Flourishing through Wise Stewardship: The September 2024 Communiqué

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
—Matthew 6:21

Dear brothers and sisters of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese,

The Diocesan staff has made a decision to focus each edition of the Communiqué on one of the Six Marks of a Flourishing Church that I have been discussing since Synod last November. It is our hope that this will focus our work together to reach our goal of Fifty Flourishing Churches in Five Years.

This issue is focused on Wise Stewardship. You might think that this Mark means "wise spending within the agreed upon limits and in a conservative way that assures we are spending less than we receive from our tithes and offerings." This is clearly a part of it, but wise stewardship actually begins with how we teach the people of God to approach their money and other gifts. As you’re probably very aware, Jesus spoke on money quite a bit. He did so, I believe, because it is a foundational part of discipleship. If we’re not willing to trust God with our money, we are not likely to trust him with more important things (Luke 19:11).

Many of our churches are supported by women and men who have been discipled to give sacrificially of their income and to do so cheerfully. It is my theory, however, that we as a Diocese overall do less teaching on tithing, and giving beyond the tithe, than those who came before us.

I’m forever grateful for a lay leader at my parish in Gainesville named Ralph, who led his then-young rector to understand the importance of encouraging (through teaching, testimony, and—importantly—a clear call to commitment) the faithful to generous giving. Ralph had made his professional life in the real estate industry, mostly commercial. He had come to faith mid-life, through the witness of his wife, his parish, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He was a firm believer in the tithe and giving beyond the tithe out of an abundance of gratitude to the Lord for his salvation.

As a young church leader, even while practicing the tithe, I was very aware that many people think that all the Church wants from them is their money, and so was reluctant to teach or preach on giving. Ralph helped me understand that for a maturing Christian, giving of our income to the Lord is a privilege and a discipline that brings great joy.

As you read the rest of this Communiqué, you will hear various aspects of Wise Stewardship, communicated through our Diocesan staff. Setting budgets, systems of accountability, visionary leadership (an inspiration to give!), and investing in the spread of the Gospel and the planting of churches to the ends of the Earth are all a part of Wise Stewardship. It all begins in the heart of every disciple.

I give away a portion of my income to demonstrate that my trust is not in my financial resources but in the Lord my God. He is able to provide more for me with 90% (or even less) of my income than I could do with 100%.  And I give my money to the support of the Church, releasing it to those entrusted to Wise Stewardship within that congregation, without strings attached. Yes, they will be accountable, but that act of trust builds my faith. “All things come from you, oh Lord, and of your own have we given you” (1 Chron 29:14; cited in BCP, p. 131).

God bless you all as you grow in wise stewardship, and I look forward to seeing you at Synod.

“I’m excited to let you know that you will be a ‘grandmother church’ soon!”

This is how I opened my sermon at Grace Anglican Church in Fleming Island, where I was invited to preach about a month ago. In 2020, my family was sent out by Grace Anglican to plant The Table Church on the outskirts of St. Augustine in one of Florida’s fastest growing counties. Now, almost five years later, we’re getting ready to welcome the Roman family from Pittsburgh, PA, who we will be training as church planters over the next three years. Once those three years are complete, if the Lord wills, they will lead a new church plant elsewhere in our diocese!

For multiple reasons, this story is a fruit of wise stewardship.

Most of us are wired to think of finances or donations when we hear the word stewardship. But what if I told you that there is a resource that is more important than what we can put in the bank or that can be found buried 50 paces to the east from the largest oak tree in our backyard? What if I said that our most valuable earthly resource is the human resource? People. The stewardship of people (that is to say, the nurturing, guarding, and directing of young people) must be a paramount concern for the Church. Not only that, I want to contend that intergenerational discipleship is one of the best ways to steward children, youth, and young adults.

Our missional diocesan camp, Soul in the City, was held at Grace Anglican Church (Fleming Island, Florida) from June 23^rd–28^th, 2024. Sixty-three students participated from 14 different churches across Clay, St. Johns, and Duval counties. It was truly a celebration of the Kingdom of God, for we had five Anglican churches represented and the remaining nine from various denominations. Among the campers, thirty-eight were first-time attendees who heard about the camp from friends and family. Throughout the week, we broke into six groups to serve organizations in our community …

Clergy, congregations, and the Diocese as a whole must work together as wise stewards of the gifts entrusted to us, if we are to be flourishing outposts of God's Kingdom. What does that stewardship look like for each group? Do you know what your role is in this process? You might be surprised by what God is asking of you!

Bishop Alex has set a vision to become Fifty Flourishing Churches in Five Years. As one of the Six Marks of a Flourishing Church, Wise Stewardship involves “Doing Things Right,” (a favorite definition of “Management” from business school). Of course, our churches all want to Do Things Right, but how do we know what that is? We need to know where we are and where we want to go before deciding how best to wisely steward our church’s personnel and financial resources, so they have the largest impact on our flourishing. How can the Diocesan Office help?

Most people do not get excited talking about misconduct training and prevention. But, the subject of safeguarding in the Church is a national conversation and one we take seriously. This summer, the ACNA approved canonical changes at the provincial level which make each bishop ultimately responsible, indeed canonically duty-bound, to oversee safeguarding in his diocese, even as each diocese will retain the freedom to create policies and procedures scaled to the size and scope of its ministries. Thankfully, the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, under the leadership of Bishop Alex Farmer, is ahead of the curve and …

You can view all upcoming diocesan events on our Events page.

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You are Invited to the Investiture of Archbishop Steve Wood on Wednesday, October 30, 2024! Come join others from around the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican world for a special Service of Investiture. This historic service will be held in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (just outside of Charleston) at 6:30 p.m. at Seacoast Church (750 Long Point Rd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464). The doors will open to the public at 5:45 p.m. The sanctuary seats 2,500 with some spillover (i.e closed-circuit viewing) in the reception area. See here for more information.

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In addition, the new Archbishop has written his first quarterly letter to the Province, outlining some of the steps he has taken and delineating some of his early priorities. Read the letter and sign up for provincial communications here.

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Brent McHugh Receives the eXcelerate Award from Missio Nexus

Brent is a priest resident in our Diocese serving overseas as the International Director of Christar. The eXcelerate Award, given at the Mission Leaders Conference held earlier this month, recognizes missionary leaders for excellence in innovation and partnership. Head over to the Missio Nexus website to read the article in its entirety. We're grateful for Brent and his wife Kim's work and the fruitful partnerships that have led to this recognition.

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Photo Credits

Archbishop-Stephen-Wood-with-Cross • Anglican Church in North America Brent-McHugh-MissioNexus • Missio Nexus