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Parish Stewardship
What is Parish Stewardship?
Parish Stewardship is one way of organizing the gifts of parishioners resources to invigorate the parish community. Good disciples are good stewards. They know that God has given them time, talent, and treasure to be shared with others. Therefore, they plan and budget their resources wisely so that God's will can come first in their lives, so that prayer and service can be high on their list of priorities. Our office can help teach your parishioners how to be good stewards of their God given resources.
Each parish can benefit by exemplifying the eight characteristics of a stewardship parish for their people.
What are the eight characteristics of a "Stewardship Parish?"
Get a copy of Eight Characteristics (in pdf) here.
1. Parish should create a stewardship commission. The commission should be formed by the teachings of the 1992 U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter, Stewardship: A Disciple's Response which makes the connection between the evangelization/conversion process and the people's use of their time, talent and treasure.
2. Parish should have ongoing educational activities that instruct the parish membership throughout the year in the Church's teachings of stewardship. This should include themes from the 1992 Bishop's Pastoral Letter and the readings from the Liturgical cycle.
3. Within the context of the Church's teachings on stewardship, parish should conduct an annual stewardship of time and talent renewal to encourage parishioners to share their gifts as a faith response and as a way to meet the ministry needs of the parish and local community. Pastoral leaders should empower the laity to discern and contribute their variety of gifts in the service of parish ministries and church vocations.
4. Within the context of the Church's teachings on stewardship, parish should conduct an annual stewardship of treasure renewal to encourage parishioners to share their material gifts as a faith response and for the support of the parish ministries. The learning objective for parishioners would include encouraging parishioners to embrace the biblical tithe and to give in a planned and sacrificial way. A current Catholic interpretation of this type of giving is for people to give 5% of their income to the parish, 1% to the diocese and 4% to other charities.
5. Parish should strive to incrementally move toward the elimination of second collections, special envelopes and special fund-raisers for expenses related to normal parish operating activities and ministries. Annual celebrations or festivals should mainly exist for the purpose of building community, not fund-raising. See Policies for Projects < $12,500 (in pdf).
6. Parish should contribute a portion of their Sunday offertory collection to poor parishes in this diocese, our own diocesan social ministries and worthy community, regional, national and international programs that further the plan of God on earth. This practice will provide an example to the parish community of the type of proportionate giving that the leadership is encouraging its members to assume. See Parish Tithe Policy (in pdf).
7. When parish leadership is conducting a campaign for extraordinary capital improvements/repairs, new building projects or debt reduction, these types of projects should be presented to the people within the context of the Church's teachings and practices of stewardship. There are excellent examples of how some parishes in our diocese are integrating the teachings and practices of stewardship into these types of projects. See blue area below Capital Projects Policy (in pdf).
8. Parish should promote the stewardship of assets and endowment awareness among parishioners for the long term financial benefit of the Parish, Diocese, and Universal Church. Parish shall establish an endowment account in the Catholic Foundation. Endowment awareness would include education of stewardship of assets and encouragement for bequests through wills and other planned giving instruments. The creation of an endowment committee is encouraged. See Endowment Gifts.
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Stewardship and the Assessment System
Approved on May 1, 1998
by Bishop Thomas Doran
Updated March 2009
Capital Projects
I. Basic definitions and observations
Capital projects are defined as the construction of new buildings, remodeling or repairing existing buildings, or the purchasing of new equipment, land or buildings which exceed $12,500.
Normally, revenue for capital projects and debt associated with the project are raised through a combination of an approved capital campaign and supplemented with Parish Ordinary Income. Some parishes have paid for capital projects using Parish Ordinary Income only.
II. Diocesan Policy Statements
Implementation of Stewardship Goal
When parish leadership is conducting a campaign for capital improvements, new building projects or debt reduction, these types of projects should be presented to the people within the context of the Church's Stewardship teachings.
Statement of Diocesan Assessment Goal
To establish parity between parishes which choose either the "Parish Ordinary Income only" option or the "capital campaign" option.
Statement of Procedures
1) Capital projects must be planned in accordance with the Uniform Procedures for the Purchase of or Contract for Land, Building Remodeling, and Improvements. A letter of request must be submitted to the Diocesan Bishop outlining the project.
2) Capital projects are not capital projects until the Diocesan Bishop gives initial approval for the plan and it is entered into the Diocesan Capital Projects log. As part of the approval process the parish must indicate the means of fund raising by either: a) conducting a capital campaign and using Parish Ordinary Income as supplemental, or b) using Parish Ordinary Income only. The diocesan project approval letter will include a statement recognizing the fund-raising method to be employed by the parish. Three – five years will be the normal timeframe to conduct capital campaigns and to redeem pledges. See St. James Approval Letter below.
a) If the parish is approved to conduct a capital campaign, revenues from the drive will not be used in the calculations for the diocesan assessments. Parish Ordinary Income used toward the capital project will not be deducted from Ordinary Income before diocesan assessments are calculated.
b) If the parish is approved to fund the capital project through Ordinary Income only, a maximum of 20% of the parish's Ordinary Income will be deducted from Ordinary Income before diocesan assessments are calculated.
For this "Parish Ordinary Income only" option the parish must have adopted most of the 8 Characteristics of a Stewardship parish and agrees to the following conditions:
a) no capital campaign
b) no special envelopes
c) no other fund-raising activities for the capital project
d) no other second collections (except a poor box)
e) no formal memorial drives for non-endowment purposes
f) parish must demonstrate ability to pay capital debt within 15 years.
[Note: While not reducing Ordinary Income, bequests or unsolicited special donations do not disqualify the parish for this deduction.]
3) If the Capital Campaign is initially chosen and when the three to five year capital campaign payment period is completed, the parish must formally decide which method it will choose to pay off the remaining debt. It may either choose the Parish Ordinary Income method, or choose to conduct a debt reduction drive and introduce a special envelope for that purpose. Written permission from the Vicar General is required.
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