As I joined the Church Investors Fund team, I knew stewardship would become a regular part of my teaching and conversations. That led me back through the Gospels with one question in mind: What did Jesus actually teach about stewardship? I wasn’t looking for some new doctrine. I wanted to read God’s Word again through the lens of this new ministry.
As I read, one thing kept standing out to me. In Jesus’ parables, the steward never owned the resources; he simply managed them on behalf of the master. The Lord used that simple observation to ask me a deeper question:
What if everything God entrusts to us is meant to accomplish something beyond us?
Stewardship became much bigger than simply managing money well. It became faithfully managing everything that belongs to God for His purposes. King David reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). Everything. My time belongs to Him. My health belongs to Him. My work belongs to Him. My finances belong to Him. Everything I have has been entrusted to me by God—not merely for my benefit, but for His purposes and His glory.
That truth has changed the way I think about everyday life. A good night’s sleep isn’t just about feeling rested; it’s faithfully stewarding the body God has entrusted to me. That rest prepares me to do the work He’s called me to do. As Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). My work becomes an act of worship, and the income it provides becomes another resource entrusted to my care. When those resources are faithfully stewarded, they help churches become places where children hear about Jesus, marriages are strengthened, disciples are made, missionaries are sent, and lives are transformed by the gospel.
That’s the ripple effect of stewardship. One act of faithful stewardship leads naturally to another until what began with caring for the body God entrusted to me becomes part of God’s work of advancing His Kingdom.
One of the greatest joys I’ve witnessed in my years of ministry is seeing healthy churches become multiplying churches. As congregations are strengthened, many go on to plant new churches, bringing the hope of Christ to even more communities.
Now, as part of the Church Investors Fund team, I have the privilege of a front-row seat to watch churches grow and to hear countless stories of what God is doing through the stewardship of His people. I can’t wait to see what the Lord will continue to do as more followers of Jesus recognize that every part of life—our time, our abilities, our work, and our finances (each a resource)—used to expand His glorious Kingdom!
