“When people with shared charisms come together, they no longer see age, color, gender or other differences,” said Dave Baranowski, Director of Parish Stewardship and Leadership Formation for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. “Our data reporting is creating distinctions in generations that are not necessary when we are acting as disciples.”
Dave’s comment cuts right to the heart of discipleship. We need to understand generations, especially Gen Z and younger, in order to know where and how to start a relationship. However, for those who already have an association with our parishes, focusing on stewardship as a disciple’s response through inner transformation is the challenging part that bears much spiritual fruit.
In his work with parishes, Dave has observed that our stewardship messages often do not bear fruit. He recognizes that in order for stewardship to work, we must first be disciples. Those Catholics whose faith is founded on obligation are challenged to recognize what we have been given. When we operate out of the love of Christ, we become grateful for what we are given, which opens us to discerning our charisms.
Hear more about prayer, participation, and generosity to set the structure of stewardship behavior and why we should focus on relationships over efficiency in this video conversation with Dave.
About Terry Poplava
Terry Poplava serves as General Manager, ACST Catholic. As a cradle Catholic, his faith was lukewarm until he was confronted by the intense challenge and commitment he heard in the message about Stewardship. “What do I own and what owns me?” which led him to executive roles at Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic Leadership Institute before his current focus on serving the Catholic Church at ACS Technologies. Terry has extensive experience working with churches across the U.S., supporting their planning, stewardship, and engagement efforts
