Stewardship: A Word (and Concept) Worth Keeping

The word stewardship has recently fallen on hard times. To many it’s no longer relevant to the day in which we live. To some it’s a religious cliché used to make fund-raising sound spiritual. It conjures up images of large red thermometers on church platforms, measuring how far we are from paying off the mortgage.

Because of these bland associations, I was tempted not to use the word in this book. But it’s such a good word, both biblically and historically, that it deserves resuscitation rather than burial. “A steward is someone entrusted with another’s wealth or property and charged with the responsibility of managing it in the owner’s best interest.” A steward is entrusted with sufficient resources and the authority to carry out his designated responsibilities.