Leadership as Stewardship

What are you doing with what you’ve been given?  This is the stewardship question.

The concept of stewardship has its genesis in the Garden of Eden. God created the garden for Adam and Eve, and then said, “Here is a gift. Work it. Take care of it. Nurture it. Invest your time, energy, and imagination on it. Enjoy it. Make it better.”

Leadership can be understood in the same terms. God, in His providence, provides opportunities (responsibilities) for us. He says, “Here is a gift. Work it. Take care of it. Nurture it. Invest your time, energy, and imagination on it. Enjoy it. Make it better.”

Stewardship is a key biblical principle that involves managing resources responsibly as outlined in 1 Peter 4:10 – “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  Stewardship emphasizes using talents, time, and treasure wisely and with integrity, ensuring that all resources are used effectively for the benefit of others and in alignment with Kingdom values.

The importance of stewardship was modeled for my siblings and me from an early age. My Dad has always taken great care to steward both possessions and responsibilities, his goal being to make the most of everything in his care. We learned from Dad the importance of stewarding possessions well – be it a house, a hammer, or a hat. If possible, things should look better when you are done with them than they did when you started. The same theme runs through the Parable of the Talents - take what you have been given and make it better. That’s stewardship.

Stewardship does not just apply to possessions and responsibilities – it also applies to opportunities. Discerning how to make the most of “open doors” requires sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, courageous trust, and faithful obedience.

Perhaps these stewardship questions will prompt personal reflection:

How are you managing the financial resources in your care?

How are you supervising the human resources in your care?

How are you overseeing the capital resources in your care?

How are you stewarding the opportunities in your care?