Personal Stewardship
The act of stewardship is found throughout the Bible and practiced throughout our LCMS congregations in many fashions. Serving as a steward of something means taking care of possessions for which your authority to oversee has been delegated by the owner. You do not own whatever it is that you are stewarding but are responsible for managing it in such a way as to care for the possession for the benefit of the owner and for those who rely on the owner for their welfare.
To clarify, we are not personally nor collectively the owners of anything in this world. Our wealth, skills, talents, and all our blessings are granted oversight to us by God alone, but He remains the owner of that with which we are blessed. Psalm 24:1-3 teaches us:
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.”
Because God has delegated authority over his possessions to us, we should therefore be intentional in our effort to further His kingdom through those blessings. Good stewardship benefi ts expanded ministry, leading to greater resources for sharing the Gospel with all who will hear. We should be prayerfully contemplative about what we need for ourselves and what portion of the blessings in our lives can be used to lead others to salvation through Christ.
The Lutheran Church Extension Fund provides opportunities for you to further the reach of our LCMS ministry as you steward God’s financial blessings in your life. Investing with LCEF allows us to provide competitive mortgages to rostered church workers, offer lending options to churches and schools, give scholarships to high school students, and provide services such as demographics, strategic planning, and real estate solutions to congregations and schools far and wide. Account holders have an opportunity through the Shared Interest Program to take their support of ministry one step further by donating interest from their investments to the ministry of their choice. They can choose from many LCMS ministries such as a local Lutheran school or church, a seminary or university, or the LCMS Global Mission Fund.
If you would like to learn more about how your stewardship of the financial blessings in your life can benefit those in the Missouri District, feel free to reach out to Mike Wadley at 314-885-6489, or visit lcef.org.
