Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

62 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
possessions. Other early churches shared
financially with those in need. As stewards of
God’s earth, we are called to care for the earth
and to bring rest and renewal to the land and
everything that lives on it. As stewards of money
and possessions, we are to live simply, practice
mutual aid within the church, uphold economic
justice and give generously and cheerfully… We
are called to be stewards in the household of God,
set apart for the service of God… 26
It seems that despite the “scandal of division” which has
fractured the Church these many centuries, the Christian
understanding of stewardship remains a cohesive and theologically
shared value, even if practiced differently according to confessional
tradition. Such widespread agreement is testament to the truth of
this core understanding, and to the teachings of Christ Jesus. Hence,
the longer we allow our stewardship practices to give counterwitness
to our faith, abetted by the divisiveness inherent in the
secular practice of “targeting,” “segmenting” and “prospecting”
parishioners, the more difficult it will be for the Church to thrive,
inter-confessionally, or universally. For this reason, stewardship
need not be approached from a confessional perspective, but from
its collectively embraced center, based in scripture, the apostolic
tradition of the primitive Church, and our continual pursuit of unity.
This said, aside from the deleterious impact that secular
fundraising has had upon the Church, the implementation of some
of our own ancient practices can also be an impediment to good
stewardship. Despite the intense criticism it will invite, I believe we
must revisit our understanding of the tithe, and its place in the
Church today.
26 “Article 21: Christian Stewardship,” Confessions of Faith in a Mennonite
Perspective (Scottdale: Mennonite Publishing House, 1995).