Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

Recovering Christian Stewardship from Secular Fundraising 105
offered for the good of the Christian community. Some of these
talents are as simple as being very personable, and able to greet
seekers, searchers, and parishioners warmly as they arrive for
worship. No talent should be ignored by the parishioner who gives,
or by the Church, which receives.
Having reached a conclusion about what kind of steward one
is today, it is salutary to examine current needs, and to ask what is
being demanded of us for the future. It is important to note that the
exercise of Christian stewardship is not confined to the activities of
the Church, nor even to faith-based projects. Community programs
always need volunteers—for instance, cooks for the soup-kitchens,
or visitors to shut-ins. Scouts and Guides need leaders; choirs need
singers; parks need conservators. Countless needs can be met
through the gift of time and talent.
Within the Church itself, there are many opportunities to match
our abilities with identified needs. Church bulletin boards, newsletters
and Sunday leaflets are all promising places to look. Here, indeed, we
see the intersection between the individual and the parish in the
exercise of Christian stewardship, since the parish must effectively
and continuously convey its needs to the faithful. This conjunction
between the needs and gifts of individuals, parishes, and/or the wider
Church propels us all into a cycle of good stewardship.
The Church Community
The best parish stewardship renewal program will be
inductive, in that it actually engages people in the practice of
stewardship, but—perhaps surprisingly—it will probably not be
about stewardship itself. For obvious reasons, parish seminars on
the Church’s need for money or volunteers are pretty much nonstarters.
Nobody wants to be harangued. But more than this, people
will not give to the Church just because the Church needs money—
or time, or talent. They will only give if they care about what the
Church does with their gift, if they believe that the Church is