LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Sheet 308

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APPENDIX I
BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES

Background

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its 1995 convention
(Res. 4-07A) asked the Department of Stewardship to “articulate
the biblical principles of financial stewardship (Bylaw 9.01) which
should guide all of our stewardship and appeal efforts, and dissem-
inate these to all synodical entities, agencies, and auxiliaries prior
to the 1998 convention.”

Preamble

The principles that follow are designed to be used by entities,
agencies, auxiliaries, and congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod in all stewardship education and fund-raising ac-
tivities.

These principles reflect the definition of stewardship commonly
in use throughout The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP is the free and joyous activity of
the child of God and God’s family, the church, in managing all
of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.

God’s people are identified in various ways in the Bible, such as
God’s children, followers, disciples, stewards, and the like. In your
study of the principles which follow, you may want to substitute
some of those other titles and discuss how they add or take away
from the impact on us as God’s stewards.

The “we” mentioned throughout the “will” and “will not” state-
ments that follow refers to those who serve the above-mentioned
groupings as they relate to God’s stewards.

Each of the document’s eight sections begins by listing the
stewardship principle which has been formulated, its meaning, the
key Scripture passages and implications (wills/will nots). You will
notice that in each of the principles the “will/will not” sections are
introduced with “As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ,
and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we ...” These words are pur-
posely repeated throughout the document to remind the reader that
the motivation and power for the “wills/will nots” come only from
the Lord Himself. Each group is encouraged to identify additional
implications suitable to its situation.

All entities of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are en-

couraged to consider these principles and implications in all ap-
proaches and contacts with God’s stewards.

Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Dr. David S. Belasic, Dr. Richard G. Kapfer,
Rev. Richard W. Gahl, Rev. David W. Hoover, Rev. David P.
Schmidt, and Rev. Larry L. Reinhardt, who served as members of
the Biblical Stewardship Principles Task Force and to Aid Associ-
ation for Lutherans for grants that supported the work of the task
force as well as the printing and distributing of this document.

This document is designed to encourage duplication for local
use. Permission is granted to all congregations, entities, agencies,
and auxiliaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to dupli-
cate any and all pages of this document for study purposes.

Summary of Principles
with Meanings

I. God’s Stewards Are God’s Stewards
God’s stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and their re-
creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
II. God’s Stewards Are Managers, Not Owners

God’s stewards have been entrusted by God with life and life’s
resources and given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully man-
aging them for Him.

Scripture quotations NIV® By permission of Zondervan

III. God’s Stewards Are Saints and Sinners

God’s stewards rejoice in and live out what God has declared
them to be through the cross. At the same time His stewards rec-
ognize they are sinners who fight sin and its consequences each
day.

IV. God’s Stewards Are Uniquely Singular, Yet
Profoundly Plural

God’s stewards recognize that their lives are not solo perfor-
mances but are personal responses to God, lived out within the
community of faith to benefit the whole world.

V. God’s Stewards Are in the World, but Not of the World

God’s stewards recognize that the Lord sets them apart from
the world and by the transforming power of the Gospel sends them
into the world to live out the Gospel.

VI. God’s Stewards Are Loved and Loving

God’s stewards recognize that their stewardship flows out of
God’s act of love for them in Christ, which empowers them, in
turn, to love others in acts of Christlike love.

VII. God’s Stewards Are Served and Serving

God’s stewards recognize that their stewardship involves a
Gospel-powered style of life which is demonstrated in servanthood
within all the arenas of life.

VIII. God’s Stewards Live with an Awareness of the
Present and Future, of Time and Eternity

God’s stewards live intentionally in the light of God’s eternal
purpose while being firmly committed to His rule in the here and

Now.

I. GOD’S STEWARDS ARE GOD’S STEWARDS
What does this mean?

God’s stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and their re-
creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.

What does God’s Word say about this?

Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.

But now, this is what the Lorp says—He who
created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O
Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I
have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”
(cf. 43:1—3a)

We were therefore buried with Him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of
the Father, we too may live a new life. (cf.
6:1-11)

So from now on we regard no one from a
worldly point of view. Though we once re-
garded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(cf. 5:14-17)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God—not by works, so that no one can
boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.

Is. 43:1

Rom. 6:4

2 Cor. 5:16-17

Eph. 2:8-10

How is this done?

As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the
Holy Spirit’s help, we will