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Date: May 13, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN	NEWSLINE
May 13, 2005

Stewardship survey finds `whole life' approach	in some
congregations

May 13, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- The results of a  Congregational
Stewardship Survey conducted by the Church of the Brethren  General
Board's Stewardship Formation Team were reported to all Church	of
the Brethren congregations in a spring mailing. Congregations that
had  responded to the survey received the results last November. The
original  survey, sent to all congregations, received 175 responses,
a nearly 17  percent return.

"The General Board staff are convinced that stewardship  is a deeply
spiritual matter," the report said. "We are encouraged by  response
which told of `year-long and whole life' approaches to	stewardship
in some of our congregations."

Eighty percent of Church of  the Brethren congregations participate
in the One Great Hour of Sharing  offering emphasis, the survey
found, while only about a third participate in	the World Mission or
the Christmas Advent offering emphases that support the  global
mission, peace, justice, and advocacy work of the General  Board's
Core Ministries Fund.

The survey also revealed some confusion  about what Church of the
Brethren denominational ministries are, the team's  report said.
"Congregational support of denominational ministries...was  high
among those who responded," the team said, but went on to  explain
that  "Habitat for Humanity and Heifer International are  not
denominational ministries, and the General Board's Core  Ministries
Fund is a renaming of the `Brotherhood Fund,' which  undergirds
ministries of the board that speak to the core of  Brethren
identity."

Responding congregations also are involved in a  variety of local
ministries, the survey found. Most frequently named  ministries were
response to community needs, food banks, housing programs,  and
ecumenical ministries.

The most frequently reported stewardship  success was "an increase
in giving and generosity." Building or property  improvements ranked
second. "Meeting or surpassing the annual budget" also	ranked high
as a success.

Troubling trends identified by the survey  include that "most of our
congregations understand stewardship primarily as a  financial
issue," and many do not link Christian education to  stewardship.
"Very few congregational stewardship decisions are made  by
prayerful discernment of God's call or a review of mission and
ministry  values," the team said, reporting that most respondents
said these decisions  are made by habit or routine processes in
committees. Only 12 percent of	respondents reported an intentional
decision to "give a tithe or more of  income."

The team highlighted stewardship bulletin inserts available  at
www.brethren.org, in response to input that many congregations do
want  more stewardship materials. The series will eventually include
24 brief  reflections on stewardship; the first 12 are currently
available. For more  information contact Carol Bowman, stewardship
development counselor, at  509-663-2833 or cbowman_gb@brethren.org;
or Ken Neher, director of Funding  and Donor Development, at
509-665-0441 or kneher_gb@brethren.org.

The  Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to
continuing  the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living
out its faith in  community. The denomination is based in the
Anabaptist and Pietist faith  traditions and is one of the three
Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its  300th anniversary in
2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United  States and
Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil,  the
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.

# # #

For more  information contact:

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News  Services
Church of the Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin,	IL 60120
847-742-5100 ext.  260
cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org

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The  Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl
Brumbaugh-Cayford,  director of news services for the Church of the
Brethren General Board.  Newsline stories may be reprinted provided
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