Stewardship in Times of Inflation: How Congregations Can Lead with Abundance, Not Anxiety

Every fall, congregations across the country feel the same tightening. Health insurance premiums are rising. The cost of ministry is going up. And somewhere on the finance committee, someone reaches for the sentence every stewardship leader dreads: "We're out of money. We need to send a letter."

There is a better way forward, and it starts with keeping the focus where it belongs, on the vision and impact of the ministry, not on the deficit.

Why the scarcity letter backfires

The familiar September appeal, the one that says giving dropped over the summer and staff cuts may follow, often is not even accurate. A major donor may have moved, passed away, or simply not yet made an annual gift from an IRA. More importantly, that letter rarely shows a path forward. It produces anxiety and a handful of scared, guilt driven gifts, rather than the joyful, community minded generosity congregations actually want to cultivate.

A stronger version of that letter leads with leadership's own commitment. When the people signing it can say "we have already increased our own generosity by this amount, will you join us," the message shifts from a problem dumped on the congregation to an invitation to be part of the solution.

Naming the real numbers without inducing panic

It helps to know the actual math before writing a single word of an appeal. National inflation running around 3.4 percent translates to roughly $3,400 a year for every $100,000 in a congregation's budget, or about $65 a week, just to maintain current ministry. A $250,000 budget would need about $8,500 more next year, or $163 a week, which spread across 75 households averages out to about $2.18 per household per week.

Health insurance increases add another layer. In a real example, three staff members' combined insurance increase came to $9,372, requiring about $180 a week in new congregational generosity, or roughly $2.40 per household on average.

These are averages, not individual asks. Congregations are called to equal sacrifice, not equal giving. Some households will need to grow by $10 or $20 a week. Others may need to decrease because of their own circumstances, and that is not a failure of stewardship, it is reality.

Don't position the increase as anyone's fault

Avoid blaming a benefits provider like Portico for premium increases. These organizations are responding to real costs from a year in which claims were paid out to keep pastors and staff healthy. If frustration needs somewhere to go, the more productive target is national healthcare policy, not a ministry partner. Keep the messaging focused on what the increase protects: quality preaching, meaningful worship, pastoral care, and staff who can do their work without financial anxiety of their own.

Let the feeding of the 5,000 guide the story

John's telling of the feeding of the 5,000 offers a natural framework for stewardship season. The disciples' first instinct was scarcity: send the crowd away, we don't have enough. Jesus responded by asking what resources were already present. A child's offering of loaves and fish became the lead gift. By the end of the story, there was not only enough, there was abundance, with baskets of leftovers.

This story works well as a stewardship sermon series theme, and as a reminder that congregations often discover more capacity than expected once leadership steps forward first.

A four part framework: Inform, Inspire, Ask, Thank

Effective stewardship campaigns move through four stages.

Inform means clearly stating what additional funds are needed and why, including a "sustaining ministry excellence" number, meaning what it costs to keep doing this year's ministry next year, adjusted for inflation, departed or relocated households, and members whose giving capacity has changed.

Inspire means telling the real stories already present in the congregation. The meaningful Maundy Thursday service, the visitor who fell in love with worship, the pastoral care given during a time of grief. These stories are the why behind the ask.

Ask is the step most congregations get wrong. Speak in terms of a weekly dollar increase, not a percentage and not a call to tithe. Fewer than 10 percent of Americans tithe, so leading with that language alienates most of the congregation from the start. A dollar a day, framed as roughly $7 a week, is far more approachable for households giving under $1,000 a year, who often make up 40 to 50 percent of a congregation.

Thank closes the loop and reinforces that a gift was received as part of something meaningful, not processed as a transaction.

Let leadership give first

One of the most effective tactics available to a congregation is having council or leadership commit their increased giving before the congregational ask goes out, then announcing the total together. If a council of 12 people averages a dollar a day increase, that is roughly $4,380 toward the goal before anyone else is even asked. If they average $20 a week, that is over $12,000. This "join me" framing invites the congregation into something already in motion, rather than presenting stewardship as an unsolved problem someone else needs to fix.

Challenge gifts work on the same principle. A donor willing to give a set amount if the congregation collectively grows its giving by a target creates energy and momentum without turning the increase into a special, one time project.

Planned giving deserves a bigger seat at the table

Since the pandemic, openness to planned giving has grown significantly. Where congregations once saw roughly one in ten members respond positively to being asked whether they had included the congregation in their estate plans, many are now seeing seven or eight out of ten respond affirmatively.

For donors 70 and a half or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution directly from a traditional IRA (up to $111,000 per individual or $222,000 per couple) is one of the most tax efficient ways to give, and it counts toward a required minimum distribution. The most effective way to introduce this option is to have a member who is already doing it speak about it directly, rather than relying on a flyer alone.

Naming a congregation as an IRA beneficiary is also one of the simplest planned gifts to set up. It requires no attorney, and current tax law requires heirs to liquidate inherited IRA funds within 10 years anyway, which makes a charitable beneficiary designation worth raising proactively with members.

Why low giving happens in the first place

Research summarized in the book Passing the Plate points to several common drivers of low giving among Protestants: a lack of biblical or theological grounding around generosity, low expectations set by the congregation itself, lack of confidence in the vision, no accountability structures, and simply nobody talking about generosity out loud.

The bottom line

Stewardship, done well, should never feel like a financial transaction. It should feel like an invitation to be part of something larger than any one household's contribution, grounded in vision, carried by honest numbers, and led by people willing to go first.

Frequently asked questions

How should a congregation talk about health insurance premium increases in stewardship messaging?
Frame the increase around what it protects, meaning healthy and supported staff who can do quality ministry, rather than presenting it as a bill that needs to be paid. Avoid blaming the benefits provider, since it is responding to real claims costs from the prior year.

Should stewardship appeals ask for a percentage increase or a dollar amount?
Weekly dollar amounts are more effective than percentages or tithing language, since the majority of givers in most congregations give under $1,000 a year and do not relate well to large annual totals or a 10 percent standard.

What is the "sustaining ministry excellence" number?
It is the additional revenue a congregation needs to keep doing what it did this year, accounting for inflation, departed or relocated households, and members whose giving capacity has decreased.

Why does having council or leadership give first matter?
When leadership commits and announces its combined increase before the congregational ask goes out, it reframes the appeal as an invitation to join an effort already underway rather than a burden placed on the congregation.