Nurturing
Diocesan Stewardship
Ministries
The Rev. Laurel Johnston
Program Officer for Stewardship
Episcopal Church Center
The Purpose of a
Stewardship Ministry
is to help people to grow in
their relationship with Jesus
through the use of the gifts
God has entrusted to them
Stewardship is not a program…
it is a process of conversion
Time
Money
Creation
Vocation
What is a Steward?
A Steward is
a manager of trust
Oikos (Greek)
Household
Oikonomia
Management of
the Household
Stewardship is
Responding to God’s call
To use God’s gifts
To carry out God’s Purpose
When did God first call us
to be Stewards?
On the sixth day….
God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he
created them male and female he created them. God blessed
them and God said to them be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that
moves upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27-28
Made in God’s Image
Bound to our Creator
Humbly take right place within the whole
Affirm our life as gift
Affirm God as source of life, giver of freedom,
Agents of God’s blessing
Called to be life-giving
Partners in carrying out God’s Purpose
God’s Purpose of Peace
The biblical vision of Shalom
speaks to the conditions that
allow all living things to reach
their potential of wholeness.
Attributes of a Faithful Steward
• A Steward knows the deepest intentions
and greatest hopes of the owner.
• A Steward is entrusted to run the day to
day affairs of the household or estate,
especially when owner is away.
• A Steward is accountable to the owner
Jesus is the Bearer of
God’s Vision of
Shalom….
and is the Faithful Steward…
Par Excellence
I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
Jesus, Money & Values
Jesus challenged the disciples, scribes and
the crowds about relationship to money
and their possessions.
The Gospel references:
Prayer
Faith
Money
500 times
>500 times
2,000 times
What must I do
to inherit eternal life?
You shall love your God with all
your heart with all your soul all your
strength and all your mind and love
your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10: 25-27
God’s Purpose of Praise
The practice of the tithe
was an outward acceptance
of Yahweh’s authority in
the covenant partnership.
Tithing and
The Covenant Community
1) A faith statement acknowledging God’s
ultimate ownership—that all comes from God
and belongs to God.
2) Provides support for the religious institutions
central to the life of the community.
3) Re-distributed resources with concern for
peace and justice
Loving God with all your
strength…..Offering/Tithing
• Outward sign of faithfulness to
covenantal relationship
• Expression of love in gratitude
• Offering the substance of your life
• Affirms God’s ultimate ownership
• Affirms ultimate trust and security
Eucharistic Offering
“And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving”
Eucharistic Prayer B
Gifts of the baptized and forgiven people of God
Offering of Money
When we give money we are offering
part of ourselves. We offer ourselves
individually and corporately to be the body
of Christ in the world. We acknowledge that
what we offer to God is in a sense not ours,
but his all along, given to us in trust as
stewards of God’s creation.
Practicing Shalom
Five Holy Habits
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Worship Weekly
Daily Prayer
Scripture Study
Proportional Giving/Tithing
Keeping Sabbath
Stewardship
as a way of life….
Grace
Gratitude
Generosity of Spirit
Giving
God’s Glory
Shaping a Culture
of Stewardship
Questions to Consider
What is the expectation of what
it means to be a member?
Do clergy and lay leaders share
about their own giving?
Set the Pace
Preach & Teach
about stewardship
year round
Make their
commitment public
How do you teach biblical
principles of stewardship?
How do you
help people
integrate
their faith
& finances?
http://coef.org/strategic_initiatives
/free_to_be_faithful
Core Competencies of Steward Leaders
1.
Understand and internalize the biblical and
theological principles of stewardship.
2.
Teach and preach about stewardship from a
holistic orientation (time, money, creation and
vocation).
3.
Share publically about one’s own personal
history, struggles and joys with money and
giving.
Core Competencies of Steward Leaders
4. Create an environment that supports others as
they deal with the power of money in their lives.
5. Practice and or works towards the tithe.
6. Teach and encourage vestry members to examine
and define stewardship belief and practices.
7. Comprehend the basics of congregational finance
and budgeting.
Diocesan Stewardship Ministry
Best Practices
Meet Regularly
Begin each meeting with Scripture Study
Engage in a stewardship book study
Create a Diocesan Stewardship Statement
Host /Attend Stewardship Workshops
Develop a Network of Stewardship Mentors
Create a Resource Library
Consistent Communication
Stewardship Scripture Study
• What word or images speak to you?
• How do you hear God’s promise?
• What barrier prevent me from
responding?
• What would my life be like without
these barriers?
Stewardship Book Study
Stewardship Workshops
• The Episcopal
Network for
Stewardship (TENS)
• Episcopal Church
Foundation (ECF)
• Consortium of
Endowed Episcopal
Parishes (CEEP)
• Ecumenical
Stewardship Center
Create a Diocesan Stewardship
Vision Statement
We are created by God to be stewards of this world. We
have no option…we are Stewards. Our option is the
kind of stewards we are. What God intends for us is joy
and a feeling of abundant life. The more we live into the
image of God, the more joyful we will be. God gives to
us lavishly, sacrificially, and without reserve. As we
strive to give the way God gives, we grow into a deeper
relationship with God. When we truly feel grateful to
God, we can begin to feel the abundance He provides.
We are called to love others as Christ loved us; to be
caretakers of others, of our world, of our time, of our
emotions, of our relationships…all of life!
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
Develop a Network of
Stewardship Mentors
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Personal Budget: Money & Faith
Annual Giving
Will Preparation/Planned Giving
Endowment
Retreat Leaders
Event Speakers & Preachers
Spiritual Gifts Inventory
Stewardship of Time
Stewardship of Creation
Clear, Consistent Communications
Stewardship
as a way of life….
Grace
Gratitude
Generosity of Spirit
Giving
God’s Glory