New stewardship resources available online

LCMS Stewardship Ministry has made a whole new range of resources available for use in the home, church and society.

The resources, placed in a Lutheran context, focus on teaching what God’s Word says about imitating His gracious generosity. They include short essays, Bible studies, sermon and pastoral aids, tips, how-tos, bulletin inserts and newsletter articles.

The Rev. H.R. Curtis, coordinator of LCMS Stewardship Ministry, said the resources include items that are important for every pastor and stewardship committee to consider, whether their congregations are in rural, urban or suburban areas.

Some resources are tailored to specific settings.

“As Lutherans, the gracious generosity of God is central to our theology,” Curtis said. “We understand that everything we have is a gift of God’s grace — exemplified most clearly in the free gift of salvation in the bitter sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. Everything we preach in the church flows from this gift of Christ — and that includes what we preach about stewardship.”

The new items include “A-Z Stewardship Resources,” which is a collection of Bible studies and essays on the foundations of stewardship, vocation and the third use of the Law, and practical advice on demographics and parish administration.

“Whether you are looking to educate your key lay leadership, administer a new stewardship program or just have a Bible study on generosity or vocation, you will find something here to benefit you,” Curtis said.

The resources are divided into four groups:

Theology of Stewardship: This section includes short essays that are meant for everyone. They place stewardship in the context of Lutheran theology and lay the foundation for the rest of the resources.

Bible studies and Pastoral Aids: These resources can be used in congregations or as springboards for creating other studies.

Nuts and Bolts: These resources include how-tos, tips and plans for implementing stewardship programs.

Practical Wisdom: This area includes articles about demographics, personal money management and other topics that provide insight into teaching stewardship.

Bulletin sentences and monthly newsletter articles also are available.

The bulletin sentences allow congregations to teach on generosity and stewardship every week in their bulletins, with short devotional thoughts on the weekly lectionary (keyed to both the one-year and three-year lectionaries).

The monthly articles, for use in congregation newsletters, take a Christ-centered look at generous living. For those interested in more in-depth articles, the full-color StewardCAST newsletter also is available.

Curtis said the resources will be updated regularly.

To access the resources, click here.

Posted July 24, 2014