April 2008: Stewardship

Uniting Church members seem to be pretty good stewards.

Without easy access to formal stewardship programs, they rank high among those likely to help others, whether informally in daily life, giving money to charity or doing voluntary services.

Though declining in number, they strive to maintain their giving to their congregations (yet their congregations generally seem reluctant to share that generosity with the mission of the Uniting Church beyond their localities).

But if we look at all that stewardship entails — the responsibility to maintain and use wisely the gifts that God has bestowed, including time, talents, material possessions, wealth and the environment, for the service of God — we could find some shirking in some quarters.

Green Church research indicates that congregations are ignoring the “theological and moral imperative to steward the earth”, for instance.

And too few of our congregations are good stewards of past faithfulness and resources as an expression of commitment to their local and wider community. Too few are thinking about the future ... of the church ... of the planet.

As followers of Christ, we are supposed to look beyond our own immediate comfort. Not to believe that the only reality is our personal and private agenda, not to pretend that history and the responsibility for it belongs to somebody else, not to act as though the world somehow will get healed while we pursue our own narrow interests.

If we are not to be dominated by a powerful market economy (charmingly described by one commentator as “pimping private consumerist dreams”) we need instead to get caught up in the “drama of salvation”, the ongoing invitation to participate in God’s story: the sanctification and hallowing of all human and non-human life.

In the process, let’s plan for what is important to us. Not just anniversary celebrations, a new data projector or sermons. Why not also target the development of Christian stewards: receiving God’s gifts gratefully, cultivating them responsibly, sharing them lovingly in justice with others, and returning them with increase to our Creator?

Why not raise our aspirations and ask ourselves: Do we wish to be disciples of Jesus Christ and Christian stewards of our world and our church? Are we prepared to lift our sights to the fulfilment and joy that will result?

Only then can we pray in conscience, “Thy kingdom come.”