The Essence of Stewardship

When asked to describe "development", how do you answer the question? For most of us, I suspect, it begins with a explanation of the needs of the school and how we can raise money from our various constituencies. And, yes, our school is worthy of support; that almost goes without saying.

"Listen" to one of the leaders of the biblical stewardship movement, Wes Willmer:

“Stewardship is God’s way of raising people, not man’s way of raising money.”
Wesley K. Willmer, God & Your Stuff (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003), p. 9.

I need to hear this. You see, it's not so much the "what" of development and fundraising (auctions, appeals, golf outings, etc.), it's the "why" and "how" that is critical. Be sure that the Lord cares very much about how we "do" fundraising; it reveals so much about how we think about ourselves, the donors, and how God works in providing for our school.

For instance, when you think of ways to "close the gap", does your mind race to the people who have the most wealth, or the ones with the fanciest car? These are the people who SHOULD be willing to give because they have so much, right?

Some of these donors need to be "raised", but not just asked for a gift. Other donors are well on the path to living like they know the Provider, and they are naturally more generous. The approach we should employ is different for each, but it should always be with their spiritual growth in mind.

In these days when we are planning for the next school year, take some time to evaluate and pray about the essence of stewardship and how that is manifested in your actions.