Planning the Annual Commitment Program
by Angela Emerson
Mountain Echo, July/August 2008

Some call it the pledge drive, some the fall stewardship campaign, and others the annual commitment program. The label chosen to describe the program suggests a difference in content and how the program is “pitched” to the congregation.

National Public Radio does a pledge drive about as well as it can be done. There is ample disclosure and education about what it costs to broadcast each program. But there is even more discussion about the importance of the program in the life of the listeners—how much the listener either enjoys or depends upon the program. The listener is invited to put a value on the importance of the particular program through the amount of the pledge.

Church pledge drives typically appeal to the budget as the motivation for making the pledge. The budget (from the previous year or the next year’s projection) is often distributed along with a pledge card, and the congregation is asked to consider the budget in determining the amount of the pledge. This approach assumes that the congregation is motivated by : 1) a sense of duty or obligation; or 2) a sense of contributing a “fair share;” or 3) a sense of patronage much like the NPR appeal; or 4) guilt! In every such case, the pledge drive focuses on the needs of the church rather than the need of Christians to give in thanksgiving for God’s blessings and God’s gifts. A stewardship campaign that focuses on getting the pledge card signed takes much the same approach.

An annual commitment program is designed first and foremost to educate and celebrate the many ways that the church is changing lives and relieving suffering. An effective commitment program provides opportunities for people to share stories about their encounters with God in and through the work of the church and encourages an offering of time and material wealth in thanksgiving for God’s presence. The commitment program occurs within the context of an ongoing, year round theological education effort in which people are invited to engage Scripture, reflect on how God is working in their lives, and what God is calling each person to do with the gifts God has given. This approach assumes that people want to make a difference in the world and, when given the opportunity, will respond with generosity.

Planning for the commitment program begins with the mission statement and the goals the vestry has set for the congregation. Opportunity is provided for people to share their own encounters with God through the various ministries within the church and in the world. Consider having one or more lay preachers at sermon time, or short witness talks at the offertory. Try a “contemporary epistle” in lieu of the Epistle reading in the lectionary—a letter written by a parishioner about a particular ministry. Be creative, inventive, and bold! Put the call of the Gospel to serve at the center of your commitment program instead of the budget. It will make a huge difference.

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