, Adventist
World, Ministry Magazine, Elder’s
Digest, Hope Channel, Adventist World
Radio (AWR), Communication
3. Transparency and Accountability
(Organizational level)
b) Use of media and social media to regularly
share financial and mission reports.
c) To establish a pattern for accountability
and transparency (how to deal with and
record income), following the income trail
from the local church offering plate to GC
Treasury.
3. Transparency and Accountability
(Organizational level)
d) To motivate
• The use of the envelope
• The adoption of online and other giving
options
• Accountability on the part of the local
church treasury, including the giving of
receipts.
• Members: identified giving  receipts
4. Platform for Giving
To provide platforms for giving (E-giving
online and Apps and contextual
technologies)
• Integrated–all departments, initiatives
together
• Simple
• Motivating worship and mission
5. Offering Plan
To motivate the adoption of the Combined
Offering Plan
6. Stewardship Summits, Conventions
or Congresses
For each administrative level
7. Certification Program
To create or adapt a certification program for
• Pastors
• Seminary students
• Local church Stewardship leaders
• Youth
• Pathfinders
• Women’s Ministries, etc.
8. Stewardship Theology Curriculum
To be used by theological seminaries, giving
academic credits
9. Produce Materials
To support each one of the initiatives
My all in response to God’s all!