Stewardship is the lifestyle of the one who accepts Christ’s lordship and walks in partnership with God, acting as His agent in managing His affairs on earth.
Through a discipleship walk, stewards acknowledge God’s lordship and surrender every area of life to Him. Discipleship-moving the entire life towards God-takes place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as He recreates the believer in the image of God. Faithful stewardship5 is the Christian lifestyle, and the joyful result of a personal relationship of assurance in Jesus Christ.
The issues of time and money are critical in stewardship because they are the two most fluid dimensions of life. The management of these two areas most quickly reflects and influences one’s spiritual life. God created the Sabbath as the crowning act of creation week. He asked humanity to rest and worship Him before doing anything else, as a sign that they accepted Him as their Creator and Sovereign. God established the system of tithes and offerings for the same purpose. Through the tithe we worship God and acknowledge Him as our Lord. We recognize that all we are and have belong to Him. God asks that the first portion of time and first portion of our material possessions be given to Him, as a sign that the believer accepts the covenant relationship with God. God then invites the individual to live the rest of his or her life in partnership with Him.
Thus, stewardship carries over into every area of the life of an individual or church. It provides the foundation and motivation for ministry and witness. Living in partnership with God shapes the priorities and focus. And as believers grow in this partnership, the Holy Spirit guides them to provide the financial support for the church as the Body of Christ.
The mission of the Stewardship Department is to emphasize the lordship of Jesus Christ, to enhance the integration of the gospel into the Christian lifestyle, to encourage faithful stewardship, and to facilitate the individual, corporate and leadership dimensions of stewardship as partnership with God.
