Stewardship

Part of my work and part of my time at my church are spent thinking and talking about stewardship. When I'm sitting at a finance committee meeting at church, I find it hard to articulate what I think stewardship means, and how to apply that to the annual "stewardship campaign."

I wonder if it is because what we call in churches the "stewardship campaign" is actually a "fundraising campaign." We don't call it that, because we don't want to talk about money, but really, that's what it is. The purpose is to raise funds to pay for the next year's ministry.

Stewardship is something else. Stewardship is about money, but its about something much bigger and much more transformational.

A was reading a newsletter today called Radical Gratitude. In it the authors are discussing All Saints Day. "It seems that when we begin to recognize the saints in our lives -- those people who shine so clearly as channels for God's grace alive in the world -- stewardship really makes sense." That stopped me. The saints I have known in my life lived or live a Christ-like life. How does that help me to understand stewardship? Could it be that stewardship is living a Christ-like life?

Another quote: "A good steward spends their life loving God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. And loving their neighbor as their self. If you put God first in all things..." Could it be that "putting God first in all things" is stewardship?

If we use these definitions of stewardship, then it is something that we should be talking about all year -- not just during the fundraising campaign. By then it's almost too late. If we talk about living a Christ-like life and putting God first in all things, then fundraising is a fruit of our relationship with Christ. We don't give money in order to be good stewards. We are good stewards, and one of the fruits of that is that our money belongs to God.

Do we get it backwards in our churches?

Image: Sky on the way home one day.