Online Archives

By Daryl Williams
Special to the UMConnection

Autumn is the time of year when many churches around our conference enter into stewardship season. Stewardship season can be a dreaded time for many. All the talk of money, budgets, and giving can create an uncomfortable environment for parishioners and be a cause of great anxiety for pastors and leaders. Stewardship season should not be one of discomfort but a time of rejoicing.

There are a few key things that can turn Stewardship season at your church from a time of stress and anxiety to a time of great joy. I like to call them THE 3 C?s of Generous Giving.

The first step in generous giving is conversion.

Generous stewards change their way of thinking about resources. When many people think of stewardship they often consider the question, 'What can I afford to give?' The question that we must actually ask ourselves in defining our giving is, 'What does God deserve?' By moving the focus from ourselves to the goodness of God it focuses a new light on stewardship.

The question, 'What can I afford to give?' makes giving personal, but in an unhealthy way. Without question, stewardship and giving are intensely personal acts, but the focus should not be us. The focus of generous stewardship is God and God?s love for us.

In Psalm 24, the Bible tells us, 'The earth is the Lord?s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.' By understanding that everything that we have is a sacred trust from God, good stewardship and generous giving become a matter of returning to God a portion of what has been given to us.

By looking at converting our thinking from giving of our assets to returning God?s assets we can rejoice in helping to make sure that God?s provision for us has an effect on others.

Generous stewardship also requires courage. One of the largest hindrances to practicing generous stewardship is the fear of scarcity. We are acutely aware of what resources we have as well as what obligations that we have to satisfy with those resources.

Too often it is only after weighing what we have, and what we have to do, that consider what we can give to God. Good stewardship requires the courage to put God first and know that God will supply your needs.

By having the courage to put God first in our finances we are making the courageous statement that God is a priority. This courage is an act of faith. As we look through the Bible we find occasion after occasion of ordinary people putting God first in their giving, and having far more than enough to supply their needs. God always rewards courageous faith.

Finally generous stewardship requires commitment. Commitment is the knowledge that we will see something through to the end. Many times, we start with overwhelmingly good intentions. We have heard an appeal, or are in a great mood and we decide to be good stewards. Commitment takes us beyond decision to dedication.

A good steward remains a good steward in time of plenty as well as in times of dearth. A good steward is not dependent on a good quarter but has made provision to keep one?s word no matter the circumstance.

God wants us to have the same integrity with our stewardship that God exemplifies. The Bibles tells us in Numbers 23:19 'God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does he speak and not do what he says? Does he promise and not come through?' The promises that God has made to us are manifold and God is honor bound to keep them.

God insures that we will have life and have life abundantly. That type of commitment should implore us to commit to making sure that we provide the resources for the goodness of God to reach others here on earth.

Conversion, courage and commitment are the things that make for generous stewardship. During this stewardship season, try to look at things a different way. When you are considering how generous you can be, think of all God has given you. That should give you the courage to be even more generous.

Last but not least, commit to being a generous steward. Your commitment can make all the difference in the world.

The Rev. Daryl Williams is Foundation director for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.