- an excerpt from an article written by Kirk Plattner, HarvestCall’s Country Director of Europe, Jamaica, Japan, & Mexico. The Fatted Calf is a ministry of HarvestCall.
Being Stewards of the Mission
In the days of viral online word games, I reflect on their old-school predecessors. A favorite was to pick a word and have each participant see how many other words they could create out of the letters of the chosen word. Then, the participant with the greatest number of alternative words would be the winner. This is the image that came to my mind when I thought of the topic of Stewardship in Missions.
Stewardship of the Commission
As Christ’s church, he gave us his commission which flows from his commandments. We were commanded to love God with all of ourselves which would be evidenced by our love for our neighbor. These commandments are further given expression in the mission given to the church to go into all the world to make disciples, baptizing and teaching all things commanded by Christ. The gift of this mission is the church’s to steward.
As a church, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are engaging in the mission of making disciples by baptizing and teaching all things he commanded.
And, we are to steward the mission by ensuring that as a church our eyes are looking to the fields and that we are sending laborers into the harvest as directed by God.
Stewardship of the message
As Christ’s church, he gave us the good news of the gospel message. And, along with that good news, we were given a very clear stewardship responsibility to preserve the soundness of the message. (1 Cor. 9:12, Titus 2:1, Jude 1:3, Phil. 1:27, and many more). While there are multiple angles to looking at how the message is stewarded, two of them have to do with preserving the content of the message and ensuring clarity in its communication.
Our stewardship of the message is to ensure that the gospel that we are proclaiming is the full gospel as represented in the scriptures, not influenced by the world. And, that as we communicate that pure message, that it is done in ways that honor the message and are most clearly able to be received in truth by the hearer. What an awesome responsibility!
Stewardship of people
As Christ’s church, we are commanded to steward the gifts and callings of the church body. The command given by Christ was to look at the fields that are white unto harvest and to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers. The command is clear. And, as he sends workers, we should be faithful in our equipping and supporting of them for the work.
We have each received gifting for the work and places in the fields to use those gifts on behalf of the Kingdom. This stewardship is to continue to call each other to this work and seek the Lord for this continued work of sending.
Andy and Erin Ott, from Congerville IL, serve in Magdalena MX with The Fatted Calf as HarvestCall missionaries
Stewardship of financial resources
As Christ’s church, we are given resources to steward on behalf of the Kingdom. This responsibility starts with the acknowledgment that God owns everything in the world; therefore, everything that we have is his. Our goal is to discern areas where we can share the resources God has given to us in ways that align with his heart and kingdom. While God guides us and directs us in this process, we know from the scriptures of God’s heart for orphans, widows, the poor, and those who have yet to hear the gospel message.
May our hearts be continually guided by his spirit to steward God’s financial resources in ways that glorify him.
There are many other ways
As Christ’s church, we are given days to steward. The scriptures speak of redeeming the time as well as the importance of recognizing the sovereignty of God over our lives. We are to utilize the time we are given in worship and service of God. We do this through obedience to his word, applying godly wisdom in our choices, and utilizing the time we are given for the purposes of the Kingdom of God. Jesus gave us the example to work while it is day, for night is coming when we will not be able to work. This is our opportunity!
“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night cometh, when no man can work.”