Biblical Principles of Stewardship

1. God is the owner of all.

In Psalm 50:9-12 says, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains.” God reminds us that He in fact is the owner of everything.

We own nothing. Everything we have has been a provision from the Father. So when we approach people and invite them to give, we need to understand who owns the resources they have.

2. We are managers and not owners.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus shares The Parable of the Talents. Before going on a journey, the master entrusts to each servant a specific portion of his wealth. He expects each servant to gain a return from what they have been given. When he returns from his journey, there are rewards for the servants who obeyed their master and consequences for those who did not obey.

In the same way, God has given us resources. And He expects us to invest them in a way that honors Him by bringing a return. Matthew 6:20 "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

When we invite people to give, we need to understand that they are managing God’s resources. And we’re asking them to consider investing those resources in His work.

3. There is more joy in giving than receiving.

We encourage other believers to give for their own sake. Paul reminds us in Acts 20:35 that Christ said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In 2 Corinthians 8:7, he encourages us to "excel in this grace of giving." He also tells us in Philippians 4:17 that he rejoiced in their giving because it was being credited to their account. In these three passages, Paul confirms for us that fundraising can be ministry.

When we invite people to give, we believe that it’s in their best interest to give -- that it’s actually ministering to them.