Stewardship comes around every year, and it’s easy to feel we’re just spinning our wheels. This four week stewardship sermon series reminds us that stewardship is a vital part of how we continue to progress as God’s church. Using a stretch from the RCL Year A (Proper 20-24), the series skims through Paul’s letter to the Philippians to assure us that the challenges of being church are nothing new–and that despite it all, God is still at work in us!
Church in Progress Series Outline
Week 1: Church in Progress
Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11, 25b-30* (slightly altered from Year A, Proper 20)
Usually, scriptures talk about faith growing—give it the right soil and water and nutrients, and watch it blossom! But in this letter, written from a jail cell to a church planted in the rocky, secular city of Philippi, Paul chooses a more aggressive word: progress. The Greek word that we translate as progress comes from a root word that means to chop down anything that gets in the way. The church that Lydia planted in Philippi was making good progress in living their life the Gospel way, despite real and present challenges. How has your own church made progress in faith worth celebrating?
Week 2: God at Work
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13
In this portion of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, Paul puts the concept of work front and center. “Work out your salvation in fear and trembling,” he tells them. Those of us in the Reformed tradition might bristle at the idea that any part of our salvation is our work, and not Christ’s. Yet there is work, in the life of faith, and certainly in the sustaining of a church. However, it’s not our work to do alone. In Paul’s very next breath, after ordering the Philippians to work out their salvation, he reminds them that “it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God is right there with us in the work, equipping us, empowering us, emboldening us to make it possible. How is God at work in your congregation?
Week 3: Pressing On
Scripture: Philippians 3:4b-14
Being a person of faith is no easy feat. In this portion of the letter, Paul reflects on his own challenges and turmoil in his efforts to follow Christ. Right before this, Paul warns the Philippians about challenges they may face as a community, from false teachers. As church people in the twenty-first century, we face our own stresses and challenges. Still, we give our money, time, and energy to the church because we believe Jesus has called us to the work. How can you acknowledge the faith-related stresses of your congregation and encourage them to keep pressing on towards the goal?
Week 4: Keep On
Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9
In this fourth chapter, Paul offers a kind of blueprint for how to be church when everything is falling apart–a list of spiritual practices to marry “church life” with the life of faith. Nothing Paul suggests here is particularly new or exotic. These are basic, lifelong practices to strive for again and again. What moves a congregation forward in faith is often not some new and shiny project, but the ministry of constancy–of giving, praying, loving, studying, praying on a regular basis. After all, what most shapes a discipline of generosity is not the amount of money we give but the constancy of that giving. As you move towards the close of stewardship season, invite your congregation to see their financial gifts as a ministry that moves the whole congregation forward.
Ministry Resources
Church in Progress Liturgy, including
Church in Progress Stewardship Resources
- Church in Progress Graphic (editable Canva template)
- Editable Pledge Card (editable Canva template)
- Example Stewardship Letter
Deep Well Worship 