Qualities of the Christian Steward

The following quotations are from the bookCreative Giving: Understanding Planned Giving and Endowments in the Churchby Michael D. Reeves, Rob Fairly, Sanford Coon (Discipleship Resources, 2005).

"Humble gratitude invites us to honor God through the gifts that God has given us for the good of this generation and those to come" (page 24).

"Creative giving provides a way for people to make mature gifts" (page 32).

"Initiating and maintaining a creative giving program in any congregation, regardless of its size, is a process that requires time, energy, thoughtfulness, vision, commitment, and a lot of prayer" (page 97).

"If the intent [to creative giving programs] is simply to get money for the church before the older generation dies off, then the program is on a slippery slope from its beginning" (page 97).

"The initiative of a creative giving program provides a unique opportunity to learn about the biblical footing and the application of biblical principles in our lives" (page 98).

"The pastor is the key teacher of Christian stewardship in the congregation" (page 114).

"It is the pastor's role to interpret the breadth of Christian stewardship, and that includes managing assets accumulated in estates from every household in the congregation" (page 114).

"No congregation is too small to have basic policies in place that allow for receiving, managing, and using bequests" (page 144).

"An intentional [financial] plan that connects faith and money is one of the ways we can develop disciples" (page 154).