Promises, Promises

Dancing, singing, eating, and pledging

Speaking of philanthropic commitments (see previous post below), tonight was the church's annual stewardship dinner that marked the end of the pledge campaign. Members fill out cards that indicate how much they will donate to the church next year. There's a practical reason for pledges; they're the primary funding source for next year's expense budget.

The pledge is not a legal obligation; one can reduce or cancel one's pledge for any reason. Typically changes are made because of a move out of the area, the loss of a job, or health.

But a pledge is not nothing. I know people who have moved away, yet have finished out the current year's pledge. If they had not signed the card, who knows if they would have continued donating?

Given the importance everyone--yes, even the supposedly religious--places upon money, pledge information is restricted to very few, usually the rector and the treasurer. In fact I know one rector who instructed the treasurer not to tell him the specifics; the rector did not want such knowledge to influence his ministry.

As for me, I've tried stretch pledging (for more than is comfortable) and no pledging (when joining a new church). Lately I've been setting a relatively easy target and beating it slightly. This makes the church look good in the eyes of the Diocesan statistician.

A low personal target also leaves some funds in reserve for the inevitable special pleas--for example, aid to fire or hurricane victims.

Repeating yesterday's advice: it's always better to under-promise and over-deliver.