Deeper understandings Financial stewardship
A way of life allowing us to become grateful, generous, loving, hopeful people Editor’s note: This series is intended
to be a public conversation among teach- ing theologians of the ELCA on various themes of our faith and the challenging issues of our day. It invites readers to engage in dialogue by posting comments online at the end of each article at www.
thelutheran.org. The series is edited by Philip D.W.
Krey, president of the Lutheran Theologi- cal Seminary at Philadelphia, on behalf of the presidents of the eight ELCA seminaries.
By Ann L. Fritschel and Steve Oelschlager
S
adly, for many stewardship means raising money for the church. In the Bible a steward
is the manager of another person’s property. This definition can make stewardship sound like a job where we are employed by the owner. But
it’s really a fundamental aspect of Christian discipleship, involving holistically how we live and how we give. Stewardship is a response of gratitude and thanksgiving for what God has done for us and the world in Jesus Christ. It is a way of discipleship of embodying God’s grace and love to people and a world in need. Maybe then a big part of the
answer to reclaiming stewardship is to strongly re-anchor it in what it means to be a disciple. Disciples are called to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love their neighbors as themselves. Even though we have a tendency to say 10 percent is a practical goal or limit of a steward, stewards are also called to have the same deep commitment of a disciple. Stewards are called to be generous toward God with all their heart, mind, soul, strength—through their time, talents and treasures— and to be generous to their neighbors as themselves. Think about how love and gener-
Author bios: Fritschel (left) is professor of Hebrew Bible and Scripture, and director of the Center for Theology and Land at Wartburg Theologi- cal Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Oelschlager is ELCA stewardship program coordinator.
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osity are interconnected. Is it possible to love and not be generous, or to be generous but not have love? Cer- tainly God exhibits both intense love and generosity through God’s gra- cious presence in creation. John 3:16 is pretty explicit in connecting God’s loving and self-giving. Jesus mod- els for us both the love of a disciple and the generosity of a steward by putting his love into action through generosity. Maybe the nuance we are look-
ing for is this? Stewards act out love through their generosity, and in the process grow in their identity as dis- ciples. The job description of a dis-
ciple is a little more abstract, focus- ing on love, hearts and soul. That of a steward is a bit more concrete: use the abundance of creation to mul- tiply abundance and then act with generosity toward God and neighbor. (More concrete yet, stewards work with money.) God invites us into this kind of life through example, not as a requirement but out of generosity so we might know what real and abun- dant life—the good life—is all about. Potentially then, stewardship
might be a more practical, hands- on way of getting going with what it means to be a disciple. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” in Matthew 6:21 suggests it might be the behavior of a steward that precedes the conviction of a disciple. Financial stewardship is also a
spiritual practice that helps us grow in trust in God’s abundance and move from fear of scarcity to hope and love. Henri Nouwen, the Dutch- born Roman Catholic priest and writer, once said, “Every time I take a step in the direction of generosity I know I am moving from fear to love.” Financial stewardship is a way of
life, a way of discipleship that allows us to take steps toward becoming more grateful, thankful, generous, loving and hopeful people. Why have we limited it to church fundraising?
Created in God’s image A theological key to deepening an understanding of financial steward- ship is Genesis 1:26-27: we are cre- ated in the image of God, a God who is a gracious, generous and abundant giver. God gives life to all of creation.
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