Thursday, February 24, 2005

The Delicate Area of Biblical Stewardship. . .

Are you familiar with our growing set of Ministry Brochures? These brochures are a source of important information regarding the ministries at Grace Church, SLO. The Financial Trustees have been busily working on a new brochure entitled "Grace Stewardship" that will serve as introduction to our church's finances. I was asked to write the introductory paragraph. We want all to know and understand our commitment to this area. I want you to know. Here's what I wrote. . .

Welcome to Grace! We believe that living by faith in Jesus Christ involves every area of our lives including our finances, how we view and spend money. While God does not need our money, He does want our hearts. . . and our hearts are tied to our money. Jesus said "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt. 6:21). A biblical understanding of money begins with the truth that we and all that we possess belongs to God in the first place. He is the owner and we are His faithful managers.

What is true for us individually is also true corporately. Grace Church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. He owns us, our facilities, our resources and ministries. Here at Grace, we desire to be faithful, open and accountable in this vital area of financial stewardship. Obviously, it takes finances to run any organization and a church is no exception. We believe your giving to the Lord and His work here at Grace is an investment in eternity! We want you to be able to give joyfully, liberally, and faithfully. This brochure is intended to be your introduction to this important area of finances at Grace Church. We hope that it answers some of your questions and perhaps raises additional questions. Please feel free to ask those questions at any time. --Pastor Tim Theule

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tim--Great summary of Christian stewardship! I learned 90% of all I the important stuff I know about biblical stewardship the first time I set foot on Grace's property (June, 1970). It was a work day, and Pastor Johnny Boswell, all sun-burned and paint-spattered (it was a Saturday work-day) told me, "When it comes to finances, you just can't go wrong if you give some, save some, and live joyfully on the rest." We've done so for 35 years, so have my kids (now adults), and many who've read my books (Living Large: How to Live Well--Even on a Little, published by WaterBrook) are now on that track as well. See you this weekend, --Ray