Early Stewardship

Some think that Christian Stewardship is an invention of the Church to ‘make money’ in the world. People donate to the causes close to their heart. Keep the Church close to people, and they will keep donating. Of course, Christian Stewardship has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the Gospel.

At that time Jesus went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for him out of their means.

Luke 8.1-3

In today’s Gospel lesson we hear about some of the first Christian Stewards. Christ and His entourage would travel from city to city, town to town, teaching and preaching. There was a group from the first days that used their own money to make sure they all could survive. This is the meaning of “provided for him out of their means.”

Practically speaking, Christ had a lot of work to accomplish and only three years in which to accomplish it. By having those who believed in Him to support His work, He was free to teach and preach and even heal the sick, without the pressure of making a living.

The same is true for those who work for the Church today. The clergy have a mission to accomplish. By providing the clergy with ‘a living’ they are free to preach and teach and spread the Gospel of Christ to the world as they were commanded by God.

Christian Stewardship isn’t about electric bills and property insurance, although these are modern required expenses of any organization. Christian Stewardship is about the Gospel. We don’t need electricity and insurance to preach. The Church has proven that for centuries.

When the clergy are free to preach the Gospel without burden of where their next meal is coming from, more people hear about Christ. When more people hear about Christ, more seeds of hope are planted in more hearts.

Here is where our modern Church is missing the boat. Modern Christianity has become more about coffee hours and church dances and less about the Gospel. Most Orthodox parishes don’t have enough clergy to preach and teach and offer the Holy Mysteries. We have become a Sunday Only religion.

I have written before about more worship services, but today I’m talking about more clergy. A study years ago revealed, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese affirms this, that an average priest can effectively minister to NO MORE than 250-300 families.

What does it mean to effectively minster? An effective priest must know his flock and their struggles and talents. He must have enough time to spend with them in fellowship and worship to the point where they have genuine relationships. Too many families with too few clergy means nobody has quality time to nurture their faith in Christ.

If there are people in your parish who are not connected or not attending services, it isn’t because they don’t care. It is more likely because your parish doesn’t have enough clergy to inspire them to deeper faith.

The more Christ taught, the more He needed those around Him to provide for Him so He could focus on teaching and preaching. Christian Stewardship comes down to funding enough clergy for everyone in the Church to be able to have a relationship with the priest.

Take a tally of your parish and the take a tally of your clergy. Do you have one pries for every 250-300 families? If you don’t, increase your Christian Stewardship so you can have enough to meet the needs of the parish. More people need more clergy. More clergy need more Christian Stewardship.

Become a part of the entourage of Christ and help spread His Gospel. Practice Christian Stewardship.