Igniting Stewardship Through Online Christian Learning
Led by The Rev. Chris Yaw
Friday, July 12, 3:15pm – 4:30pm Workshop A
A rector friend of mine recently asked his treasurer to crunch some numbers regarding pledges. He found that over a 3-year period, giving went up 4% for those families who were not actively involved in formation activities at the church. Over the same time period, giving went up 63% for the families that were actively involved in formation activities. It’s no secret that getting our people involved in meaningful Christian formation activities pays dividends in many ways. Yet given the state of our ‘content delivery’, ie; Wednesday night Bible Studies, coffee hour forums, etc. many parishes are experiencing declines in participation. So what if we could take Christian formation online? I will present an online learning model that can re-invigorate congregations by increasing participation, and hence ownership of the parish and the ways we are called to tend to our communities.
Vestry Leadership and Stewardship Best Practices
Led by The Rev. Angie Emerson and Donald Romanik
Saturday, July 13, 11:15am – 12:30pm Workshop C
The Vestry is the primary steward of the congregation through receiving and managing the regular financial gifts of the congregation as well as the gifts that have come to the community through the years. The Vestry can model and teach about deepening understanding of what it means to be a steward through its own life of prayer, reflection, study and action. The workshop will present very concrete practices that can be practiced by any vestry regardless of the size of the congregation.
What Gives with Giving
Led by The Rev. Canon Timothy Dombek
Saturday, July 13, 8:30am – 9:45am Workshop B
In this workshop we will explore reasons that giving by Christians in the USA has been historically poor and not just bad since the Great Recession. We’ll also look at how to report meaningful pledge data instead of just an average pledge, which downplays the truly generous, and lets poor givers off the hook. Lastly, participants will learn some concrete steps to take to help increase giving in their congregations.
Is Debt Defining Your Mission
Led by Terri Mathes
Saturday, July 13, 2:15pm – 3:30pm Workshop D
Is now the time to take advantage of low interest rates and fund that big project with a mortgage? Maybe, but it’s not as likely as you think. This workshop considers debt in terms of congregational mission, whether debt is right for your parish, and what to do if it’s not.
Registration Cost
TENS members only: $300
Non-members: $370
Webcast Registration: $75 p/site
Registration price includes all seminars/workshops, materials, all meals, & shuttle from hotel to Episcopal Commons of Utah
The Rev. Chris Yaw is the rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Michigan and the founder of ChurchNext, an online education resource company. ChurchNext produces and markets online learning experiences and is launching a parish-based pilot program to test online learning in congregations in the Fall of 2013. Chris was trained as a journalist and has worked for several local and national broadcasting companies as a writer, reporter, and producer. He holds two graduate degrees from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California and has written several books and articles including Jesus Was an Episcopalian (and You Can Be One Too!) as well as the church renewal curriculum, Grow My Church! Chris is proud to serve the good people at St. David’s in Southfield, Michigan who continue to show God’s love to all. Chris is married to Natalie, and they have two children and a dog named Ollie Lou Yaw (say it fast).
The Rev. E. Angela Emerson serves the Diocese of Vermont as Minister of Stewardship. Development where she assisted congregations in developing annual commitment campaigns based on the cultivation of generosity. Currently she is leading the development of the congregation based initiative to fund diocesan ministries called the Alleluiafund : Christ is Risen in Our Deeds and plays an active role in writing the Diocesan Narrative Budget and planning the diocesan Ministry and Money Summit. She also serves on the Northeast Stewardship Council comprised of 7 denominations in the northeast which hosts a biennial stewardship conference. She has developed an active and fruitful relationship with the Preservation Trust of Vermont to assist local congregations in building preservation. Prior to seminary, Angela was an attorney in private practice in Milledgeville, Ga. As a lay person she held multiple vestry positions at St. Stephens Episcopal Church and was active in stewardship work locally, regionally and nationally, serving as Chair of the Diocese of Atlanta’s Commission on Stewardship and as a national stewardship consultant. She is a 2006 graduate of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX.
Donald V. Romanik has been President of the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) since 2005.Since taking the helm at ECF, Donald has stabilized the financial and administrative infrastructure, led the organization through a comprehensive and ongoing strategic planning process, focusing ECF on mission, has developed and nurtured new programs that advance ECF’s mission, enhanced existing programs, and cultivated partnerships and collaborations with the Episcopal Church Center, dioceses and other Episcopal organizations. Donald is a strong advocate and proponent of lay leadership and the ministry of all the baptized, and frequently writes and speaks on topics relating to leadership and resource development for Episcopal communities of faith. As the author of Beyond the Baptismal Covenant: Transformational Lay Leadership for the Episcopal Church in the 21st Century, Donald has worked to develop new models of lay/clergy partnerships, where lay leaders and clergy are full and equal partners in transforming the Church, helping congregations respond to God’s call.
Donald has served as Chairperson of the Parish Committee of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut (Senior Warden), and as Chairperson of the Spanish Language Ministries Committee for the Diocese of Connecticut. He was formerly Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs for The Connecticut Institute for the Blind/Oak Hill, a charitable organization based in Hartford and also served as an attorney in both government and private practice. Donald has a strong background in labor and employment law, advocacy, government relations and non-profit law and administration. He has been active in a variety of tax-exempt civic, charitable and religious organizations and was a former member and President of the Hartford Board of Education. Donald is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law. He is married to Margaret Felton Romanik and has two grown children, one of whom serves as a priest in the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
The Rev. Canon Timothy M. Dombek has been the Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona since October 2007. Prior to ordained ministry, Canon Dombek was a Certified Financial Planner serving clients in the Midwest. Since 2008, he has been the creator and presenter of Stewardship University, an education program for clergy and lay leaders that changes the way we look at, think of, and go about stewardship in congregations.
Terri Mathes is Program Director of Financial Resources at the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). She helps oversee capital campaign consultants, develops new programs, and manages diocesan capital campaigns. Since joining ECF in 2006 she has coached Episcopal organizations through more than $27 million in capital projects while strengthening their annual giving, helping them improve their communications structures, and expanding their base of volunteers. Her fundraising experience includes dioceses, schools, churches, libraries, arts organizations, and a foster home in Mexico. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The University of the South, she holds a Master’s degree from Bennington. She lives in San Diego, CA, and attends St. Paul’s Cathedral.
