WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP AND WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE IN MY LIFE?
Stewardship is a way of life, a practical form of spirituality. It is a conversion of heart, a disciple’s response, an expression of love, part of the Christian’s baptismal call; centered in the Eucharist. Simply put, stewardship is nothing more and nothing less than radical discipleship, the following of Christ no matter what the cost.
Stewardship is profoundly counter-cultural. It challenges us to think of ourselves as stewards rather than as consumers. A steward is one who takes care of someone else’s property. As believers, we know that this property is God’s. All our talents, the hours and days of our lifetime, and the material possessions we have come from God. Good stewards realize this. They receive God’s gifts gratefully, cherish and tend them in a responsible and accountable manner, share them in justice and love with all, and return them to God with increase.
To follow this way of life is to enter into a daily process of conversion. It is to ask each day, the question that Archbishop Thomas Murphy, the late chairman of the Bishop’s Committee on Stewardship asked himself and us: “What do I own and what owns me?”
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be . . . Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.” Luke14:32-48
This process begins with a reflection on my gifts of talent, time and treasure.
All of these gifts require prayer, thoughtfulness, and being honest with myself. It is best to look at talent first, because it gives direction to how the other two may be shared.
In order to best know how to be grateful for my talents, I must know them. One way is to answer the questions: What am I good at doing and because I am good at it, what do I enjoy? Now that I have a sense of my talents, how will I share them?
 The second of these gifts is time. Good questions for reflection on this gift might be: How do I spend my time? Where do I spend my time? Does how I use my time help me and/or others have a closer relationship to the Lord and others?
The third gift is treasure. In thinking about treasure, some questions that consistently need to be asked are: Do I really need this or do I want it? Do I trust God enough to share this gift? Am I using this gift in ways that are pleasing to God? How can I better use my treasure (material goods) in the service of the Lord and my neighbor?
It is on the word of those committed to stewardship that I can say the difference that practicing stewardship will make in my life is incalculable. When I practice stewardship, I will find that my life has been changed for the better. It changes my focus from anxiety and stress to one of the peace that comes with trust, gratitude and dependence upon God.
The best way to appreciate the difference it makes in my life is to live it.
"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace." 1 Peter 4:10 
Biblical Basis The origins of stewardship go back as far as the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. Here we see that God gives Adam the responsibility to cultivate and care for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
There are many examples throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: In Chronicles we come across the reminder “For everything is from you, and we only give you what we have received from you.” “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all you produce; then will your barns be filled with grain, with new wine your vats will overflow.” (Proverbs 3:9) to mention just two.
The Christian Scriptures are replete with references to stewardship. Some of the most familiar are found in the parables of Jesus: the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:24-43), the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31); the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:12).
Besides the scripture passages, we also have the pre-eminent example of stewardship in Jesus’ life as recorded in the gospels to aid us in our journey of conversion as disciples.
Definitions Stewardship is:
• A way of life
• Living out Christ’s instruction to “love one another as I have loved you.”
• Caring: responsible management of our God-given resources of time, talent, and treasure
• Renewal of Christ’s Church
• A way to build happy, healthy families
• Pleasing to God
• A way of saying we belong to God
• An act of faith
• An act of trust
• An act of worship
• A conversion of heart
• A disciple’s response
• Gratitude to God for all our blessings
• Returning to God a portion of the talent, time; treasure given us
Quotations, Documents, Etc. ASSESSMENT OF PARISH READINESS The following document may be copied and used by your parish. Is Your Parish Ready for Stewardship?The following questions will help you determine how prepared your parish is for a successful stewardship effort. Most parishes will be able to answer "yes" to every question, however, the more "yes" answers you have the more successful your stewardship effort will be. As the parish moves into the stewardship process, the long-range goal should be to answer every one of these evaluation questions with a firm "YES!" Is your parish spiritually strong?
◊ Are you pleased with Mass attendance?
