Creating Congregations of Generous People [Paperback]

Michael Durall (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1566992206 | ISBN-13: 978-1566992206 | Publication Date: December 1, 1999 | Edition: 1st

Asking parishioners for money is very different from creating congregations of generous people. In this provocative book, stewardship consultant Michael Durall argues convincingly that annual pledge drives inadvertently perpetuate low-level and same-level giving in congregations. Written with the voice of experience, this book will help clergy and lay leaders initiate and sustain effective stewardship programs. Durall believes that asking for money eventually becomes routine, even tedious-but creating a congregation of generous people becomes ever more meaningful with passing time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Stewardship Is Not for Sissies' could be this book's subtitle." -- Mary L. Miles, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, Boston, Massachusetts

"A practical voice in a conversation that is desperately needed." -- Paul G. Schervish, Boston College

"Creating Congregations of Generous People is one of the best books on stewardship I have ever read." -- Kenneth B. Smith, The Chicago Community Trust

About the Author

Michael Durall is principal of the Common Wealth Consulting Group in Belmont, Massachusetts. He is also publisher of the quarterly newsletter Charitable Giving, on the subject of religious philanthropy. His consulting firm assists secular and religious organizations in establishing and sustaining effective stewardship programs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Alban Institute; 1st edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566992206
• ISBN-13: 978-1566992206
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ITS THE PEOPLE AS MUCH AS THE MONEY, May 2, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Croydon, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Congregations of Generous People (Paperback)

Mike Durall's slim but succulent guide to increasing and stimulating congregational giving is a welcome tonic when fundraising bibles seem to focus more on technique and need than motivation and virtue. Durall encourages us to aim to create congregations of generous people not as a ruse to open wallets but because - as he illustrates and explains well - only generous people in spirit and ethos will ever fill the plate. And it is more than his homespun wisdom as supported by his distilation of current reasearch and thinking from leaders in the field. Durall's emphasis on giving as the sharing of gifts with which we have been blessed is inspirational as well as practical. Give a copy to your minister as well as to every fundraiser you know!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What constitutes true charity?, April 26, 2000

By 

henry h babcock (Belmont, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Congregations of Generous People (Paperback)

I found this book to be most appealing for the following reasons: 1. It is very attractively designed, thus having an instant appeal to the bookstore or on-line browser.

2. It's content reinforces this external promise by virtue of: A)It's organization. The first sections witness the extent of the author's on-site research of charity as practiced by many Protestant and Jewish congregations. This survey is presented in a commendably non-judgmental way. The later sections deal with the author's own experience in his leadership of fund-raising within his own Church. The wisdom derived from such experience constitute the core of his message. B) The message. Mike Durall makes a convincing case for the necessity of a personal "stewardship" that combines spirituality and financial giving into a true act of charity. Furthermore, this attainment can have a vital effect upon the development or enhancement of a donor's life style and his concept of his relationship to his neighbors in this world. C)Its literary quality. This book is highly readable owing to its clear and refined prose. D) Its reference notes and bibliography. These combine to give further evidence of the thoroughness of research performed by Mike Durall in authoring this fine book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creating Congregations of Generous People, May 16, 2000

By 

Calvin Dame (Augusta, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Congregations of Generous People (Paperback)

I ordered a copy of Michael Durell's book for a quick peruse to see if there were ideas I could inject into our congregation's upcoming canvass. After a first read, I ordered four more copies the next day, and handed them around to the Canvass Committee members. Michael lays out a renewed vision of generosity with which to appraoch the perennial problem of raising the church budget fromthe faithful. His observation that this process is no less about growing souls than any other area part of church life, and that the object is to cultivate a generous spirit, sat well with my congregation this year. We used his book in our planning and our process. The result? The book was a part of a positive canvass, pledges are up and people are feeling good about their generous participation in the life of the congregation.