Stewardship means ‘I will be your disciple’

Joan Krause

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “stewardship?”  Maybe you think “money” or “manager.”  And you would be partially correct. But when we talk about stewardship as it pertains to the Church, it is much more than that. 

We find numerous references to stewardship in the scriptures, beginning with the book of Genesis in the creation story. God entrusts the created world to human beings to care for and cultivate. Jesus uses the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 to illustrate how we are to use the gifts we have been given. And in Peter 4:10 we read, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” 

In 1992, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published the document, “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response.” In this pastoral letter, the bishops develop the theology of stewardship. They define a Christian steward as one who:

“receives God’s gifts gratefully,

cherishes and tends them responsibly,

shares them lovingly in justice with others,

and returns them with increase to the Lord.”

As the title of the pastoral letter indicates, to be a steward is part of being a disciple. At our baptism we are called to live a life of discipleship. “The life of a Christian steward models the life of Jesus,” it reads. As stewards, we recognize all we have is a gift from God. God is the owner and we are entrusted as stewards to use and share what we have to build the Kingdom of God; to promote the welfare of all. We are grateful for the gifts we have received and as disciples make a conscious decision to share those gifts.

The bishops also call attention to our responsibility of being stewards of creation, caring and cultivating the created world; and stewards of vocation, our work that is used to carry out God’s divine plan. As stewards in the Church, we are not passive beneficiaries of God’s gifts but collaborators in continuing the Church’s mission to proclaim, teach, serve and sanctify. We all share this responsibility. Stewards give generous support of time, money, prayers and personal service to the local community and Universal Church.

Stewardship is the way we respond to Christ’s call to “come and follow” him. It means, “I will be your disciple.” In our parishes and the diocese, we often speak of practicing stewardship by giving of our time, talent and treasure. We give of our resources for the shared mission of the Church, trusting they will be used for the good of all. The parishes, ACCs, Catholic schools and the diocese practice stewardship of all the gifts they have been given. 

Prudent stewardship is one of the guiding principles of the All Things New pastoral planning process. In this planning process, we are all called to practice stewardship to achieve the shared mission of building the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of St. Cloud. In gratitude for all of God’s gifts, we are making a promise to collaborate in using them effectively and responsibly. Our All Things New planning committees are using this guiding principle to establish sustainable workloads for our priests, provide just compensation for employees,  better utilize our facilities, reduce duplication of governance structures and focus budgets on areas that best advance the mission of the Church.

Stewardship is about living as disciples of Jesus. As we all work together in the planning process, let us honor the past and inspire the future to make All Things New in the Diocese of St. Cloud.

Joan Krause, longtime faith formation director, is a member of Sacred Heart in Sauk Rapids. She currently serves as the chair of the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Council.