◊Do a fair number of parishioners participate in spirtual enrichment activities -
small faith communities, adult faith formation programs, etc.?
◊Do parishoners show a willingness to spend time with God through Eucharistic
Adoration, weekday Mass, parish missions, personal prayer, etc.?
◊Do parishioners feel a sense of belonging to the parish?
◊Is your database up-to-date so that parishioner mail is properly addressed?
◊Do you have correct first name salutations as part of your database?
◊Are there parish activities available for everyone including the elderly, the
the handicapped, the single, those without children and the young adults?
◊Are the leaders of your organizations encouraged to make all newcomers feel
welcomed and do they encourage new input and ideas?
◊Are welcoming activities and processes in place, including a warm and convenient
registration process, welcoming packets and invitations to events?
◊Are parish leaders willing to ask, invite and challenge different people to get involved
rather than always relying on the same people all the time?
◊Are attempts made to reach out to those who are not actively involved? Do parishioners have a sense of ownership in the parish?
◊Is there a Parish Vision that has been formulated through broad-base input?
◊Is there a Parish Strategic Plan making your parish proactive rather than reactive?
Are all parishioners aware of the goals that are a part of this plan?
◊Are all parishioners included in or advised of parish needs assessment?
◊Is there open accounting of parish activities and plans including a comprehensive
annual report and regular comments in the bulletin about parish business and
management?
◊Do parishioners feel invited to share their thoughts, comments and suggestions?
◊Are the accomplishments of the parish adequately promoted thus encouraging a
sense of pride in the parish?
◊Do parishioners really feel that the parish belongs to all of them? Do parishioners believe that the parish is doing God's work?
◊Is there an active social service ministry with adequate opportunities for all interested
parishioners to participate?
◊Is the "mission" work of the parish adequately publicized so parishioners do see that
they are investing in God's work and not just in the maintenance of a private club for
the parishioners?
◊Do parishioners understand that a parish exists to help them serve God or do they
think the parish exists to serve them? Do the parish leaders understand this? Do parishioners feel appreciated?
◊Are the gifts people give adequately acknowledged, recognized and appreciated?
◊Is there - at the very least - an annual note of appreciation sent to every donor and
volunteer?
◊Does your parish bulletin include regular notes of appreciation and recognition?
◊Is there an annual appreciation event?
◊Are parish leaders sensitive to the fact that sometimes the smaller gift may actually
be the more generous gift?
◊Do parishioners see that their gifts are really needed and used? Are parishioners familiar with the scriptural concept of stewardship?
◊Does your parish use weekly bulletin stewardship reflections?
◊Does the pastor and other celebrants talk about stewardship whenever this
concept is included in the Gospel readings?
◊Understanding that stewardship is how we live as Christ's disciples, are your
parishioners prepared to pray for successful stewardship - through Prayers of
the Faithful, parish prayer groups or prayer chains, and/or a parish stewardship
prayer?
◊Are stewardship-related scripture quotes used on parish bulletin boards, web-sites,
annual reports, etc.?
◊Are the gifts that parishioners give symbolically tied to the Eucharist through good
offertory practices? Is a strong committee or commission in place to lead the stewardship effort?
◊Is the committee representative of all the various types of parishioners in the parish?
◊Are the committee members Eucharistic people with a strong spiritual relationship
with God?
◊Are committee members good stewards themselves?
◊Are the committee chairs well-received by the parish community?
◊Do committee members recognize that stewardship is about so much more than
money? Stewardship is about every choice we make as Christians, including how
we choose to spend our time and our treasure.
◊Does your committee include both new and seasoned parishioners?
◊Does your committee include individuals who understand good marketing,
communications and motivation processes since educating about stewardship
in our commercial and consumer society is a marketing challenge? Used with permission of the Archdiocese of Chicago Stewardship and Development Office GIFTS INVENTORY
Click on the link above for the Gifts Inventory. The following instrument may be used as a template for your own Inventory. |
