Makeover: From ‘$tewardship’ to ‘S†ewardship’
By Christina Leslie
Correspondent
PISCATAWAY — “Extreme (Stewardship) Makeover: Diocese Edition” took place the morning of May 13 at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center. No nails were pounded into drywall, nor were coats of paint applied to cover structural flaws, but rather practical suggestions were offered to “make over” a parish’s outlook towards the use of their members’ time, talent and treasure.
Roughly a dozen participants took notes as diocesan coordinator of stewardship Sue Mantarro served as the diocese’s answer to Ty Pennington, offering antidotes to tired pulpit appeals for cash or volunteers for parish ministries. Showing a slide where the initial S in stewardship was changed to a dollar sign, then the T to a cross, Mantarro reminded the group that stewardship’s focus was not only on money, but on spirituality. Stewardship must be defined in terms that parishioners can readily understand. “We must take our cues from the secular world,” Mantarro said. “We should have a marketing strategy.”
She reminded the group of the importance of advertising often and in different ways, advocating that attendees solidify the concept of stewardship in their parishes as if it were a brand name. “Stewardship,” she defined, “is all that we do with our lives after reciting our baptismal promises. It is a journey.” Mantarro asserted that people eager to give their time and talents often followed with the third leg of the concept, the treasure.
Continuing the marketing analogy, she offered a second tip: “Know your target market. Engage the people in the pews, and the newcomers, and reach out to those who are disengaged.” She warned against viewing members of the congregation as “hot prospects.” Instead, she advised extending genuine hospitality and meeting the parishioners’ needs before requesting their help.
Mantarro’s third suggestion was to use a slogan or catchphrase consistently in the message. She illustrated her point by giving various national brands’ slogans and advocated building the message of stewardship into every example of parish literature and signage. “St. Magdalen [de Pazzi Parish in Flemington] has a great one: ‘Just Live It!’” she stated. “I just love that.” Keeping the stewardship message a high-profile, high-priority issue would help strengthen its place in the parishioners’ minds. “Solidify the understanding, and it’ll stick,” she advised.
“There’s an old saying: ‘If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got,’” Mantarro said. “The message of stewardship needs constant rejuvenation.” She recommended full disclosure and accountability of the donations received and using the parish’s annual report as an evangelization tool.
Mantarro’s final “marketing tips” involved the subjective: “Give away free samples of stewardship,” she advised to audience chuckles. “Not the tote bags that charities give if you donate a certain amount of money, but let the congregation experience it.”
“Stewardship must be both educational and experiential,” Mantarro concluded. “Going from $tewardship to s†ewardship doesn’t happen overnight, but it takes the pastor, staff and every parishioner to be committed to the process.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law