7 Principles for Giving
1. THE SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS.
ecause “the world and its fullness” belong to the Lord (Psalm 50.12), our
regular giving to the Parish is rightly called stewardship, not
fundraising or even philanthropy. As we say together in the offertory
sentence: “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we
given thee.” The things that we have, the material blessings that are
ours, are just that – blessings. Even the money we earn by the sweat of
our brow, we have ultimately by God’s grace – he gave us the talents,
the good health, the opportunities, and the will with which we do our
work. So all that we have is from God.
2. STEWARDS, NOT OWNERS.
f all that we have is from God, then we are stewards and not owners. The
difference is crucial. Owners have ultimate control and the full
right to dispose of their possessions as they see fit. But stewards have
responsibilities. Stewards have a duty to use the things they have been
given in accordance with the Giver’s wishes. We are especially
considering money here, but this truth applies equally to our time, our
talents, our property, our influence – all the gifts that we have. We
hold all these things in trust, and we must remember that one day we
must give an account for all that we have done with what God has
entrusted to us (Hebrews 4.13).
3. A BLESSING, NOT A BURDEN.
his trust ought not to be a burden for Christians. In fact, when rightly
understood, the “duty” of stewardship reveals itself to be but
one more of God’s blessings. Every serious Christian will admit that
money is often a real problem and a constant occasion of sin. This is
not surprising; after all, the Scriptures tell us “the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6.10). The best way to free
ourselves of money’s power over us is to take the decisive step of
persistent, intentional generosity. Giving money away frees us to trust
in God and thus to store up real treasure in Heaven, “where moth and
rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal”
(Matthew 6.19). This is really a basic question of faith. Do we believe
what God has said? Are we willing to commit to it? Not only does proper
stewardship liberate us from the love of money, in a very tangible way
it incorporates us into God’s work in reconciling the world to himself.
This is one of the great privileges of the Church, that in the ministry
of the Gospel, we become “God’s fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3.9).
4. GRATITUDE, NOT GUILT.
hough through proper stewardship we do, in a sense, accrue blessings to
ourselves; that is not the best reason to be generous. The best, and
finally the only, reason to give is because God has given so much to us.
Stewardship is one of the God-ordained means of gratitude. In the
Eucharistic prayer we render thanks to God “for that thou, of thy tender
mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the
cross for our redemption.” We give out of gratitude to the God who gave
himself for us, and in doing so gave us all things. Do you believe this?
If not, it might be best not to give, for God loves a cheerful giver,
and, after all, he does not need our money. Dangerous words in a
stewardship campaign? Perhaps so, but more dangerous still to give
grudgingly or bitterly. But, “behold what manner of love the Father has
given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John. 3.1).
God has loved us lavishly, and the more deeply we understand this, the
more our giving will be marked by gratitude and love.
5. THE TITHE.
he Biblical guideline for our stewardship is the tithe – 10% of one’s income
(Leviticus 27.30). This is not an easy thing to do; that’s
largely the point. If you are not in the habit of tithing to the church,
you might consider a program of proportional giving that will allow you
and your family to move toward the tithe. Simply calculate the
percentage of your income given in 2004, and increase that amount by a
couple of percentage points in 2005, gradually moving your giving closer
to the tithe.
6. PLEDGING.
our pledge should be considered prayerfully. Pledgecards are not
irrevocable contracts written in stone and signed in blood. They provide
you with an opportunity to make a decisive commitment to generosity, and
they provide the Treasurer with a tool for predicting the Parish’s
income for the coming year. Our practice is not to set a budget
including all the things we would like to do, and then to try to raise
money to fund our plans, but to calculate how much income the Parish can
expect to receive through pledges, and then to budget accordingly as
faithful stewards of the resources God entrusts to us through your
giving. Your pledges are confidential and may be altered at any time by
contacting the treasurer.
7. STUDY AND PRAY.
ou should be clear in your own mind that these principles of stewardship
are not clever means for keeping the lights on and the
priest decently clothed. Stewardship is at the same time an avenue of
and response to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Our giving is also an
essential part of the Biblical worship of God. To “excel in the grace of
giving” (1 Corinthians 8.9) is what God requires of us, which means that
he intends to bless us in it. Some passages of Scripture you might look
at are: 1 Timothy 6.17-19; Malachi 3.8-12; Psalm 50.8-12; and 2
Corinthians 8.1-9; 15.58-16.4. You also might like to use the following
prayer in your devotions:
“O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of
every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving
providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one
day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen."
