What’s in a name?

Darren Philip shares the thoughts of the National Stewardship Team on the relevance and riches of stewardship.

AT the end of the First World War, fears that the connotations associated with its name might harm the breed’s popularity led to the German Shepherd Dog being renamed ‘Alsatian’ after the Alsace area of France which borders Germany.

In 1977, this decision was officially reversed by the British Kennel Club, recovering the breed’s original name and recapturing its sense of heritage and origin.

Language shifts and changes over time. Sometimes particular terms fall out of favour because of their associations, and alternatives have to be found. But there is also much value in recovering the original sense of a word, rediscovering the richness which lies behind it.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘stewardship’? For many of us, our minds jump straight to ‘money’. For some, it conjures up memories of door-knocking campaigns. In some sectors, it is used to refer to those things we control, while others view it as an archaic term which is no longer widely understood. These, and many other associations, have led some to question whether a better alternative needs to be found. Going back to its origins, however, shows that in the context of Christian discipleship, the term ‘stewardship’ has many riches to offer us.

The word in the New Testament which is most often translated as ‘stewardship’ is oikonomia, which means arranging the affairs of the household. It’s where we get our word ‘economy’ from, and might well be translated as ‘home economics’. The household held a particular significance not only as the basic unit of societal organisation, but also as a base for economic activity (think of Lydia’s household in Acts 16, or Priscilla and Aquilla’s in Acts 18) and as the fundamental structure of the early church. Households included not only a couple and their children, but an extended family of relatives, workers and even servants. In a larger household, a ‘steward’ was appointed to look after the affairs and resources of the household. Their task, ‘stewardship’, recognised that what they looked after was not ultimately theirs but entrusted to their care, and also that they were an interconnected part of the household.

Recovering this sense of participation in a household by caring for resources which are not ultimately ours makes ‘stewardship’ a particularly relevant term for our times. It reminds us that the global ‘household’ of which we are a part belongs ultimately to God. As Psalm 24 puts it: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” All the blessings we have in life – our time, our gifts, our bodies, our money, even Creation itself – are God’s and are signs of God’s generosity. Our calling as God’s people is to reflect that same generosity in the way we look after and tend all that God gives us.

The Church of Scotland’s core stewardship resource, A Narrative of Generosity, reflects this broad understanding by encouraging individuals and congregations to recognise and respond to God’s generosity in twelve different areas: time, God, gifts, possessions, money, relationships, generations, volunteers, body, mind, earth and vision. By sharing stories on a given theme, participants are enabled to recognise God’s generosity and reflect on how they will respond.

The ‘household’ image can also be helpful when thinking of our congregations, which are the family home of the people of God. Recovering our understanding of ‘stewardship’ in this context refers not only to the resources our congregations have at their disposal, but to how the church family makes use of those resources. Stewardship, then, is as much about vision as it is about provision.

This reflects how the word oikonomia was used in wider society at the time our Scriptures were written down. It could be used to refer to any arrangement of things into an order: from arranging literary works to drawing up architectural plans, from arranging music in a score to ordering the logic of an argument. This led to it being applied to God’s arrangement of things: a divine economy or ‘plan’ underlying the universe. Paul uses the word in this sense when he refers to being commissioned in Colossians 1:25: “I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me”. Stewardship involves discerning God’s vision: finding out what God is doing and joining in.

Far from being an outdated term, ‘stewardship’ offers great treasures to the church in this moment. At a time of great change, it encourages us to discern God’s vision for how we minister to the people of Scotland and beyond. At a time when our finances are hard-pressed, it encourages us to think about how we can use what is at our disposal to invest in the kingdom of God. At a time when fewer people are entering training for recognised ministries, it encourages us all to utilise the gifts God has given us.

One of the greatest changes many congregations are facing is uniting with one or more other congregations. When any two households join together into one, there is a great deal to sort out: whose furniture will be used, which artwork will go on the walls, how different tastes in décor will be accommodated, how finances will be managed and chores divided. It is no different when two or more congregations come together: there are many pastoral and practical questions to consider. The lens of stewardship as caring for the household enables us to approach this task with open and generous hearts, recognising that we are all invited to participate in something which belongs ultimately to God.

The Church of Scotland has a National Stewardship Team which can support congregations to explore any aspect of stewardship by providing resources, facilitating conversation or offering bespoke advice. They can be contacted at stewardship@churchofscotland.org.uk.

The rediscovery of how ‘stewardship’ can enhance our discipleship will be further explored in the book Living Generously: A Whole-life Response to God’s Love, to be published in April by Saint Andrew Press. ¤