Keynote Speaker
Rev. Karl Travis
Not long into his first pastorate the Rev. Karl Travis realized that issues of faith and finance were central to his parishioners’ discipleship, and that he was largely unprepared to help. Thus began an immersion in studying, praying, and preaching about Christian generosity. Years later Karl is ever more convinced that stewardship is at once our chief spiritual challenge and opportunity. Active in stewardship issues at every level of the church, he brings a special passion to personal and congregational financial generosity. The Rev. Karl Travis is senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, Texas. He is a graduate of Trinity University and the University of Edinburgh, and is the recipient of a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Austin College. Married to Jaci, they parent 6 children: one in graduate school, one about to be in graduate school, two undergraduates, and two about to be undergraduates.
Hotel Information
La Quinta Inn & Suites - MCI Airport
6901 NW 83rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64152
816-587-6262
$85.00/ night - To get the special block rate, contact the hotel, and let them know that you are part of the Spirit of Stewardship group.
Spirit of Stewardship Conference 2018
March 2nd & 3rd
Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church
Sponsored by the Presbyteries of Northern Kansas, Missouri Union, and Heartland
Register to attend this inspiring event. Pastors, stewardship committees, session members, Christian educators and other church leaders seeking to nurture faithful financial discipleship and promote meaningful spiritual development as stewards of God’s gifts should plan to attend. We encourage you to bring others with you.
COST: $75.00 for first person; $60 for each person for up to 4 people from the same church (use discount code IBROUGHT4)
In addition to the networking opportunities and fellowship around the table...
There will be THREE plenary sessions
Plenaries: Generosity as the Antidote to Society’s Problems
Session I - What’s your stewardship pitch? Too often, congregations lead with the church’s financial needs – staff salaries, utility bills, building maintenance, etc. The spiritual benefits of individual generosity get washed away in institutional anxiety and the inertia of yesteryear’s stewardship campaigns. What if we began our stewardship conversations not with the church’s need to receive, but with the individual’s need to give? And what difference would it make if we discovered that our generosity is rooted in God’s generosity?
The guiding thought of this session: Is God generous, and if so, so what?
Session 2 - Each autumn, when we roll out the year’s stewardship campaign, is there a way to open the conversation to God? If our stewardship conversations are about more than meeting the church’s budget, how can we think about generosity that deepens discipleship and enlivens a broader spiritual life? Created in God’s image, fashioned by God to be kind and compassionate, creative and generous, how do we move towards God’s example of self-giving love and conspicuous open-handedness?
The guiding thought of this session: If our discipleship includes changing the world, how does our generosity contribute?
Session 3 - God is generous. We aspire to be. Our generosity empowers us to be creatively counter-cultural. It inoculates us from the chief idols of the age: consumerism, materialism, and acquisition. In a hectic world in which busy people seek rhythm and ritual to ground our faith, consistent generosity leads us into a deeper relationship with God, our families, and ourselves. The bottom line: generosity pays liberating spiritual dividends. Finally, in Session 3 – but not before – we can begin to talk about why giving to the church matters.
The guiding thought of this session: Congregations which care most about their members’ spiritual health will have more money to engage their mission.
...And there will be THREE informative workshop blocks of which you may choose from the FOURTEEN following options:
Karl Travis: Pep Talk for Preachers: Cash Got Your Tongue
Zac Walker: Youth and Stewardship
Sue Ann Seel: Faith & Fundraising: Do the two belong together?
Patricia Ireland: Stories over Numbers: Narrative Budgets
Fred Holbrook and Matt McBride: Faith Based Budgets
Lisa Longo, Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation: Planned Giving 101
Lisa Longo, Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation: Electronic Giving
Debbie Garber, Pastor, Westside Presbyterian Church, Lawrence, Kansas: Time and Talent workshop
Laura Frasey: Stewardship 101: What is it? What does it mean to the church?
John Wray, Consultant Church Campaign Services; Presbyterian Foundation: The Building Blocks of a Successful Capital Campaign
Tim Cargal: The Stewardship of Pastoral Calls
Rev. Mitchell is Senior Director for Mission Engagement and Support, and Rev. Kruse is Mission Engagement Advisor for the Midwest Region: No More Fundraising
Alex Wales: Generational Giving
Lisa Lingo, Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation: Creating a Culture of Generosity
Follow this link for a description of the workshops.
Follow this link for a printable flyer to share with friends and colleagues in ministry.
Follow this link for a detailed schedule of the event.
Childcare is available - if you need childcare, please indicate through the online registration AND email pireland@pnks.org.