Over the weekend of March 6-8, 2026, we invited Bill Marianes to our church, with the blessing of the Metropolis, to speak to us about our financial health and ways to encourage the stewardship of our church.
Who Is Bill?
Bill Marianes interviewing Metropolitan Tikhon of the OCA in 2023
Bill Marianes has been working with the Church for decades He has a B.A. in Psychology, a Master's in Business Administration, a Juris Doctorate to practice law, and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. His dissertation for this final doctorate has turned into a book called, "A Roadmap for American Churches and People of Faith: What Would Jesus Do?" and is available to read and download for free on his website, "Stewardship Calling."
Bill spent 30 years as the personal lawyer for Metropolitan Alexios, and has spent decades working with churches not only all across the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, but with churches in other Orthodox jurisdictions as well, helping them with strategic planning and stewardship. For the past few years, after a 36+ year career as a lawyer, Bill has retired to work full time, without pay, on his Stewardship Calling ministry. If you would like to know more, you can read his self-written biography HERE.
What is 'Ignite the Flame?'
Ignite the Flame is a 6-hour seminar that Bill has developed to help churches approach the topic of stewardship and tithing, and to give some suggestions and ideas on how to help our communities understand not only the material need for stewardship, but its Biblical basis as well.
To sum up the presentation, the main ideas were:
- Tithing is scriptural. From the 'first fruits' of Leviticus to the widow and her two coins found in the Gospels, the idea of supporting the church monetarily is not a new thing.
- Tithing is intimately connected to involvement. The best way to ensure that the church is being taken care of, is to make sure that the people are being taken care of and have things to be involved in.
To view the Saint Katherine's Ignite the Flame Slide Deck, click here.