Financial Stewardship

“Offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

The Church of the Good Shepherd seeks to live out our Christian faith by encouraging sound financial stewardship of God’s gifts to us. Financial Stewardship is a spiritual act of worship which requires that we invest ourselves in our faith. It is living out what we say we believe. It puts flesh on what is often a mental, emotional and spiritual understanding of God.

It is first and foremost a posture before God. Giving to God is an act that affirms He is the source of our lives and all that is in them. The Bible teaches that He creates us, blesses us with every good thing, draws us into a relationship with himself, and equips us with talents and skills to be partners in his kingdom. Understanding that everything we are and have is really a gift from him brings us to a humble place of wanting to give back to him. It is the grateful response of our heart back to God.

Stewardship is God’s idea. The very word suggests that he has given us the responsibility of caring for his creation – his earth, his resources, and his children. It is a position of trust on his part. He hands over his resources to us, as we are able, and asks us to be good stewards of them, returning them in full to him as he requires. Understanding that we are not actually the owners of our own resources, but caretakers, is a healthy foundation for Christian giving.

Financial giving is an act of faith. Scripture teaches that as we learn to give away what God has given us, he replenishes our stores. Spiritual maturity develops as we obey God in his command to give a “tithe” (or ten percent of income) and then see Him fulfill his promise. There is nothing more exciting or liberating than to know God is intimately involved in our finances and is able to supply everything we need and desire. Malachi 3:10 says “‘Bring the whole tithe into the store house’… ‘Test me in this’, says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the flood gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” The Bible regularly reveals God’s desire to provide for us, and he is faithful to fulfill his promises to us.

“You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity.”  2 Corinthians 9:11


Stewardship Pledges

Financial giving also serves a very practical matter. At a very basic level, annual stewardship pledges provide the means for the church to plan for the coming year of ministries and worship activities that accomplish, on a daily basis, the work of Christ in the world. Specifically, the stewardship pledging effort recurs annually in the fall in order to provide an expectation of contributions in the coming year on which to plan for: worship services, Christian formation programs for both children and adults, operations and maintenance of the facility, clergy and staff salaries, mission and outreach, music programs, pastoral care, etc. Your financial gift directly supports the daily life and work of the church.

The Church of the Good Shepherd encourages you to practice trust, gratitude and faithfulness to God by making a financial commitment to the church. The amount of your pledge is entirely up to you, knowing that God asks only that we give a portion of the bounty he has provided. The biblical standard of giving is the tithe, which also means 10% of income. If you do not yet feel you can give at that level, consider beginning at a lower percentage and work your way up. The table below may help you determine what amount might be right for you. Remember this decision is a spiritual act, so it is recommended that you start by praying, and asking God to help you decide at what level you are able to give.

Weekly Pledge

Weekly Income

15%

10%

9%

8%

7%

6%

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

$  200

30.00

20.00

18.00

16.00

14.00

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00

$  300

45.00

30.00

27.00

24.00

21.00

18.00

15.00

12.00

9.00

6.00

3.00

$  400

60.00

40.00

36.00

32.00

28.00

24.00

20.00

16.00

12.00

8.00

4.00

$  500

75.00

50.00

45.00

40.00

35.00

30.00

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

$  600

90.00

60.00

54.00

48.00

42.00

36.00

30.00

24.00

18.00

12.00

6.00

$  700

105.00

70.00

63.00

56.00

49.00

42.00

35.00

28.00

21.00

14.00

7.00

$  800

120.00

80.00

72.00

64.00

56.00

48.00

40.00

32.00

24.00

16.00

8.00

$  900

135.00

90.00

81.00

72.00

63.00

54.00

45.00

36.00

27.00

18.00

9.00

$1,000

150.00

100.00

90.00

80.00

70.00

60.00

50.00

40.00

30.00

20.00

10.00

$1,500

225.00

150.00

135.00

120.00

105.00

90.00

75.00

60.00

45.00

30.00

15.00

$2,000

300.00

200.00

180.00

160.00

140.00

120.00

100.00

80.00

60.00

40.00

20.00

$3,000

450.00

300.00

270.00

240.00

210.00

180.00

150.00

120.00

90.00

60.00

30.00

You can make a pledge to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in several different ways. You can attend the annual Stewardship Sunday in the fall and place your pledge before God on the High Altar as an act of worship.  If you are unable to attend one of the services on Stewardship Sunday, you can mail your pledge card or bring it by the Church Office. Pledge Cards are always available in the Church Office.  You can also download a Pledge Card or make a pledge online by clicking the Online Pledge or if you prefer, you can make a pledge by simply calling the church office at 361-882-1735.

Pledge payments can be made in the form of cash, check, automatic debit transactions, or stock gifts. Many parishioners find it convenient to make scheduled payments through online giving. Many find the regular discipline of bringing their pledge payments to church every week a meaningful part of worship, placing their gifts in the offertory plate and presenting them to God at the altar.  Pledge payments made in cash must be placed in an envelope with the parishioner’s name on it, so the contribution can be recorded as a pledge payment.

If you are mailing your pledge, please send it to:

Church of the Good Shepherd
700 S. Upper Broadway
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401-3521

Special Gifts

Special gifts are a means of providing financial support to the church, over and above annual stewardship pledges.  They are welcome at any time and are greatly appreciated. While the stewardship pledges are used for the daily mission and ministries of the church and are undesignated funds, special gifts can be either undesignated or designated. Often, one who wishes to leave a gift to the church may not know exactly where the greatest need may be, so they choose to make an undesignated special gift for the church to decide the best use of the funds.  Others may have a specific project or mission that is dear to them and choose to make a designated special gift for that purpose.  Special gifts can be directed in a variety of ways:

Special gifts are a means of providing financial support to the church, over and above annual stewardship pledges.  They are welcome at any time and are greatly appreciated. While the stewardship pledges are used for the daily mission and ministries of the church and are undesignated funds, special gifts can be either undesignated or designated. Often, one who wishes to leave a gift to the church may not know exactly where the greatest need may be, so they choose to make an undesignated special gift for the church to decide the best use of the funds.  Others may have a specific project or mission that is dear to them and choose to make a designated special gift for that purpose.  Special gifts can be directed in a variety of ways:

Directing Special Gifts

Undesignated Gifts

Church General Fund
Rector’s Discretionary Fund

Designated Gifts

Church Endowment Fund
King Building Endowment Fund

Designated Gifts

Specific Purposes
Projects or Missions

The Rector’s Discretionary Fund enables the Rector to disburse funds for a wide range of needs, from individuals to charitable organizations, as the needs arise.  The Church Endowment Fund is a permanent investment fund of which the principal is never spent. It is overseen by the Endowment Board which makes the investment decisions. The Vestry approves Endowment Fund distributions for missions of the Church, exclusively from the interest earned by the fund. The Richard King Building Endowment Fund functions similarly to the Church Endowment Fund, but with distributions designated to the needs of our large physical property.

Giving special gifts, over and above a stewardship pledge, is a way to express gratitude for the Church and for the blessings of God in our lives. These gifts directly benefit the ministries of the Church of the Good Shepherd, and ensure the future mission of the Church to the community of Corpus Christi, South Texas and beyond.