ACNA Initiatives Focus: Evergreen | By Kevin Walthall

Evergreen: Cultivating Generosity. Evergreen trains parishes and clergy to be good stewards of their resources, creating a “Church Sustainable” that can bear life in every season. Every Lent ushers in a period of intentional almsgiving. We redirect the resources that had gone to comfort and devote them instead to others. This is part of the vulnerable respiration of Lent: we exhale our comforts to inhale prayer. We expel and confess our sins to receive Christ and His passion. We release physical resources and ask for spiritual ones. We learn to give; we learn to need. More than just the satisfaction of doing good deeds, the tangible sense of cutting into normal life to serve others is a beautiful way of redirecting ourselves toward Christ in preparation for Easter.

And yet, talking about money is often challenging for both clergy and laity. Evergreen has helped nearly 1,000 Anglican congregations turn difficult conversations about money into one of the many rhythms of parish life. Part of that help is logistical: moving tithe into the 21st century with online giving and e-newsletters. Part of that help is educational: Evergreen produces its own curricula and harnesses resources like Crown Financial Ministries and Dave Ramsey. David Roseberry, founder of Evergreen, has authored titles such as “The Rector and the Vestry: A Very Essential Companion and Guide for the Rectors, Wardens and Members of the Anglican Vestries,” and “Giving Up: How Giving to God Renews Hearts, Changes Minds, And Empowers Ministry.”

While most people who enter the clergy do so in order to care for peoples’ souls, they must successfully manage a budget in order to maintain sustainability and ‘keep the lights on.’ That’s where Evergreen steps in. Evergreen’s mission is to help individuals and parishes be good stewards of their resources. Evergreen aims to bring money matters into alignment with our values, as Christ taught in Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” According to Scripture, money is a heart issue – and Christ is here for all our hearts, billfolds included.

Evergreen focuses on creating a “Church sustainable,” where rectors don’t have to take up unsustainable second jobs and parishioners can weather economic storms. The ultimate goal is for churches to operate in their own economy - not one based purely on “rational egoism,” but rational, well-planned selflessness.

One of the primary obstacles to healthy conversations is a misconception that parishioners don’t want to hear or think about money. That isn’t true. Everyone thinks about money. For Christians, giving is simply our sense of purpose expressed or reflected financially. Giving to religious institutions is the single largest category of charitable giving (29%) in the United States. To avoid addressing money is to avoid planning, and the absence of planning is what causes uncertainty and anxiety. Ironically, shying away from facing our finances means financial worry occupies more and more of our thought lives.

The antidote, as Evergreen teaches it, is not to launch more of our hard-earned paychecks into the void of amorphous institutions, but to partner with others to see God’s Kingdom advanced. That could mean trying the “debt-snowball” strategy to relieve yourself of the burden of debt. That could mean seeking out charities working in fields that God has placed on your heart. Charitable giving is simply our desire for purpose reflected financially. Giving empowers (and reflects) what matters most to us, and results in lasting, substantial connections to partners in the Gospel. As we partake in Lent, let us consider how we can best align our treasure with what God is putting on our hearts.

Archbishop Foley Beach has identified six ministry priorities for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). These priorities are enshrined in Six Initiatives. The Initiatives “serve those at the local level by coming alongside them with support, resources, and networking. Through this, ministry in the prioritized areas is more readily promoted, coordinated, and lived out across the Province.” The Six Initiatives are: Partnering Globally, Serving the Marginalized, Fostering Diversity, Planting Churches, Cultivating Generosity, and Developing Leaders.