Last week I wrote about my friend Jim Pierce who passed away suddenly this past week, just two days following his 79^th birthday.  Jim was a remarkable man who made many friends and touched many people with the love of Jesus.  More than anything else, however, Jim was the personification of stewardship.  Whether it was tithing his income or giving above and beyond to support the church, he was generous with his possessions.  Whether it was being present week after week for Sunday School and worship or being available whenever someone needed to talk, he was generous with his time.  Whether it was volunteering to teach teenagers how to build a set of steps for someone’s house or setting aside retirement plans to be a volunteer missionary, renovating buildings on the east coast, he was generous with his talents.

 For those who knew Jim, the power of his life still lives within and inspires us.  For those who did not know him, there is great consolation in knowing that a person such as Jim Pierce lived.  Such knowledge restores hope in our capacity as people, in partnership with God’s Spirit, to change the world.

The mission of the Church is to change the world, in cooperation with the Spirit, into the shalom (the reign or kingdom) of God.  The mission of each congregation is to enable that larger mission to happen by transforming people.  Our words for this transformation include redemption, renewal, discipleship, and spiritual growth.  Our message is to be on the journey of faith and respond to God’s call with intentionality.  Ultimately, we are being transformed for the purpose of changing the world according to the values Jesus taught:  love, peace, justice, mercy, and compassion.

How do individual churches help such a profound transformation to happen?  It is clear this does not happen because our words are so powerful, our worship is so compelling, or our programs are so well done.  These things can really help, but the work of transformation is God’s work.  Churches provide space, guidance, and encouragement for people to be on a journey.  We invite people to be on that journey honestly, openly, and with integrity.  This includes bringing their most challenging questions and asking them out loud.  The church experience involves helping people seek the answers that are right for them.  All this takes place in partnership with Spirit.  All this takes place in the context of a loving community.

Churches are institutions that provide the community, space, and programming to enable transformation.  As members of churches, we are called to be stewards of the institution as well as the community and the programs.  A steward is like a trustee – one who takes on responsibility for the benefit of others.  If the church is a primary place of change and transformation for us an individuals and, ultimately, for the world in which we live, then the our stewardship of the church is vitally important.

We live in a society that does not generally seem to understand or appreciate the need for transformation.  Even people and institutions of faith have tended to embrace societal values rather than challenge those values and offer an alternative.  It is through communities of faith, however, that genuine and deep transformation can still happen.  When our citizenship in God’s kingdom prompts a higher loyalty from us than our national citizenship, then we can be part of the process of change.  For all its flaws, the church has a unique opportunity to offer new direction to our society.  Our stewardship of the church, as institution and as sacred community, can make the difference.

Thanks for continuing to bless me on the journey.

--Jack Price

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