Effective Stewardship

Acton Media -

"Stewardship is everything we do after we say we believe" - that's the guiding principle of Acton Media's excellent new stewardship curriculum, Effective Stewardship, consisting of five 20-minute video lessons with a corresponding study guide.

Strengths:

The study guide is divided into five lessons (Talents, Environment, Fellow Man, Institutions, and Finances), and provides comprehensive content for each subject, beginning with concise introductory notes for personal study or sermons, group discussion questions, personal reflection questions, and additional reading resources.

The approach to stewardship is refreshing, in that it not only approaches the subject from a biblical, whole-life perspective, but also tackles subjects in-depth that are not typically addressed in stewardship discussions, such as "institutions" and the "environment."

Effective Stewardship gathered several nationally recognized experts for this project - including Ron Blue (founder of Ron Blue & Company, the Christian Financial Planners Network, author of numerous personal finance books including Master Your Money, and board member with Crown Financial Ministries and Campus Crusade for Christ); Rev. Robert Sirico (president of the Acton Institute), Don Hodel (former Secretary of the Interior and Energy and past president of Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family), Scott Preissler (past president of the Christian Stewardship Association), Stephen Grabill (general editor of the Stewardship Bible), and many more.

The video production is first-class, and makes the subject matter all the more interesting, with fast-paced, wide-screen graphics scrolling behind the narrator. The narrator is excellent as well, using a casual, conversational, and content-rich style to lead the viewer through the material and introduce the various speakers.

The section on "Talents" did a wonderful job of defining stewardship as being faithful to the calling or vocation God has given you, knowing that God honors our work and that we can find satisfaction and significance in the work He gives us to do.

The section on the "Environment" proactively dismissed the perception that a concern for the planet is equivalent to hugging trees or spraying paint on someone's fur coat. Instead, Effective Stewardship spoke of the biblical "dominion" principle that calls us to be stewards - not spoilers - of the creation, flowing from our ultimate concern for people and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the "Fellow Man" section, the viewer is challenged with several soul-searching questions: Who is my brother? How shall I treat the "aliens" around me (since I was once an "alien" before God? How can I be a Good Samaritan? How can I demonstrate effective Christian compassion?.

The section on "Institutions" was surprisingly personal, focusing on our stewardship of the institutions of family, marriage, church, and government.

The final section was on the stewardship of our "Finances." The placement at the end of the series seemed intentional, not only to reinforce the idea that stewardship is much more than money, but also to put this important aspect of stewardship in context following the other foundation-building sections. This section did a nice job of tackling important questions such as 'What is the right lifestyle for Christians?'

Things to be aware of:

Many of the sources quoted in the study guide or referenced in the video are scholars. While this provides valuable theological depth, the content tends to emphasize thought-provoking perspective over hands-on practical material.

Available from: www.EffectiveStewardship.com (Acton Media/Acton Institute)