Amplifying Generosity: The Art of Resilience in Stewardship

By Kristi Posewitz, Director of Marketing

Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2025 has wrapped up, and this year’s theme, The Art of Resilience, proved both timely and transformative. Church leaders gathered from across the country to share ideas, learn strategies, and reimagine what stewardship can look like.

I had the privilege of presenting a workshop with Stefanie Marsden on behalf of Texas Presbyterian Foundation, where we explored how a marketing mindset, paired with a ministry heart, can help congregations practice the art of resilience through stewardship.

Here, I review some key strategies from this workshop that you can use to make an impact today:

• Move From Obligation to Inspiration
  One of the core themes we explored is how churches can move from Obligation to Invitation to Inspiration in their generosity messaging. Too often, giving is framed by paying the bills or meeting the budget. Resilient congregations are shifting the story. Generosity isn’t about dollars, it’s about discipleship.
• Tell the Generosity Story
  In marketing we know that numbers are important, but stories inspire action. The same is true in stewardship. When churches highlight mission, not maintenance through examples of lives changed and thriving ministries, people respond with gratitude and generosity.
• Prioritize Generosity Across Generations
  Another focus of this workshop was how different generations engage with generosity. Just as marketers adapt messaging for diverse audience, churches must recognize that Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all give for different reasons AND connect in different ways.
• Stretching the Message Beyond Sunday
  Resilience also means refusing to limit stewardship conversations to pledge season or Sunday morning. Multi-channel communication is critical and can include newsletters, websites, email, social media, video, and personal stories to extend your generosity message year-round. Remember, if people can’t hear your message, they can’t respond to it.

The Art of Resilience theme reminded us that the church has always been called to adapt with creativity and hope. By reframing generosity through storytelling, tailoring messages for different audiences, and reaching beyond sanctuary walls, we can build cultures of generosity that sustain ministry and missions long into the future.

I left Stewardship Kaleidoscope encouraged and inspired, and I am hopeful that many who joined the conversation returned home with practical tools to begin amplifying generosity in their own contexts. Because marketing isn’t a bad word in the church. It’s simply the art of telling the story of God’s generosity and telling it well.

If you would like to learn more about Stewardship Kaleidoscope, simply CLICK HERE. And if you would like to learn more about amplifying generosity, you can CLICK HERE to visit TPF’s Legacy Builder website for additional information, tools, and resources.