by Rev. Ron Bartlow
It has been said that giving has less to do with money and more to do with one’s spiritual relationship with God. Although it is clearly imperative to the life and health of the church, your faithful financial stewardship is an important personal spiritual discipline, one in which your actions and choices speak to your priorities.
In the Gospels, Jesus talks about how we handle our financial resources quite a bit, but always connected to our relationship with God and others. He outright challenges the Pharisees that they should not only tithe of their resources, but also to live in justice, mercy, and faith toward others (Mat. 23:23).
There may be a pattern to Jesus’ teachings on stewardship. It is an act of faith centered in responding to God’s gifts, caring for the needy, and “storing up treasures in heaven.” Jesus makes clear that our salvation should be bearing fruit in ways that bless others. Faithful stewardship through Christ’s church is a means by which we respond to God’s gifts and bless others. Indeed, the biblical evidence of the early church does not mention tithing so much as it describes the generosity of individuals and local churches to others, particularly those in need (c.f. Acts 2:42-47; Acts 4:32-35).
For me, there is no better Biblical guidance for how to give and share of our financial resources through the church than some words of the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians Paul expresses encouragement and gratitude to the Christians in Corinth, because they were freely giving their resources to support their poor brothers and sisters elsewhere. In the midst of these words, he shares:
Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart.
They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure.
God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Cor. 9:7, CEB)
Stewardship is an act of faith, a discipline we embark upon not out of obligation or need but because of our relationship with God. In his sermon “The Use of Money,” Methodist founder John Wesley gives us three concrete steps for Biblically sound, Christ-centered stewardship:
- (1) Gain all you can, through diligent and honest work, so long as it is not at the expense of life or health, either our own or a neighbor’s.
- (2) Save all you can, by avoiding idle expenses and unnecessary indulgences. Wesley articulated caring for the needs of one’s self and family, but warned about the dangers of superfluous or expensive pursuits.
- (3) Give all you can; Wesley articulated caring for the needs of one’s self and family first, then doing “good to them that are in the household of faith,” and then “as you have opportunity, do good unto all [people].”
Wesley drew from a variety of Scriptural teachings about the importance of us being wise stewards of all that God has entrusted to us; for all that is given is ultimately given at and by the will of God, so that it may be utilized in accordance with the will of God. Indeed, hanging in our own Covenant Room is a poster with the following quote from Wesley’s sermon:
“When the possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, he placed you here not as a proprietor, but as a steward.”-John Wesley, “The Use of Money
As a follower of Christ, it would be our hope that you seek to be a faithful steward of all things in your life. Your resultant commitment to financial giving should come from your heart, motivated by your love for God and neighbor and your desire to see and support the work of God in our world. As Paul encouraged, we hope you will give out of a generous spirit, not out of obligation.
One final word, though, in response to the potential question, “but, why should I bother pledging? Isn’t my giving be between me and God?”
First, yes, your commitment to faithful stewardship is primarily an act of faith between you and the Lord. No one else will ever really know to what level you commit to be a good steward of the treasure, time, and talent God gives you, though as the Scripture says we are known by our fruit.
Even so, just as your regular financial gifts are imperative to the life and ministries of the church, your annual pledge is also important. Toward the end of each year our church’s Finance Committee and leaders create the next year’s budget. To be wise stewards of the resources that we commit to share together, these leaders should create a balanced (or mostly balanced) budget based on anticipated income, and the primary means of determining our anticipated income is through pledges.
By pledging in advance of the new year, your articulated commitment to stewardship helps church leaders in their commitment as faithful stewards. They will plan how to use pledged gifts toward ministries and initiatives. If you were to skip pledging and simply wait for an appeal for something you care about during the year, it may not come, because leaders may have already decided not to pursue that ministry because of a perceived lack of resources. So in pledging, you are helping the church to pursue its mission to be a “generous community following Jesus for the good of the world.”
We hope that as a growing follower of Jesus Christ you will determine how you want to give of your resources – including your treasure, your time, and your talents – through the church to serve and honor God. Once you determine a weekly offering, we encourage your faithfulness in such, knowing that God will bless those gifts given as a sacrifice, and the church will seek to be wise in its stewardship of those gifts.
“Get all you can without hurting your soul, your body, or your neighbor. Save all you can, cutting off every needless expense. Give all you can. Be glad to give, and ready to distribute, laying up for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that you may attain eternal life.”
–John Wesley, “The Use of Money”
Want to read more?
There are many places in the Bible where you can read about stewardship, but here are a few of Jesus’ teachings about our use of money. Some are proverbs or lessons, but most are parables:
- Matthew 6:1-4
(Jesus talks about the attitude behind our giving to others in need, eg “alms”)
- Matthew 6:19-24
(Jesus teaches us to store up treasures in heaven)
- Matthew 6:25-34
(Do Not Worry, for God will provide…)
- Luke 12:22-34
(Do Not Worry, and store up treasures in heaven)
- Matthew 7:7-11
(Ask, for God will provide…)
- Matthew 19:16-30
(The rich young man and the disciples, also in Mk 10:17-31 & Lk 18:18-30)
- Matthew 24:45-51
(Stewardship of the Master’s belongings, also in Luke 12:35-48)
- Matthew 25:14-30
(Parable of the Talents, also in Luke 19:11-27)
- Luke 12:13-21
(Parable of the rich fool)
- Luke 16:1-13
(Parable of the Shrewd Manager)
You may also want to consider John Wesley’s sermons,
And you’re always welcome to check out my personal blog for other, older thoughts.