[Creation Care] stewardship

Fri Sep 19 16:28:09 EDT 2008

solid thoughts on stewardship from Peter Sawtell...

great weekend,

Erik

>
>
>
> Affirming Stewardship
> Copyright © 2008 - Eco-Justice Ministries
>
>
> These reflections on stewardship were first distributed in October,  
> 2001. Seven years ago, the headlines about global financial crises  
> had to do with the mismanagement of investment funds, a somewhat  
> different set of issues than we see in today's mortgage-based  
> failures. These words about stewardship still seem pertinent,  
> though, both for churches and the broader society.
> In many churches, this is the stewardship season, and we devote  
> lots of time and energy to building our financial base for the  
> coming year. In most cases, though, we're not being accurate when  
> we call it "stewardship."
>
> What we're really doing during these months is pure fundraising  
> work. Our efforts at education and persuasion are about  
> philanthropy, benevolence and charity, and those are very different  
> from stewardship.
>
> Dictionaries clarify that a steward is one who manages the affairs  
> and resources of another. It is a role of great trust and  
> responsibility. In contrast, philanthropy, benevolence and charity  
> have to do with the humanitarian distribution of one's own assets.  
> They have connotations of generosity and good will.
>
> Stewardship is totally different from ideas of benevolence in  
> asserting whose stuff and whose intentions are important. A  
> philanthropist is noted for generosity with her or his wealth. A  
> steward does not need to be either wealthy or generous, only  
> capable and responsible in dealing with the assets of another.
>
> Our efforts at church fundraising may be practical and effective,  
> but they are theologically shallow. We have conceded that the  
> members of our congregations see their wealth, time and talent as  
> their own. And so we ask them to give out of what is theirs; we  
> don't ask them to be responsible in their stewardship of what God  
> has entrusted to them.
>
> +     +     +     +     +
>
> The best models for stewards and stewardship in the modern world  
> come from the financial realm.
>
> The managers of an investment portfolio, a trust fund, or a  
> charitable foundation truly function as stewards. They have been  
> entrusted with the valuable assets of others to manage. Effective  
> management does not bring profit or gain to the steward. The  
> benefits (and the risks) go to the owner of the assets. The goals  
> and the style of management are defined by the owner, not the steward.
>
> The fund manager -- the steward -- has a legal obligation to work  
> for the specified goals of the fund owners: high or low risk, an  
> emphasis on financial gain or socially responsible impact. If the  
> steward has a different idea for how to manage things, those plans  
> must be approved by the owner of the assets before being implemented.
>
> And, clearly, the steward is not to profit personally from the  
> assets that are being managed. Be paid appropriately, yes. But not  
> dip into the assets for his or her own use. That sort of  
> misappropriation of funds is called "embezzlement" and is a major  
> crime.
>
> +     +     +     +     +
>
> In today's society, even in today's churches, it would be a tough  
> job to convince folk that they are stewards, not owners, of their  
> paychecks, bank accounts and homes. Thus, our "stewardship"  
> campaigns are really about benevolence, about giving generously out  
> of your own possessions.
>
> We may stand a better chance of calling for stewardship when we  
> deal with issues of the environment and natural resources. On some  
> level, many people can understand the often cited proclamation from  
> Psalm 24 that "the earth is the Lord's." We can begin to grasp the  
> notion that the created order does not belong to us as individuals,  
> nations, corporations, or as a species. It is not ours to use and  
> abuse as we please.
>
> It is possible to talk of stewardship of the earth without a  
> religious base. The earth might belong to the entire biosphere, and  
> not to humanity alone. Ownership might be so deeply tied to future  
> generations that it is meaningless to think of this generation as  
> having significant rights. Both of those themes should be a part of  
> our thinking. But the theme of stewardship is most clear and most  
> compelling from the religious perspective. To be stewards of God in  
> our relation to the earth makes our obligation plain.
>
> Those of us who come from religious communities can make a profound  
> contribution to the environmental cause when we stress the theme of  
> stewardship. To see ourselves as stewards of what God owns points  
> us in very different directions than seeing "the earth and all that  
> is in it" as our own property.
>
> If the oil fields, the rain forests, the seas and the atmosphere  
> are human property, then we must convince the owners (however those  
> are defined) to be far-sighted, generous and benevolent in the use  
> of what they have. We must convince them to give up a portion of  
> their rightful claim to profit and the use of their property.
>
> But if we are stewards, then all of that is not ours to claim at  
> all. The question is not how much we give up, but how much we can  
> rightfully use. We must make a defense for what we take, not for  
> what we give. And our defense must be based on our best  
> understanding of God's, the owner's, intentions.
>
> Stewardship of the earth can be problematic. To claim that we are  
> the stewards of God's creation puts us in a powerful role as  
> managers and decision-makers. An arrogant notion of stewardship  
> could benefit from environmental understandings that place humanity  
> within nature, instead of above it. But in any form, stewardship is  
> far more faithful than ownership as a way of relating to the earth.
>
> May our churches have the courage and vision to proclaim that the  
> earth, and all that is in it, is God's.
>
> +     +     +     +     +
>
> Speaking of church budgets and generous benevolence, have you  
> considered including Eco-Justice Ministries in your congregation's  
> mission budget or your personal donations?
>
> Shalom!
> Rev. Peter Sawtell
> Executive Director, Eco-Justice Ministries
>
> We welcome your comments and feedback on these newsletters. Peter  
> Sawtell reads all of the responses, and tries to reply to all  
> substantive comments.
>
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--
Erik Hoffner
Orion Grassroots Network
888-909-6568
http://www.orionsociety.org/ogn

The Orion Grassroots Network provides services and support to  
grassroots organizations engaged in ecological, social, and cultural  
change.

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