Interdependent Stewards

Editor’s note: Monthly articles from LCMS Stewardship Ministry are hosted here on The Lutheran Witness site. Visit the “Ministry Features” page each month for additional stewardship content.

The Book of Romans is a fascinating work. The Holy Spirit used St. Paul to record these inspired words. What he was led to share with the Romans and us comes about as close as the New Testament gets to a catechetical work. In introducing himself to the saints in Christ at Rome, whom he had never met, Paul laid out a primer of what had been done to redeem sinful humanity. Sin, redemption, baptism and the Christian life are all covered.

Stewardship is one of the topics addressed in the process. While the term is not used specifically, what Paul writes in Romans 12 becomes a guideline for what it means to be a steward. Stewardship starts with the mercies of God (Romans 12:1). It moves to a transformed view of self, relationship to the world and those in it and how the steward life is lived.

Knit together into the Body of Christ

There are few sections of Scripture that lend themselves better to an intentional discussion of stewardship.

In fact, Romans 12:4-5 is a very helpful passage for us in this discussion: “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” This brings to the fore that the steward is never a standalone, nor operating within the Lone Ranger concept.

The stewards in a congregation are knit together into the Body of Christ that is the local congregation just like the Psalmist reminds us that our human bodies are knit together (Psalm 139:13). This makes us interdependent stewards, not independent stewards.

Different steward profiles

This is what causes issues for steward leaders. In the local congregation there are different kinds of stewards. Consider these:

The “Tipper” Steward – These are the members of the body of Christ who are only supportive of the ministry when they are present and receive something that they like from the pastor and congregation. When “service” isn’t up to snuff, or they have something better to do on a weekend, their pew and their envelope are missing in action.

The “Ron Popeil” Steward — A 1980s infomercial icon, Popeil was a master at selling things that no one even knew they needed. One of Popeil’s famous taglines was, “Set it and forget it.” The Popeil steward is one that continues to support the congregation at the exact same level for decades. This could either manifest itself in the elderly member who has put the same $5 bill in the plate every Sunday since 1967, or in the member utilizing modern technology who sets her stewardship gift as a recurring online offering…and never thinks of it again.

The Transactional Steward — This is the steward who uses his financial stewardship as a cudgel for getting what he wants. He uses the size and frequency of his giving to hold steward leaders hostage. If he doesn’t get what he wants, when he wants it, he holds the threat of removing the support as leverage.

The “Vending Machine” Steward — This is something like the Transactional Steward, but her focus is on the Lord rather than her brothers and sisters in Christ. This kind of steward is the one that gives in hopes that God will respond in kind.

The Toddler Steward — One of a toddler’s favorite words is “mine.” Toddler stewards think that what they have actually belongs to them. They approach stewardship with the idea that they are giving to the work of the Gospel out of what belongs to them. This flies in the face of Psalm 24:1, which declares, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” When they are reminded of this, they often react like toddlers as well.

The Faithful Steward — These are the stewards that the Lord desires. They know that they actually own nothing. They are created in the image of God to be a reflection of the Creator within creation. They also confess that they are not always faithful and are forgiven and restored to stewardship in the waters of Holy Baptism. As a result, they bear the image of Jesus and they are stewards of the Gospel in all they do, say, think, give and serve.

The antidote to poor stewardship

All of these different types of stewards, and even a few more, are present in the congregation that the steward leader is called to serve. This makes any stewardship effort a challenge because every person present is at a different place on the stewardship spectrum. Therefore, it is critical that any stewardship emphasis is rooted in sound preaching of Law and Gospel from the texts of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

This prevents the steward leader from being held hostage by the Transactional Steward or the Toddler Steward. It also uses the Word to break the bonds of the Transactional Steward. The same Word rightly applied shakes the “Tipper” and the “Popiel” out of their complacency all while encouraging the faithful steward to even greater faithfulness.

LCMS Stewardship ministry features may be reprinted with acknowledgment given to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.