St. John's Church Lafayette Square : Stewardship

Stewardship

"By their fruits shall you know them." (Matthew 7:16)

Stewardship is a word with an ancient lineage. It comes from the Old English "stiweard," meaning ward of the hall or manager of the estate, the one who supervises the staff, collects the rents, and keeps the accounts. It involves the administration of goods or duties entrusted to one’s care.

One dictionary lists a more specific current meaning: "the aspect of religious life and church administration dealing with the individual's responsibility for sharing systematically and proportionately his/her time, talent, and material possessions in the service of God and for the benefit of mankind."

Responsibility, sharing, proportionately ... time, talent, material possessions ... service of God, benefit of mankind. Those are big commitments to envision, let alone undertake. At the individual level, they are a process, not a program. At the parish level, they become both a process and a program to focus time, talent and treasure to do God's work.

At St. John's, stewardship takes many forms.

The Vestry is responsible for the buildings, the property, and the finances. The Outreach Committee is responsible for programs in our local and extended communities to help others. Our many other groups, such as the Pastoral Care Committee, Ushers, and Altar Guild, all help focus collective effort toward the service of God and, in an admittedly limited fashion, the benefit of mankind.

The Stewardship Committee, for its part, has a narrower charter, focused on annual giving, for raising money through pledges. This form of giving allows the Vestry some estimate of how much income it can count on every year to fulfill its duties and conduct our ministries. There are other forms of giving, of course—including plate offerings, planned giving and giving in a capital campaign.

There are many ways in which we as parishioners can be faithful stewards. Providing funds is one important way. But the truly important thing is to assume responsibility and make a commitment. How can you best do that, not just once, but throughout the year?

Please visit other sections of this web site to see how you might best give to further God’s work through our parish.



Contact Links Site Map Home	Stewardship "By their fruits shall you know them." (Matthew 7:16) Stewardship is a word with an ancient lineage. It comes from the Old English "stiweard," meaning ward of the hall or manager of the estate, the one who supervises the staff, collects the rents, and keeps the accounts. It involves the administration of goods or duties entrusted to one’s care. One dictionary lists a more specific current meaning: "the aspect of religious life and church administration dealing with the individual's responsibility for sharing systematically and proportionately his/her time, talent, and material possessions in the service of God and for the benefit of mankind." Responsibility, sharing, proportionately ... time, talent, material possessions ... service of God, benefit of mankind. Those are big commitments to envision, let alone undertake. At the individual level, they are a process, not a program. At the parish level, they become both a process and a program to focus time, talent and treasure to do God's work. At St. John's, stewardship takes many forms. The Vestry is responsible for the buildings, the property, and the finances. The Outreach Committee is responsible for programs in our local and extended communities to help others. Our many other groups, such as the Pastoral Care Committee, Ushers, and Altar Guild, all help focus collective effort toward the service of God and, in an admittedly limited fashion, the benefit of mankind. The Stewardship Committee, for its part, has a narrower charter, focused on annual giving, for raising money through pledges. This form of giving allows the Vestry some estimate of how much income it can count on every year to fulfill its duties and conduct our ministries. There are other forms of giving, of course—including plate offerings, planned giving and giving in a capital campaign. There are many ways in which we as parishioners can be faithful stewards. Providing funds is one important way. But the truly important thing is to assume responsibility and make a commitment. How can you best do that, not just once, but throughout the year? Please visit other sections of this web site to see how you might best give to further God’s work through our parish.