022807 Biblical Stewardship Principles
BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES
BACKGROUND
The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod at its 1995 Convention (Resolution 4-07a) asked the Department of Stewardship to "articulate the biblical principles of financial stewardship (Bylaw 9.01) which should guide all of our stewardship and appeal efforts, and disseminate these to all synodical entities, agencies and auxiliaries prior to the 1998 convention."
PREAMBLE
The principles that follow are designed to be used by entities, agencies, auxiliaries and congregations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod in all stewardship education and fund-raising activities.
These principles reflect the definition of stewardship commonly in use throughout The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.
CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God's family, the church, in managing all of life and life's resources for God's purposes.
God's people are identified in various ways in the Bible, such as God's children, followers, disciples, stewards and the like. In your study of the principles which follow, you may want to substitute some of those and other titles and discuss how they add or take away from the impact on us as God's stewards.
The "we" mentioned throughout the "will" and "will not" statements that follow refers to those who serve the above-mentioned groupings as they relate to God's stewards.
Each of the document's eight sections begins by listing the stewardship principle which has been formulated, its meaning, the key Scripture passages and implications (wills/will nots). You will notice that in each of the principles the "will/will not" sections are introduced with "As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we…" These words are purposely repeated throughout the document to remind the reader that the motivation and power for the "wills/will nots" come only from the Lord Himself. Each group is to identify additional implications suitable to its situation.
All entities of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod are encouraged to consider these principles and implications in all approaches and contacts with God's stewards.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Dr. David S. Belasic, Dr. Richard G. Kapfer, Rev. Richard W. Gahl, Rev. David W. Hoover, Rev. David P. Schmidt and Rev. Larry L. Reinhardt who served as the members of the Biblical Stewardship Principles Task Force and to Aid Association for Lutherans for grants that supported the work of the task force as well as the printing and distributing of this document.
This document is designed to encourage duplication for local use. Permission is granted to all congregations, entities, agencies and auxiliaries of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and its partner churches to duplicate any and all pages of this document for study purposes.
All Scriptural references in this document are taken from The New International Version published by Zondervan Bible Publishers for Concordia Publishing House.
LCMS Biblical Stewardship Principles
Leader’s Notes
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its 1995 Convention (Resolution 4-07a) asked District and Congregational Services—Stewardship Ministry to “articulate the biblical principles of financial stewardship (Bylaw 9.01) which should guide all of our stewardship and appeal efforts, and disseminate these to all synodical entities, agencies, and auxiliaries prior to the 1998 convention.” At the 1998 convention the eight Biblical Stewardship Principles were adopted for use by all synodical entities, agencies and auxiliaries for stewardship education and fundraising activities.
All LCMS congregations are encouraged to do a study of the principles with their implications. Leaders of such studies are encouraged to download and make copies of the “Full Text English Edition” of the principles for all participants in the study. You can go to www.lcms.org/stewardship and click on “Biblical Stewardship Principles” to find the “Full Text English Edition” plus translations into French, Portuguese and Spanish as well as English editions for early childhood and middle elementary levels. These leader’s notes are also designed to go with the bound “Study Edition” of the Biblical Stewardship Principles (CPH, Stock Number S21822 $1.40 each). Contact Larry Reinhardt at larry.reinhardt@lcms.org for special prices for bulk orders.
The eight principles fit nicely under two umbrellas. The first is the following definition of Christian stewardship that has been used in our church body for a few decades:
“Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God—God’s family, the church—in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
The second umbrella is “Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!”
You may want to consider purchasing a copy of the video “I Never Thought about It That Way Before.” It does an excellent job of illustrating the stewardship definition above. It is also a good companion for the second Biblical Stewardship Principle. It is available by calling Concordia Publishing House (CPH) at 1-800-325-3040 and asking for stock number S21816 ($15.95 plus shipping).
Another enrichment tool you may consider using is a laminated Biblical Stewardship Principles bookmark. The bookmarks come in packages of 100 for $15.95 plus shipping. Call CPH at 1-800-325-3040 and ask for stock number S21890.
May God bless your study of the Biblical Stewardship Principles and your leadership in sharing the principles with God’s people to help them form God-pleasing attitudes toward Christian Stewardship and respond with good stewardship of their lives and resources.
SUMMARY OF
PRINCIPLES WITH MEANINGS
I. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE GOD'S STEWARDS.
God's stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and their re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
II. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE MANAGERS, NOT OWNERS.
God's stewards have been entrusted by God with life and life's resources and given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully managing them for Him.
III. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE SAINTS AND SINNERS.
God's stewards rejoice in and live out what God has declared them to be through the cross. At the same time His stewards recognize they are sinners who fight sin and its consequences each day.
IV. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE UNIQUELY SINGULAR, YET PROFOUNDLY PLURAL.
God's stewards recognize that their lives are not solo performances but are personal responses to God, lived out within the community of faith to benefit the whole world.
V. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD.
