The Steward

I set out with a twenty-dollar bill in my pocket. Attending the Christmas Lessons and Carols service at a nearby parish on the last Sunday ...

It might seem odd to draw attention to a major milestone or anniversary one year before it happens.  It would be strange, for example, to ...

Here’s a fresh idea: Encouragement Sunday! What’s that, you might ask? It’s a new way of looking at a longstanding idea – of prayerfully making ...

Everyone loves to receive a letter. Even at a time when fewer people send letters and e-mail and text are the preferred vehicles of communication, ...

One statistic stands out for me more than any other when assessing the health of stewardship in a parish: the total number of donors who ...

First, the good news: 28 per cent of the parishes in the diocese are experiencing growth in attendance, number of givers or both. That means ...

One of the things that Anglicans typically are not inclined to do is speak about their faith. The Natural Church Development program indicates that “passionate ...

Like many others, I’ve made my fair share of donations over the years. One gift stands out from all the others. The amount was rather ...

In the interest of stewardship, is it time to rethink how we use our buildings? After salaries for clergy and administrative support, the up-keep of ...

Following the success of his March column, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Parishes, Peter Misiaszek, the diocese’s director of Stewardship Development, asked others to write ...

Last month’s article on The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Churches garnered considerable interest, as evidenced by the emails and conversations I have had concerning ...

First, the good news: 25 per cent of the parishes in the Diocese of Toronto are experiencing growth in attendance and number of givers – ...

This past summer my wife, our three kids and I visited Great Britain. It was, first and foremost, a vacation. Over the course of three ...

What does it mean to have a generous spirit? Webster’s dictionary provides many definitions that are helpful: characterized by a noble and kindly attitude; giving ...

I want to share some exciting, promising news. We have all heard, time and again, that the church is in crisis, that attendance is down ...

Can you imagine what your community or church would be like without Anglican outreach? Imagine no parish food bank or mission trip to Africa. No ...

A few months back, I penned an article on whether the passing of the collection plate had run its course. Given the volume of emails, ...

I have always admired the zeal and commitment early Christians had for founding a new church and facing untold opposition from those with an interest ...

For many parishes in our diocese, autumn is the time of year when activity flourishes as congregants return after their summer vacation. It is also ...

In the weeks following the birth of our first child, my wife and I had our wills drawn up. Being in our early 30s, we ...

The more that I think about it, the more I am convinced that passing a collection plate for money is a practice that needs rethinking. ...

As we embark on a new year, many of us pause to consider what we can do differently to improve our physical, emotional, financial or ...

How do we respond to the ways that millennials are changing the church? We’re not just talking about reaching out to newcomers; we’re talking specifically ...

Canada has reached a milestone. For the first time in its nearly 150-year history, the number of seniors is greater than the number of children. ...

Lately it seems I have been preoccupied with the question of how the church can better respond to the challenge of welcoming newcomers. Specifically, I’m ...

I have a confession to make: I’m not a tither. After you get over the shock that the director of Stewardship Development for the diocese ...

As a stewardship educator, most of my time is dedicated to teaching – and hopefully inspiring – members of our congregations to embrace a life ...