Good Stewardship

When you think of the word stewardship, what comes to mind? Using money wisely? That annual letter you get from the church asking for money, a pledge, or a commitment? Recycling? What is stewardship?

If you're looking at stewardship from a holistic approach, it has to do with a lot more than money. Yes, money does have something to do with it, but it's not all that stewardship means. Stewardship is about taking care of what God gives us. We need to be good stewards of the money we make. John Wesley encouraged people to give all they could, save all they could, and spend all they could.

We need to be good stewards of more than money, though. We need to be good stewards of the food we purchase, and eat it before it spoils. We need to be good stewards of the environment, purchasing biodegradable goods, using fuel-efficient cars, screwing in energy-efficient light bulbs, and so on. I can remember one gentleman who was in a former church who would go through the church each week and turn off lights in rooms after the rooms were finished being used, then remind us that we needed to purchase more efficient light bulbs.

I think the list of what we need to be good stewards of could go on forever, but let me mention a couple that I believe honor God and our commitment to the church. One element of stewardship, for Christians, is tithing (or moving toward a tithe) by giving 10% of your income to God. I won't get into specifics about whether it should be from your gross or net income (before or after taxes), or whether it should be to the church or to other charitable organizations, but I think Christians should tithe or take steps to move toward a tithe.

Christians also need to be good stewards of time. If you can't give to serve God financially, you can give of your time. I see this time and time again in the church I serve. This week, I've witnessed people giving their time to install updates to our church facilities; tweak the sound system so that all can hear; and give time to raise money for youth ministry and camp scholarships.

Christians also need to be good stewards of what God gives them; in other words, use the spiritual gifts God gives you. Each Christian is uniquely equipped to serve God. No one has the exact same gifting for ministry as you do. So, if you have a gift (and everyone does), use it!

Christians also need to keep in mind the other stewarding issues (recycling, environment, reducing debt, supporting local businesses, etc.), but the three I mentioned - tithing, time, and talents, are those that we should be developing. As we do, we develop good stewardship. I am thankful that I serve a congregation that is generous in its stewardship, and I'm grateful that they are teaching me how to generous as well.