Stewardship

For my public ministry class I am working right now on a presentation for Monday on Stewardship. I've been distracted by many events from my weekend, which I will write about soon. I read the book Ask Thank Tell: Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation. Its not a bad book in terms of encouraging people to think about monetary giving as part of their relationship with God. I like concepts of encouraging people to give to the church first and then keep the rest for themselves. I like that aspect of the book.

Yet despite that, a concept that seems to perpetually bother me as I am reflecting over this is how I would talk about stewardship in a more impoverished area. Yes, its important to give to church. But isnt it alittle classist to think that people spend their money that they could tithe on fun things and things that they don't need? Its not to say that people in lower classes dont own or want to own these more fun things as well. Its more of this concern that its probably easier to tell middle class teenagers that they dont always need to have fun with their money but they should develop an attitude of giving. However what about being in a rural area where people dont make a lot of money or an inner city area where they have to work multiple jobs just to put food on the table? Settings where maybe having a warm winter coat for themselves or shoes for their children may be more of the dream?

I know that impoverished people are capable of giving. I think of the story of the widow that gave all she had to the temple. However how do I talk about stewardship in this kind of setting while still being sensitive to the financial constraints that people have. Yes, give to God because it all belongs to God. But if I am in an area where people are just struggling to make ends meet?

This is just the factor that seems to bother me in trying to figure out how to have pastoral sensibilities in the context of stressing stewardship. I wish it was something others would have been more eager to address.