Money & Stewardship
"We believe that everything belongs to God, who calls us as the church to live as faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.
As servants of God, our primary vocation is to be stewards in God's household. We care for, invest, and use wisely all that we receive from God, including resources, money, time. God, who in Christ has given us new life, has also given us spiritual gifts to use for the church's nurture and mission. ...
We believe that time belongs to God and that we are to use with care the time of which we are stewards. ... Through Jesus, all time is holy, set apart for God and intended to be used for salvation, healing, and justice. ...
We acknowledge that God as Creator is owner of all things. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath year and the Jubilee year were practical expressions of the belief that the land is God's and the people of Israel belong to God. Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, announced the year of the Lord's favor, often identified with Jubilee. Through Jesus, the poor heard good news, captives were released, the blind saw, and the oppressed went free. ...
As stewards of God's earth, we are called to care for the earth and to bring rest and renewal to the land and everything that lives on it.
As stewards of money and possessions, we are to live simply, practice mutual aid within the church, uphold economic justice, and give generously and cheerfully. As persons dependent on God's providence, we are not to be anxious about the necessities of life, but to seek first the kingdom of God. We cannot be true servants of God and let our lives be ruled by desire for wealth.
We are called to be stewards in the household of God, set apart for the service of God..." (excerpted and adapted from Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, emphases ours)
Kingsfield is this kind of people - stewards - people entrusted to care and use well what we have received from God.
Practically speaking, with money, in our churches people give money as an act of worship to God, through the church. This money is handled by a Stewardship Team, including our Treasurer, Jim Ramer. Email Jim if you have questions about the handling or flow of money in Kingsfield or any of her churches.
For more on stewardship from organizations with whom we are linked, see:
Mennonite Foundation of Canada
and MEDA: Mennonite Economic Development Associates