What Does Stewardship Mean to You?

“Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us – our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

These words, recited regularly by all of us in the second setting of the Lutheran Book of Worship are said as we offer our gifts back to the Lord in thanksgiving and joy.

What do these words mean to us as recipients of these gifts? Is it just a prayer to dutifully recite, or are we truly saying, Lord, this is all yours; you made it possible for all of my gifts and my possessions to come to me through you.

As we contemplate another year of congregational programming, we plan for worship, Sunday school, catechism, small groups, evangelism, stewardship, and the like. Does the term stewardship elicit those words from the worship service or do we think of stewardship as another program in the church to raise funds to meet the budget of the church?

Loren Mead, founder of the Alban Institute, speaks of the concept of stewardship “as a euphemism for fundraising. Everybody knows that the annual stewardship drive is a campaign to get funds for next year’s operations. Everybody knows that stewardship Sunday is when the pastor will – usually reluctantly – give the pitch for large pledges for the coming year.”

What do you think the term stewardship means and what images come to mind when the term is used? For me, it is my relationship with the Lord and what I do with all of the resources that I have been given. It is not a program; it is not a concept; it is not a one-time-a-year presentation. Like prayer, stewardship is a part of my daily faith journey.

And, in that faith journey, I thank the Lord and give joy for the gifts granted to me that make it possible to – live me life rich with the blessings of family and friends; to use the resources needed to perform my responsibilities on a daily basis; to love and to be loved; to interact daily with all that I can and give back the Spirit of faith and the promise of the resurrection that has been given to me; to give a portion back of all that I have been provided; and to daily be a faithful witness of the Gospel.

In the daily schedule of too much to do in too little time, sometimes, I, too, speak reluctantly of stewardship. I, too, forget that stewardship means so much more than budget, operations, funding and the like. What does stewardship mean to you? Do you reluctantly speak of stewardship? Is this the committee that you can’t find enough members for? Is this a subject that is usually discussed only when the budget is not being met? When there are not enough funds to meet the bills coming in?

It is only through my relationship with the Lord that the word stewardship becomes meaningful to me and becomes something far beyond the annual program of raising funds – it is a way that I keep connected with the Lord and a way that I live out my baptismal calling. My hope is that stewardship can become this for you as well, so that when the words of thanksgiving are spoken they can become a reflection of your life.

God’s abundant blessings to you,

Kathy Lemmerbrock
Synod Administrator and Stewardship Liaison

Conference Stewardship Consultations Each conference will meet with Pr. Eugene Grimm, our steward resources specialist, to look at developing vital stewardship ministries within our congregations.
Date	Conference (Location)	Time
Sept. 10	Southwestern (Zion, Lima)	Clergy at 9 a.m. Lay leaders at 6 p.m. with a meal provided
Sept. 11	Central (First, Findlay)
Nov. 4	Maumee Valley (Saint Martin’s, Archbold)
Nov. 6	Southeastern (North Salem, Upper Sandusky)
Nov. 17	Eastern (Trinity, Fremont)
Nov. 20	North Central & Toledo (Zoar, Perrysburg)