The word stewardship gets a bad rap sometimes by the church. When anyone uses the word, some people immediately turn off their brains thinking “They are just trying to get my money.” But when was the last time you took a look at your Confession of Faith? If you did recently, you will notice that it has quite a bit to say and teach about Christian Stewardship and not all of it is about money.

6.10 Christian stewardship acknowledges that all of life and creation is a trust from God, to be used for God’s glory and service. It includes the conservation and responsible use of natural resources as well as the creative use of human skills and energies. These gifts of God are to be shared with all, especially with the poor.

First and foremost, Christian stewardship began with the beginning of the world. No sooner did God create the world and say it was good, then God gave humanity stewardship over all of it. And it seems that, overall, we have done a less than stellar job. Our faith calls for us to be faithful in our use of the earth’s resources—nature and all the beauty that we see every day. It calls for us to be faithful in our use of the gifts that people have to offer. Are we giving members a chance to teach Sunday school, act as elders, and pray? Or do we call on the same people every week until they are burned out? Are we sharing the gifts of God that we are stewards over with everyone? Just think about how many times the Bible speaks of taking care of the widows and orphans. A lot.

6.11 The motive for Christian stewardship is gratitude for God’s abundant love and mercy, accompanied by the desire to share all of God’s good gifts with others.

Christian stewardship is a response of humanity to the example of God’s unending abundance. It is about saying thank you to God in the face of abundance rather than scarcity, blessings rather than curses, mercy rather than judgment. And it is a deep need to share all we have been given. As a Christian, we cannot NOT give.

6.12 God gives to the human family a variety of gifts, including gifts to each person for which each person has responsibility. God desires that each person engage in the mutual sharing of these gifts so that all may be enriched.

One of the saddest things for me to see is an old, quality musical instrument that no longer works simply because it has not been played. There is so much potential there, but it languishes from disuse. In the same way, people in our churches have so many potentials gifts that are waiting to be discovered if only we will recognize them and give those people a chance to minister. Many of us today are in the vocations we are in because someone saw our gifts and brought them to our attention. Perhaps we can be that voice to others.

6.13 Proportionate and regular giving of all that God entrusts to the human family is an act of devotion and a means of grace. Giving to and through the church is the privilege of every believer. Tithing as a scriptural guide for giving, is an adventure of faith and a rich and rewarding practice. The tither not only experiences the grace of God but even the grace of sharing.

And of course, there is our giving of money to the church, ministries, and outreach. Do you think of giving as an act of devotion, a means of grace, and a privilege? If you have ever given something away, you probably do. Generosity is one of those rare acts that gives the giver more than the receiver, even in the act of having less.

6.14 All believers are responsible to God and to the covenant community for their stewardship.

This last statement about Christian stewardship is the one that many people forget. We are responsible to God for our stewardship. We are responsible to God for everything. Some people act like it is their choice to give or not. If we are the image of God, there is no way we can live in scarcity. There is abundance to overflowing. So perhaps when you hear the word stewardship in the future, maybe your brain will perk up and you will think “They are just trying to help me minister. I think I will give!”