What is Stewardship?
Stewardship
What is Stewardship?
Pledge Online
WHY PLEDGE?
Pledging is a commitment to give Trinity a specified amount of money in the coming year. But more than that, pledging is a commitment to yourself and to God to be an intentional giver. We pledge so that Trinity can offer a community of worship in the Anglican tradition, help for the homeless, comfort for the bereaved, and support for the sick. That is our mission.
Why is pledging better than simply putting money in the plate each Sunday?
You’d have a hard time planning your family’s expenses for the next year if you had no idea how much you were going to earn. Trinity’s in the same position. You can help us plan ahead by letting us know what resources we’re going to be able to depend on next year. Moreover, making a pledge on future income will help you maintain your inclination to be generous over the natural temptation to use the money for other purposes. Pledging focuses your giving.
Where does the money go?
As with any organization, the largest part of our budget is personnel, which includes salaries and health insurance. We have struggled with rising health insurance costs, and we have tried to keep salaries for all our employees fair and competitive. We have not always been successful. We recognize that Princeton is a costly area in which to live. We will look at the compensation we currently pay to staff to determine current realities for OUR church in this community. Program, of course, absorbs much of the rest of the budget. What programs? We could list a good many that happen weekly or annually, but the most obvious is our regular worship schedule. Habit makes it easy to imagine that the services happen automatically. But the heat and lights need to be kept on, the flowers purchased (wholesale!), the interior of the church maintained, the candles replaced, the organ tuned and maintained….It’s your pledge that enables those things to happen.
Does Trinity really need my money?
Imagine that you’ve inherited a stunning mansion. It’s beautiful to look at and fun to live in—but expensive to maintain. The original owner was rich, but you’re not. What do you do? We have had many generous benefactors who have left us with a magnificent physical plant, and the income from our $5 million endowment (it sounds big but is modest for a church of our size) is just enough to maintain that plant, because we should be putting aside more than $200,000 a year to take care of both current and extended maintenance. Right now, instead of maintaining the church, we are forced to use that income for program. Trinity used to be able to depend upon a few wealthy donors. That era is long past—and it’s not truly the way to build a church in which everyone is invested. Today’s Trinity depends on every one of us to compensate our staff, take care of our facilities, and fund our programs. Our pledges are our way to meet the challenge of all those donors who came before us.
How much should I give?
The biblical mandate is 10% of your income. This includes all charitable giving as well as your pledge to Trinity. If you are not comfortable with 10%, perhaps it is a goal you could work toward. What’s most important is that you consider your pledge as a percentage of your income so that the level of your giving is not arbitrary but be a prayerfully considered percentage of your income.
How and when do I pay?
There are lots of ways to make your payment. You could give it in an envelope in the Sunday plate. You can make one lump payment,
2 half-year payments, 4 quarterly payments or 12 monthly payments. You can give appreciated securities. You can even pay by
credit card. Whatever works best for you is the one you should choose.