Announcing the High-Five Stewardship Drive
We're taking a new approach to stewardship! Rather than a single committee of a few people pledging the entire congregation, we've adopted a model that calls for a decentralized process called the "High-Five Challenge." It asks that teams of five cluster together to
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Acquire Shared Knowledge about the church finances;
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Reflect upon Shared Values that will serve as moral guides in our budgeting process; and
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Inspire everyone to take Shared Responsibility for the financial integrity of our church family.
Origins of the Challenge
The High-Five Challenge developed by Rev. Nate and the Unitarian Church of Staten Island, and recently featured in the UU World. Press play to hear the members of the Staten Island publicly make the following challenge: "We, the members of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island, challenge YOU, First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, to a High-Five Challenge."
The "challenge" is to have a majority of the pledging units give at 5% of their annual adjusted income. This is calculated by subtracting a household's take-home income from any educational or health expenses then multiplying by .05. We are aware that not all members of the community have regular income and therefore, each pledge card is customized to reflect their previous patterns of generosity.
Custom Pledge Cards
A pledging unit is an official measuring tool to identify either an individual or household that monetarily contributes to the annual operating budget. Each unit receives a custom pledging card, including their contact information, membership status and pledging history. The custom pledge card is not only intended to solicit funds, but to also learn more about the needs members and friends. The card, in turn, becomes a pastoral archive and helps leaders identify those with the time and talents to participate in future projects. The goal is to personalize the process and to make a deeper connection to all those involved.
Knowledge Corps Facilitators
A traditional stewardship drive would train "canvassers" to ask their peers for money. A Knolwedge Corps Facilitator, however, is trained to shared information about the church's finances. Approximately 60 members of the congregation are being trained in January, with the intent to study the church finances and then teach teams of five about the findings. They also serve as the body that assesses and amends the "shared values," which serve as moral guides to administering the church's finances.
If you are serving as a Knowledge Corp Facilitator, please complete the following form and identify the names of those on your High-Five Team.
Step One: Please invite your team members to attend the January 27th State of the Congregation Address. It will start at 11:00 am followed by a congregational meeting and brunch. (Designations for dishes are as follows: A - D Desserts; E - H Bread or Beverage; I - M Soup or Salad; N - S Vegetable; T - Z Main Dish.) Choose a time/place to meet somewhere before or after the Jan 27th Address and then schedule a formal time to gather as a High-Five Team.
Step Two: Please meet with your High-Five Team before February 17th. Explain ahead of time that you plan on taking them through a three step process: (a) achieving shared knowledge - to learn about the church's finances; (b) reviewing shared values - to review the moral statements that may guide the budgeting process; and (c) taking shared responsibility - to pledge everyone present, aware that some may need some additional time to discern their contribution.
Step Three: Plan to submit your team's cards to the office by February 17th. Please include a one-paragraph summary of your experience with the High-Five Team. What worked? What didn't work?
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