© Forward Through the Ages: A New Stewardship Development Program

Developed by Wayne B. Clark

Forward Through the Ages (FORTH) is a multiyear, systemic stewardship development program designed to promote growth and help fulfill congregational mission. There are five phases. Each phase is designed to take approximately one church-year to complete. Each phase has five components: stewardship education, joyful giving, ministry and good works, the annual budget drive, and planned giving.

FORTH is a congregation-wide program, but creating it, implementing it, and tweaking it as the congregation moves through the five phases, requires special attention from a team of stewardship development leaders.

Here is a brief summary of the five components of Phase 1:

1. Stewardship Education. The goal is to develop programs and informal opportunities to expand the congregation's understanding of stewardship.
2. Joyful Giving. What are the current gifts, calls, and spiritual vocations that the congregants share with each other? Which ones are shared with the local community? Are there some that are shared nationally and internationally? What new gifts, calls, and spiritual vocations might be added?
3. Ministry and Good Works. Promoting the internal programs, the global ministries, and the good works of the congregation depicts how the mission is being fulfilled. The focus on ministry and good works makes the case for generous giving by clarifying the relationship between giving and successful programs and ministries.
4. Annual Budget Drive . In the first fiscal year of FORTH, stewardship conversations represent the core of the annual budget drive and they are the foundation upon which future drives are built. A lot of time and energy is required in this first fiscal year. Have faith that a well-planned drive will result in immediate success, as well as make future drives easier and more successful.
5. Planned Giving. A well-conceived planned-giving program encourages congregants to give their financial support to the long-term fiscal stability of the faith community. Congregations are encouraged to create a planned-giving program if none exists and to revitalize the program if it has become inactive.

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wclark@uua.org

Learn about the FORTH Demonstration Project!

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