Pastor's Pen: The Stewardship of Trust

Leadership can make or break an organization, a business, a school, a church, or a community. Over the years, much has been said about the topic. A simple search on Amazon’s website will reveal tens of thousands of titles. There are books about the leadership styles of such varied practitioners as Attila the Hun, Abraham Lincoln, and Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. We are drowning in leadership advice, but we continue to struggle with the idea.

For Christians, closely associated with the concept of leadership is stewardship. As the Apostle Peter wrote, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” (1 Peter 4:10). God has given us good gifts. What are you going to do with them?

In the fall, when churches talk of stewardship, they trot out the “T”s. I have heard countless sermons on our stewardship of time, talents, and treasure. I have even heard a few sermons about the stewardship of our testimony. How will we be good stewards of the good news of Jesus Christ? However, there is another “T” that we don’t mention. That is a stewardship of trust.

In times of change and uncertainty, people will only follow a leader whom they trust. With the dynamic and profound changes of the last few decades, our trust in institutions and authority is at an all-time low. Frankly, we have been burned by many of our leaders. Trust is a rare commodity.

We witness to the hope we have in Jesus Christ by our stewardship of trust. Do we tell the truth? Do we keep our promises? Do we show up on time? A stewardship of trust faithfully discharges the duties that we have been given. Some might argue that being dependable is boring, but it sure beats the alternative.

This idea of the stewardship of trust came to me this year as we took surveys and prepared for the Road Ahead. One discovery that we made was how much trust the church membership has in our finances. Compared to the majority of other congregations in the United States, we actually trust First Presbyterian Church to handle money with integrity and transparency. We aren’t frivolous or wasteful with our resources. It’s easier to be generous with an organization when it has been faithful with our trust.

We can thank the session, the Stewardship Committee, and especially our treasurer, Pat Babcock. They have done the boring work of being dependable and faithful. They have shown us the value of a stewardship of trust.