Following Christ’s Method
How can we improve our approach to stewardship education within our local churches? Allow me to remind you of a familiar answer, one you have probably heard in a different context: Follow Christ’s method. This answer is regularly supported by a well-known citation: “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with [people] as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”[i]
Beyond its relevance for evangelism, this passage provides insights applicable for us to grow our influence to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24, NIV). How can we apply the admonition “attend to their needs” to the process of nurturing faithful stewards?
The Three-Legged Strategy
Historically, stewardship education has primarily, in some places exclusively, focused on influencing members to support God’s mission through their financial resources. The emphasis on tithing, offerings, and gifts is central to this approach. Alternatively, some efforts have excelled in using a promotional approach, appealing to members’ compassion and showcasing narratives of mission successes. While I recognize the substantial results obtained through these methods, I believe that expanding to “attend to their needs” can produce even greater outcomes.
“Attend to their needs” can be achieved through a shift toward a more comprehensive approach to stewardship education. Concretely, this entails teaching members about managing and generating personal finances, alongside instructions on systematic giving. The inspired writer describes an alarming situation prevailing in the ranks of God’s people: “Many lack wise management and economy. They do not weigh matters well and move cautiously. Such should not trust to their own poor judgment, but counsel with their brethren who have experience.”[ii] A recent study about financial literacy, including managing and generating finances, shows that there is a dire need for financial education among some populations.[iii] What if each local church could serve as a hub where people can learn about quality living, in its full dimensions?
Impact on God’s Mission
You can visualize how this abovementioned strategy can bring growth to the support of God’s mission. It’s often believed that more personal resources lead to more giving. While this statement is true in many instances, it does not always happen this way. Research suggests that an increase in income does not always translate to a higher percentage given as congregational giving.[iv] However, when the church becomes a facilitator in the management and creation of resources, it creates a unique dynamic favorable to members’ giving through the church.
A local church pastor recently explained the connection to me: “When a member realizes that you are not only interested in the money that they give to the church but in their welfare, then they also return. When they benefit from what you have taught them, they reciprocate by giving back to the church or through the pastor, because he has helped them to attain this kind of life.” The principle highlighted here is one of reciprocity and gratitude. As the church helps improve the economic condition of members, they become more open to receive stewardship instructions and give back to the church.
Our invitation for all to follow the Master Steward will resonante more deeply in the hearts of our church members when we attend to existing needs. This reality explains the focus of this number of Dynamic Steward on Self-Reliance.
Aniel Barbe
Editorial
[i] Ellen G. White, Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), 143.
[ii] Ellen G. White, Welfare Ministry (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1952), 201.
[iii] Annamaria Lusardi. “Financial Literacy and the Need for Financial Education: Evidence and Implications,” Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics 155, no. 1 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1186/s41937-019-0027-5.
[iv] Christian Smith, Michael O. Emerson, and Patricia Snell, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008).
