PLEDGESHIP - What is it? Why? How Can I Participate?

INTRODUCTION

Every year during the month of November, we invite our members and regular attenders to prayerfully join our annual pledgeship process. Pledging is a spiritual practice whereby everyone in the church prayerfully seeks God’s direction, and shares their household’s intentional plan for giving financially to support our church’s vision and mission in the coming year. This page is intended to offer a clear picture of WHY we give to our local congregation as Christians. Then, we explain what pledgeship is, what our pledging process looks like, and how pledging serves our church (and serves you too!). Finally, we’ll explain how you can participate in this year’s pledging process and we’ll invite you to do so!

The Roots of Biblical Generosity – Israel & Tithing

The principle of “tithing” originated in Ancient Israel.  Israel was purposed by God to be distinct among the nations.  They were to be God’s people, and God was to be their God.  Thus, the Law of Moses in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy spells out that all things—all of Israel’s possessions and money—are the Lord’s and God has given them to Israel to steward.  As a part of His people’s distinctiveness, God instructed the people to give a tithe, the tenth part or (10%) of produce or property as a holy offering to God.  God then instructed that these gifts be used to support the Levites, the tribe of priests who led Israel in fostering the nation’s religious life, encouraged Israel’s devotion the Lord, and distribute a large portion of those resources given to them as needed to orphans and widows.  In these ways, the practice of tithing was part of Israel’s worship.  Tithing facilitated the nation’s continued dependence on God, and ultimately was a mark of Israel’s distinctiveness among the nations and her belonging to God.  Tithing also enabled Israel to remain faithful in God’s mission for them to be a blessing to every nation of the Earth.  You can read more about the Jewish understanding of tithing in Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:21-32, and Deuteronomy 12:5-18 & 14:22-29.

Generosity in the New Covenant – Giving & the Church 

In the New Testament, we see Jesus assuming the tithe as he relates to both His disciples and the Pharisees. But Jesus and the New Testament writers move beyond tithing to teach and call disciples to a clear principle and consistent theme of radical generosity in the life of the early church .  Acts 2:44-45 tells us that “all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”  Again, Acts 4:32-37 tells us that “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to them was his own, but they had everything in common…there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to all who had need.”  And this radical generosity of believers to the church and amongst the church was a mark of distinction in comparison with the surrounding culture.  As the later letter to Diognetus says, “Christians were generous with their wallets yet chaste with their bodies,” in contrast to a Rome full of citizens who gave their bodies to many but their money to none. 

The New Testament affirms what the Old Testament did: that all things belong to God.  All of our possessions and money have been given to us by God to steward.  The New Testament goes beyond calling believers to give 10% of their money to the priests, to encouraging radical and sacrificial generosity of believers to the church so that the church can fulfill its mission in the world and distribute resources as needed to the poor.  But as Irreneaus and other early church leaders stressed, giving for the Christian should not be seen as an obligation but a joy pursued in freedom.  We give generously, joyfully, and sacrificially to Christ’s church out of worship for God, because Christ has given generously, joyfully, and sacrificially of His own life to us.  In this way, out of reverence for Christ and confidence in the Gospel, our radical generosity makes us distinct as Christ’s followers in the world, and allows the church to be fully fruitful and effective in her mission to make disciples of all nations.

Giving In the Liturgy – the Offering

Every week in the liturgy, we’re invited to continue our worship of God by bringing to Him our tithes and offerings.  As with everything in our services, the offering is participatory.  It is a chance when God dignifies us so greatly by being able to give back to Him a portion of the resources He has trusted us to steward, which are really His to begin with.  The liturgy showcases what we believe:

1)     Financial generosity to the church is a part (and mark) of our discipleship.  Our generous response to God’s grace is one of many indicators that the Holy Spirit is at work in us.

2)     Giving of our finances to the church is an act of worship to God.

3)     That God has dignified people: He works through our gifts to make the church’s mission possible, and that

4)     Joyful, generous, and sacrificial generosity of our finances is something all of us are invited into as members of the church and followers of Jesus.  The offertory is a great equalizer.  It is not just for the rich.  It is a grace Jesus has made accessible for everyone to participate in!

Pledgeship – What Is It and Why Does it Matter?

Pledging is an annual rhythm wherein every member and attender of the The Mission Cincinnati is invited to discern how God is leading them to join in helping our church fulfill our vision and mission in the coming year through intentional, planned, and prayerful financial giving. 

Pledging is both practically helpful and spiritually powerful. 

