Vision of Effective Stewardship (6 of 6)

Back to work.

Finally in the vision for Mt. Bethel, we must have effective stewardship. We need to move beyond a survival mentality and into a mode of generosity and abundance. If our church finances don’t reflect a generosity to the community and if our funds aren’t given proportionately to the cause of missions and outreach, how can we expect average worshippers to be generous and effective as stewards?

In principle, this part is simple. Mt. Bethel, as with many other churches, fights a tendency to slip into survival mode. We worry about paying bills, ridding ourselves of financial debt, and funding old programs that have lost their effectiveness. We evaluate our needed offerings based on what our financial obligations are and not on what the vision of the church is and the potential lives that can be touched.

I've saved this vision for last for a specific reason. When we place our finances at the forefront of following God's plan, we run the risk of letting our bank accounts determine how far we will go. It limits our faithfulness. Instead, we should follow with all our energy and count on God to make sure that the appropriate dollars are there.

I believe that in God's plan and in the way the church is organized, our finance committee and church council should NEVER be limiting to the vision of the church. Rather, the two should be charged with finding the appropriate resources when ministry teams develop ways to do ministry effectively.

When the church leadership takes on this attitude towards stewardship, the face of stewardship changes in the whole congregation. Stewardship "campaigns" take on a different tone and are more fruitful. The ministry teams have the freedom to dream and the permission to pursue new things and new people.

When we really get down to the meaning of being good stewards of what God has given and we recognize that everything we are and everything we have is ultimately God's, we find freedom in our obedience and we see miracles performed in our presence.