Stewardship

One of the tasks of the Church is to capably manage God's earthly wealth. We are to act as stewards of God's resources, returning a portion of that wealth to Him for ministry efforts.

Within ministry circles today the debate continues as to whether people are called to tithe or to present to God a heartfelt, sacrificial offering of their wealth. Likewise, church leaders debate whether resources donated for God's work should go entirely to a local church or be distributed among one or more ministries.

And yet the indisputable principle embedded in Scripture remains constant: We are to invest a substantial portion of God's wealth in ministry. Those who love God and rely upon the Church for their spiritual growth are responsible to give generously toward its support (see Neh. 13:10; 1 Cor. 16:1-4). Stewardship goes beyond the giving of money to encompass the management of all of the resources God has entrusted to us, including our time, relationships, and skills. Ultimately, true stewardship is a reflection of righteousness, gratitude, obedience, and sensitivity.

Interestingly, stewardship is also described as an act of worship, as a means to further blessing and as a means of effective outreach to the unsaved. Thus, without appropriate stewardship activity, the work of the Church is hindered and incomplete.

Overall, the Church may take many forms, but for us to be the complete, healthy Church envisioned by God and defined in the Bible we must have consistent involvement in all six of these dimensions. The failure to integrate one or more of these components into our life leaves us spiritually incomplete imbalanced, and vulnerable. The failure to invest in each of these areas concurrently render the Church similarly weakened. Our aim must be to develop the Church in ways that weave together this rich tapestry of exhortations, examples, experiences, and emphases.