Church of St. John of Damascus
Guide to Stewardship
“Every good and perfect gift is from above…”
What is your gift back to God?
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The
Biblical Basis of Giving
1. Everything belongs to
God.
Because God created all
things, He automatically owns all things: “The earth is the
Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell
therein. (Ps. 24:1)
God owns it all. The
cattle on a thousand hills (see Ps. 50:10) and even the
hills themselves (see Ps. 50:12). But more importantly, He
owns you and me: “For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20).
He is thus the true
owner of everything we have. Not just our bodies and
spirits, but our houses and cars, our pots and pans, our
furniture and fixtures, our televisions and stereos, our
children and pets, and even our bank accounts and IRAs.
Nothing is exempt. God owns it all. But if everything
belongs to God, then where does that leave us? Isn’t there
anything that we can call our own?
2.
We are God’s Stewards.
God has placed each of
us over some of His possessions. Our role is not
that of an owner but that of a steward.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the term steward
like this: “One who acts as a supervisor or
administrator, as of finances and property, for another or
others.” God has made some of us stewards over a very large
estate. He has made others of us stewards over a small
estate. But make no mistake about it, all of us are
stewards. This brings us to the third principle.
3. We are held accountable for
how we use the resources God gives us.
In the Parable of the Talents (see Matt.
25:14-30), our Lord makes it clear that He regards as
“faithful” those who wisely use the resources He gives
them. Conversely, he regards as “unfaithful” those who
squander their opportunities and use His resources
foolishly. The point of the parable is that for all of us
there is an ultimate accountability in the exercise of our
stewardship. We are not free to spend our money as we
please. Nor are we free to invest our money as we please.
Everything must be done to the glory of God and with the
view to the reality that we will one day – at the dread
judgment seat of Christ – give an account of our
stewardship. (Dn Michael Hyatt, Again Magazine, vol
II, no 3, Fall 1988)
Proportionate Giving
“No
one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of
you with as much as he can give, in proportion to the
blessings which the Lord, God has bestowed on you.” (Deut.
16:10, 16-17)
There are many
elements to Stewardship which will be presented in weekly
inserts in the bulletin. In terms of individuals’ donations
to the Church, the Old Testament laid down the standard of
the tithe, or 10% of one’s income. This provides us
with the principle that giving should be in proportion with
our income, which is unlike a dues system.
Financial
stewardship is returning to God a fair proportion of the
resources He has given to us. Stewards determine what
percentage of their income will be committed to Christ and
the Church for 2007. If you cannot give 10 percent, can you
give 1 percent? If you already give 1 percent, please
consider giving 2 or 3 percent or more. The more we are
given, the more is expected of us. “Everyone to whom much
is given, from him much will be required.” (Lk. 12:48)
How Much Should I
Give?
Please consider the following questions and the chart below
when prayerfully determining your pledge for next year.
- Do I give God the leftovers or do I give God
the first fruits?
- Do I give what I think I can afford or do I
give in faith, depending upon God to supply?
- Do I give what is acceptable and customary or
do I give in love and gratitude for all that God has allowed
me to harvest?
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Annual Income |
1% |
2% |
5% |
10% |
|
$10,000 |
$ 100 |
$ 200 |
$ 500 |
$ 1000 |
|
$20,000 |
$ 200 |
$ 400 |
$ 1000 |
$ 2000 |
|
$30,000 |
$ 300 |
$ 600 |
$ 1500 |
$ 3000 |
|
$45,000 |
$ 450 |
$ 900 |
$ 2250 |
$ 4500 |
|
$60,000 |
$ 600 |
$ 1200 |
$ 3000 |
$ 6000 |
|
$75,000 |
$ 750 |
$ 1500 |
$ 3750 |
$ 7500 |
|
$90,000 |
$ 900 |
$ 1800 |
$ 4500 |
$ 9000 |
|
$105,000 |
$ 1050 |
$ 2100 |
$ 5250 |
$ 10,500 |
|
$120,000 |
$ 1200 |
$ 2400 |
$ 6000 |
$ 12,000 |
|
$135,000 |
$ 1350 |
$ 2700 |
$ 6750 |
$ 13,500 |
|
$150,000 |
$ 1500 |
$ 3000 |
$ 7500 |
$ 15,000 |
|
$165,000 |
$ 1650 |
$ 3300 |
$ 8250 |
$ 16,500 |
|
$180,000 |
$ 1800 |
$ 3600 |
$ 9000 |
$ 18,000 |
|
$200,000 |
$ 2000 |
$ 4000 |
$ 10,000 |
$ 20,000 |
When Enough of God’s People Return Enough of His Money to
Do His Work - Good Things Happen! |
