Christian Stewardship
Christian Stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the church, in managing life and all of life’s resources for God’s purposes. (LCMS definition)
Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney
Assistant to the President Missions, Human Care & Stewardship
Phone: (515) 576-7666
email
Pastors, Stewardship Representatives, and Lay Leaders:
- Does your parish struggle to meet the budget?
- Does the thought of hearing (or preaching) a sermon on financially supporting the
church make you cringe?
- How do we encourage generous living without becoming legalists?
Pastors and lay leaders from around the district are encouraged to join us to hear from
LCMS Stewardship Coordinator, Rev. Heath Curtis. Bring your Bible, your questions, and
your love for your church.
Watch The Video
Living Wisely in an Unwise World - 2024
The three weekly themes are based on James 1:5. They are as follows:
Week 1: "Following God's Wisdom"
Week 2: "Using Time Wisely"
Week 3: "Becoming Money Wise"
Includes Bible studies, sermon materials, newsletter articles, bulletin messages, PowerPoints, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Living Wisely in an Unwisely World"
Faithful Stewards of God's Grace - 2024
The three weekly themes are based on 1 Peter 4:10. They are as follows:
Week 1: "Receiving and Using God's Gifts"
Week 2: "Serve One Another"
Week 3: "Good Stewards of God's Grace"
Includes Bible studies, sermon materials, newsletter articles, bulletin messages, PowerPoints, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Faithful Stewards of God's Grace"
Faithful Participants in God's Mission
The three weekly themes are as follows:
Week 1: "We Are Ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Week 2: "We Are God's Fellow Workers" (1 Corinthians 3:9)
Week 3: "We Are To Be Ready To Generously Share" (1 Timothy 6:18)
Includes Bible studies, sermon materials, newsletter articles, bulletin messages, PowerPoints, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Faithful Participation in God's Mission"
Stewards Living with Purpose
The four weekly themes are as follows:
Week 1: “Do All to the Glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Week 2: “Be My Witnesses” (Acts 1:8)
Week 3: “Serve One Another” (Galatians 5:13)
Week 4: “Be Generous in Every Way” (2 Corinthians 9:11)
Includes Bible studies, sermon materials, newsletter articles, bulletin messages, PowerPoints, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Stewards Living With Purpose"
The four weekly themes are as follows:
1. God's Work, Our Team
2. Your Role on God's Team
3. The Importance & Purpose of Ministry
4. Working Wholeheartedly for the Lord
The package includes Bible Studies, Sermon materials, bulletin messages, children's message, power points, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Fellow Workers On God's Team"
Walking By Grace
The three weekly themes are as follows:
1. All Grace Abound to You
2. Having All Sufficiency
3. Abound in Every Good Work
The package includes Bible Studies, Sermon materials, bulletin messages, children's message, power points, promotional materials, etc.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are not a member of an Iowa District West LCMS congregation, please contact Roger Curtis at IDW or Ron Chewning at 248-644-6150 for permission to use.
Download "Walking By Grace"
Looking for a free and joyous activity for your church with a whole-life stewardship emphasis?
This program from Stewardship Advisors is Scripturally-based, grace-centered, copy-ready, and contains everything your LCMS church will need: Bible studies, bulletin messages, commitment forms, daily devotions, flyers, worship helps, newsletter articles, letters, PowerPoint slides, and more.
You can print and use any materials from this program kit at no charge to your congregation. Help your members to live as grace-filled stewards with this user-friendly kit.
Please note that this program should only be used by LCMS congregations in the Iowa West District as per our agreement with Stewardship Advisors.
Click here to download this resource.
The following information is meant to provide starting points for congregations considering mobile giving options and does not represent any endorsement by Iowa District West. Before proceeding with mobile giving, we recommend reading the article: The Pros and Cons of Electronic Giving.
This link, Mobile Giving Guidelines, provides you with questions to ask before securing the services of a company and an overview of various mobile giving providers.
The Theology of E-Giving, explains how the church can respond to our faithful stewards who do all their financial trasactions with a click or a swipe.
A new Bible study, Stewardship Basics, is now available for free download from LCMS Stewardship Ministry.
The study, which was the central piece to the Major Applied Project for the Rev. Dr. Nathan Meador’s Doctor of Ministry degree, begins by defining terms like steward, stewardship, and master and goes on to explore such topics as “The First Stewardship Crisis” (Gen. 3); “Stewardship of the Gospel”; “Stewardship of Creation”; “Stewardship in Time”; and “Stewardship for Eternity.” There are eight sessions in all.
Meador describes the study as different from many others in that only one of the sessions focuses on financial issues. The rest address stewardship in all aspects of life and its resources.
Says Meador: “All of stewardship flows from whom the steward has been created and redeemed to be. This takes the whole life. Using the owner/steward distinction, the steward will learn who they are in relation to the Lord, their neighbor, and creation.”
Stewardship Basics can be found on the LCMS Stewardship page.
Click here to see this resource.A three-week Stewardship Emphasis.
Includes: Bible studies & answer guide, bulletin & children messages, commitment form, daily devotions, flyers, lay reader talks, letters, newsletter articles, PowerPoint presentation, sermons, brochures, and worship helps.
Stewardship Advisors resource – compliments of your District Stewardship Committee. For more information contact your Circuit Visitor/Stewardship Circuit Rep or District staff (Business Manager Roger Curtis).
Stewardship Primer A Guide for the Christian Congregation. Below is a list of the sections:
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1) Making the Case |
6) Stewardship is a Spiritual Issue |
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2) The Foundation for Christian Stewardship |
7) Change the Stewardship Culture |
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3) Fundamentals of Christian Stewardship |
8) Chief Steward and Stewardship Champions |
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4) Defining Christian Stewardship |
9) Planning Process |
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5) The Identity of the Christian Steward |
10) Appendix |
This comprehensive and valuable resource with 27 separately-bound booklets includes everything from building an effective committee to gathering annual commitments. It is available for FREE by contacting the District office.