Sermon Tone Analysis

*BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES*

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*BACKGROUND*

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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*

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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*

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*Leader’s Notes*

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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.”/*

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The second umbrella is */“Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!”/*

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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.

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\\ *SUMMARY OF*

*PRINCIPLES WITH MEANINGS*

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*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?

*

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*As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will:*

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·       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.