Stewardship
When we hear the word, stewardship, most of us cringe because we think we are going to be asked for money. Stewardship is not about getting people to give their money to church, though; stewardship is a way of life. As we read, study, and live God’s word, we discover that what God most desires of us is that we live our lives as good stewards of his creation. Here at Salem, our focus on stewardship is to help people become the stewards that God has called them to be.
A part of stewardship is about using our financial resources to glorify God, but much of stewardship is about learning to live differently. Here at Salem, we invite everyone to invest themselves, through the resources that God has given them (their energy, prayers, and financial resources) in this work to which God has called us.
Stewardship is literally a call to conversion, as we are constantly being challenged by God to see that all we have (our time, our talents and our financial resources) is from God and that, although God has blessed us with these gifts for our own lives, he has also blessed us with these gifts so that we might be a blessing to others.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Although Paul was specifically talking about a financial offering, the same is true when we offer our time and our talents in service to others. God does not command us to give of our time, our talents, or our wealth against our will; God desires that we become good stewards who give of ourselves out of joy and a desire to bring about God’s will.
Here at Salem, we believe that stewardship is a concrete way to helpmake visible the Kingdom of God that is already among us.
"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)