Stewardship Matters

In the mid-’90s, Paul Powell of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention wrote a book titled “Taking the Stew Out of Stewardship.” While the book was well circulated, many pastors still find themselves in a “stew” regarding teaching and preaching about stewardship. Perhaps it is the fear of being misunderstood or having our motivations questioned. Many pastors shy away from teaching and preaching about our responsibility as managers of all of God’s resources. I have a pastor friend who confesses he will spend 15 minutes talking to his congregation about stewardship and 15 minutes apologizing for the previous 15 minutes. Sound familiar?

Having pastored for over 43 years, I know the tension of talking about money. D. L. Moody said, “Blessed are the money raisers, for in heaven they shall be next to the martyrs.” While the task is daunting, the Father has called us to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Developing fully devoted followers of Christ includes teaching our folks to be obedient stewards.

Let me share with you six reasons stewardship matters.

Preaching & Teaching on Stewardship is Biblical – The Gospels charge us to give sacrificially (Mark 12:41-44). The apostle Paul admonishes us to give consistently (I Cor.16:2). Furthermore, the Biblical challenge is to give gregariously (IICor.9:7).

Preaching and Teaching on Stewardship is Foundational – For many, the missing element of the disciple-making process is a clear understanding of the Biblical expectations concerning our resources. Along with prayer, Bible study, witnessing, and fellowship, a comprehensive grasp and an unmistakable application of God’s ownership are vital for a fully devoted follower of Christ.

Preaching & Teaching on Stewardship is Profitable – In George Barna’s book “How to Increase Giving in Your Church.” He found that churches in which pastors preach…

  • Single messages about giving raise more money than churches in which no stewardship preaching takes place.
  • Two or more nonconsecutive messages do not have any advantage over churches that only preach on stewardship once a year.
  • Churches that hear two or more consecutive messages about stewardship raise more money than those that hear only one message yearly.
  • Churches in which pastors preach two or more consecutive messages about stewardship matters raise significantly more money than churches that hear two or more nonconsecutive stewardship messages.
  • A series on giving is nearly two and a half times more likely to experience an increase in giving than preachers who only talk about stewardship once a year or on two non-consecutive times in a year.

Preaching & Teaching on Stewardship is Sensible – Regardless of your preaching paradigm, preaching about stewardship can and should fit into your schedule of preaching. If you prefer a topical/textual approach, simply slot a message series into your preaching calendar. If you prefer a verse-by-verse, book-by-book method, then spend a few weeks between books to teach about God’s ownership and our responsibility. Many like to start the year off with a series on stewardship.

Preaching & Teaching on Stewardship is Educational – I was in a meeting recently with several ministers with advanced degrees, and not one of them felt their denomination or higher educational institutions had trained them well in this crucial field. What you learn about stewardship will come from outside the classroom; as you dive deeper, you will grow in understanding and appreciation of God’s provision. We have heard for years that Jesus says more about our possessions than any other topic. If this is true, we should be a student of that which Jesus deems significant.

Preaching & Teaching on Stewardship is Spiritual – When we teach our people what constitutes a Biblical mentality about ownership and management. We give them tools to combat the false God of materialism. Spiritual issues like supporting missions, assisting the poor, and preparing for the future can all be addressed as we shepherd the souls of our hearers.

Winston Churchill reportedly said, “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give”. A life of generosity is both taught and caught. We owe it to our people to communicate the antidote for materialism, the joyful cycle of giving to receive to give even more. God owns everything; He simply allows us to manage a portion of His wealth.

Wendell Lang is the Director of Ministry Relations for WatersEdge. Wendell can be contacted at wlang@watersedge.com

Similar Posts

Pastors leading the church to be involved in Missions

More than Mission Minded, more than supportive of Missions, Jesus said to the early church leaders, “GO make disciples of all nation…” Mt.28:19. Most Pastors I know do encourage the church to pray and give towards missions. Putting our spiritual “boots on the ground”...

Pastors and Financial Integrity

Ministry should be messy at times, but the same should not be said about our books. Brothers, a lack of financial integrity has the power to destroy our ministry as fast as a moral failure. Money, or the lack of it, has this unique ability to expose the depth of our character. And as my father always told me, “our ministry will never rise above the depth of our character.” Marked by that thought, here are a few humble attempts to help. Not to become professionals, but simply to stay faithful.

Things a Pastor Should Think About When Making a Nursing Home Visit

Both of my grandmothers spent a few years in nursing homes during their final years on earth. During part of that time I served as the interim pastor in the town where they stayed. I visited them routinely, and came to realize how significant such visits were. One of...

PAUSE

     Our practice for forgiveness to others reflects what we think and understand about God’s forgiveness.  When you get to the heart of the Gospel it is all about forgiveness. Because of Jesus sacrifice and death on the cross we can be forgiven when we accept Him as...

Revision…Revitalize…Ministry to Aging Adults

Oklahoma Baptist churches have been aging in demographic for several years. Part of the answer has been to program to reach younger people. However, in the course of doing this we likely overlook a valuable group of God’s people who need to be evangelized, discipled, equipped, and deployed for Gospel ministry: Senior Adults.

7 A’s of Confession

Living at peace with God, ourselves, and others is essential for our witness for Christ.  Everything God does He does in love. He is always working things out for the good.  Even in the midst of conflict, if we allow Him to, He will work things out for our good.  Acts...

Reading Scripture Publicly

The Associate Pastor slowly meandered to the pulpit. The congregation could nearly hear the second hand on the clock ticking it took so long as the final words of the last verse were sung and Mr. Pokey finally reached the microphone. “This morning we are going to read...

Preparing to Preach Through a Book of the Bible

One of the joys of expositional preaching is preaching through a book of the Bible. Great joy and real challenges exist in preaching through books of the Bible, but I want to focus on the benefits for the congregation. First, they are receiving the actual word of God,...

Practicing SOG

How do you become proficient in anything? As with so many things, the answer is simple but not easy. The path to proficiency is through practice. Reflection is important in peacemaking. Discussion is often helpful in conflict resolution. But in the end practice is the...

How to READ Your Emotions

One of the most important things we did as young children was learning to read. We would be severely handicapped if we had never learned to read.  So many things we enjoy doing today we would not be able to do if we had not learned to read words.  Think about it. In...