Practically, pledging helps our Vestry and staff make decisions about how we will budget, and what we can plan to spend on different ministries, programs, and outreaches in the coming year.  At the conclusion of the pledgeship process, our Rector & Vestry Treasurer review the total pledges and plan our next year’s ministry budgets, based on the forecast of what our people plan to give. Thus, pledges inform the extent to which we can invest in new ministry areas or where we need to cut back.

Spiritually, pledgeship gives every individual or household an opportunity to seek the Lord about how He may be calling you to give in the coming year.  This is a special space of worship and closeness with God in which we seek the Lord’s guidance and courage to live by faith—as in every other aspect of our lives—so also with our finances. 

Finally, pledgeship is both practical and spiritual in that it is the practical way that God spiritually engages all of us in providing for the needs of our church’s mission—the funds we need to do ministry, and the resources we need to provide for those in need among our membership, and those outside our walls we are called to bless.    

How Can I Make a Pledge at The Mission?

Starting on Wednesday, November 6th and concluding on Wednesday, November 20th (concurrent with the Vestry Nomination window), we will dedicate 2 weeks to allow our members and attenders to submit pledges.  These pledges can be made via an online pledge card that can be filled out and submitted at any time.  The pledge card will go live at the bottom of this page and other locations on our website beginning Wednesday 11/6.

What is our Hope for our Church in and through This Process?

We hope the pledgeship process will be about vision and faith: vision for what God has called us to as a church, and faith for how each of our households can courageously participate in bringing that vision to life.

We are a maturing church plant. As we continue to grow toward self-sustainability in 2024, we have made it a goal to support 90% of our ministry expenses through the giving of our local congregation. The remaining expenses are covered by funds raised externally through the supporter networks of our clergy. In 2025, we hope to continue this progress, ideally supporting all of our ministry budget through local giving. Meanwhile, every ministry area in our church is growing right now. Over the past few months, our Vestry & staff completed a task audit whereby we determined a need to fund 15-20 hours of additional staff work per week to meet the growing needs of children’s ministry, hospitality, administration, outreach, and musical worship. Thus we are projecting a need to add at least $25,000.00 to our ministry budget in 2025. Meeting this expanded need while continuing to progress in self-sustainability will require new and increased giving from our congregation.

What Should I consider as I pray about pledging?

First off, remember that the Mission has a real financial need.  We cannot do the ministry we are called to without the prayerful, joyful, and sacrificial generosity of all of our members and attenders. 

Second, remember that generosity at the Mission is an invitation, not an obligation.  We don’t want anyone to ever feel forced or manipulated to give.  Rather, we hope the invitation to financial generosity will be exciting for you as you recognize an opportunity to join together with other members to make this ministry you love and that has been meaningful to you grow and flourish and move toward greater sustainability.

Third, remember that prayer is truly important to this work of pledgeship.  Giving requires faith. It is truly a spiritual act.  We want you to seek God and then have courage and trust in Him to do what He says and follow where He leads.  We hope you will really make space to seriously pray about this.

Fourth, as you go to God in prayer, consider asking Him what next step forward you can take in giving to the church?  We think there’s room for every single one of us to take some sort of step forward, and we imagine it might be one of these 4:

1)     Maybe you’ve never given to a church before and doing so feels weird or scary.  What might it look like to start giving for the first time in 2025? 

2)     Maybe you’ve been giving, but it hasn’t been prayerful or planned.  What might it look like to pray about your giving and to make a plan for how you will support The Mission financially in 2025? 

3)     Maybe you’ve been giving to the Mission in a way that is both prayerful and planned already…but maybe you feel God leading you to step into a level of generosity that would be more sacrificial for you or your family.  What might it look like to trust God and say yes to that invitation?  How might God show up powerfully and unexpectedly in your life if you did that? 

4)     Finally, maybe you have been giving financially in way that is prayerful, planned, and sacrificial already and you’ve experienced great joy in that generosity.  What might it look like for you to encourage others to similar faith-filled generosity?  How can you share testimonies of how good God has been to you in this aspect of your faith journey, that others might be inspired to do the same?

In All Of This, Remember You are Loved

Generosity for the Christian is a part of our response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ which announces that “God so LOVED the world”—you and me included—”that He GAVE His only Son, that whosever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  As you consider how God might be inviting you to pledge, remember that you are loved deeply by the God of the Universe for who you are.  And you are loved by us as your pastors and leaders at The Mission.

Mission Cincinnati, we’re excited to share this journey with you.  Please also pray for God’s provision for our whole church—for God to minister to every member of our church powerfully as we engage our hearts in this process.  And let us look with joyful expectancy for how God will show up and provide!

Questions?

If you have questions about the pledgeship process, please reach out to our Vestry Treasurer Nathan Nichols at nnicho001@gmail.com.