God's stewards recognize that the Lord sets them apart from the world and by the transforming power of the Gospel sends them into the world to live out the Gospel.
VI. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE LOVED AND LOVING.
God's stewards recognize that their stewardship flows out of God's act of love for them in Christ which empowers then, in turn, to love others in acts of Christ-like love.
VII. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE SERVED AND SERVING.
God's stewards recognize that their stewardship involves a Gospel-powered style of life which is demonstrated in servanthood within all the arenas of life.
VIII. GOD'S STEWARDS LIVE WITH AN AWARENESS OF THE PRESENT AND FUTURE, OF TIME AND ETERNITY.
God's stewards live intentionally in the light of God's eternal purpose while being firmly committed to His rule in the here and now.
I. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE GOD'S STEWARDS
What does this mean?
God's stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and their re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
What does God's Word say about this?
Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Is. 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (cf. 43:1-3a)
Rom. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (cf. 6:1-11)
2 Cor. 5:16-17 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (cf. 5:14-17)
Eph. 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
How is this done?
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will:
· Recognize that we are made stewards by God's activity;
· Respect Christian stewards for Whose they are; and,
· Remind stewards that they are God's new creation each day.
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will not:
· Use short-cut methods that consider stewards to be merely "donors," "clients" or "customers" or means to an end;
· Neglect to name the name of the Lord who is the Source of all stewardship; or,
· Present stewardship as limited to a single area of life, such as money.
Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family the church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.
Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!
I. GOD’S STEWARDS ARE GOD’S STEWARDS.
This means that God’s stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
When you first hear the words of this principle you may think it’s just another example of double-talk. But it’s not. Rather it is the articulation of the foundational principle that God is the Creator of all things and that He has redeemed, or re-created, us in Holy Baptism. Stewardship is, as a Lutheran leader long ago said, “everything I do after I say I believe.”
Therefore, stewards do not “belong” to the congregation in the sense that the congregation insists only those things done for the congregation are examples of good stewardship. Stewards “belong” to God and, as they mature, they seek out God’s will for their stewardship attitudes and practices. They have a right to know what God is up to in this world and to support that work with their time, talents and resources as they are led by the Spirit.
Genesis 1:1 underscores the basic truth that God created all things, visible and invisible, and thus He is the rightful Owner of all things. If we do not have this basic principle of “ownership” in the proper perspective, then we are tempted to believe that all the things we surround ourselves with are ours to do with as we please.
Isaiah 43:1 affirms that God is our Creator and Redeemer. He loves us so much that He knows us by name and cares about how we live our lives. St. Paul confirms this truth when he writes: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Romans 6:4 is the classic passage explaining our connection in baptism to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Holy Spirit who lives within us after baptism enables us to do those things pleasing to God. In baptism we have been “resurrected” to live new lives, mindful of God at work in our lives and the mercy and power we receive from Him. Thank God for the refreshing and renewing waters of baptism and the marvelous change it makes in our daily lives!
The words of 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 state clearly that we are new creations in Christ. We are no longer content to live according to our own sin natures or according to the will and ways of the world. We set our minds on those things which are above, where Christ is
seated (Colossians 3:1-4). By our baptisms we have been transformed as St. Paul speaks
about in Romans 12:1-8. Spend some time reflecting on what it means to be new creations in Christ!
Verses 8-10 of Ephesians 2 eloquently state the truth that we are God’s workmanship and this is all a matter of grace. It is so comforting to know that our salvation does not depend upon us and our works; if it did, we would never have the assurance that we have done enough. Make sure you spend some time reflecting on verse 10. We Christians have not just been “saved from” but we have also been “saved for,” that is, saved for doing good works which honor God and bless others.
The introductory sentence for the HOW IS THIS DONE implications correctly affirms that we are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (God’s gift to us), and helped by the Holy Spirit to live as God’s children.
HOW IS THIS DONE?
Do not move too quickly through the six implications of this principle and its meaning and supporting passages. Let your group wrestle with these implications and discuss how we can carry out the first three and avoid the last three.
Explore carefully the three positive implications beginning with recognize, respect and remind. These three simple implications are rich in meaning and application. For example, what a marvelous thing it is to be able to share with God’s people that they are “God’s new creation each day!” Give your study group time to reflect on these implications and share experiences that relate directly to them.
Take time to also explore the negative implications. Undoubtedly members of your group can probably give personal examples of when they felt treated like donors, clients, customers or means to an end. Now, please be aware that there is nothing wrong with the title of donors; the other titles—clients, customers, or means to an end—may be more questionable. The point of this implication is that we agree not to use manipulative or short-cut methods to solicit gifts for our favorite causes without much consideration of the donor’s favorite cause.
Use the last implication to underscore the truth that stewardship is best when it is treated as whole-life, year-round and for all ages. Good Christian stewardship does involve our use and management of money, but it is much more than that. God is always seeking to establish a relationship with us that will move us to respond freely and joyfully, not out of a sense of duty or obligation