Course Syllabus - JB-01 - Theological Principles of Stewardship
By Rev. Dr. Joshua Brockway, Ph.D.
Course Dates
October 12-November 21, 2015
Program Purpose
Grow faithful, competent, courageous, and wise Christian steward leaders who can engage faith communities in transformational stewardship and generosity from a scriptural and holistic perspective
Course Perspective
As a caretaker of what we have and are, follows theological principles that foster integrity and freely participates within God’s generosity for the health of the whole world.
Course Description
Financial analysts remind us that we are living into a new normal. When we once basked in the seeming abundance of time, money, and resources of the late 20th-century economy, the markets have finally born out the implications of debt and dwindling resources. While some celebrate the rebound of the world economy, the ramifications of the housing bubble have worked their way into our collective imagination.
Our models of stewardship, however, were formed in the culture of abundance. As such, they have yet to translate appropriately into the new normal. Our experiences of mounting debt, declining resources, and more demands on our time do not match the mantra of abundance. All the while, we live in economies and cultures that operate on the principle of scarcity. Even when the economy operates well, that very principle guides the accumulation of wealth and resources. To achieve what one desires, the scarce resources must be gathered together or borrowed. The satisfaction of our desires is limited only by the amount of money we can accumulate. Thus the hurry to gather wealth and resources is, at its core, a competition.
Douglas John Hall has argued that our current models of stewardship follow easily on the cultural logic of markets and finance. When congregations begin their annual budget planning, stewardship is the signal term that is time to talk about giving. The annual pledge drive and the weekly practice of giving of offerings is cast in the means and ends logic of scarcity. The mission of the church, as the desire of the community of faith, is limited by the ability of the congregation to collect enough time and money from its members. Since both are scarce, resources on stewardship often adopt the practices and perspectives of money management so that church members can optimize their abilities to meet their desired ends and contribute to the church.
Reading through the biblical imagery about stewardship reveals that our task is much more than just creating a balanced budget. From beginning to end, the imagery of stewardship is cast within the relationship of the believer to God. In short, stewardship is a matter of discipleship. What we do with our money, time, and resources is defined by not by the scarcity logic of the economy, but by the care entrusted to us by God. Our encounter with God, and the resulting way of life defines not only how we see and understand our resources but establishes what we do with them. This course, then, will approach stewardship as a practice of our discipleship. As such, the categories and practices of stewardship take on decidedly biblical and theological perspectives. That is to say that what we do with our money and time is not about optimizing our capacity to accomplish things with scare resources, but rather that our resources are set within the larger context of God’s reconciling mission in the world. In short, we manage our resources according to the economy of the Kingdom of God.
This course begins with defining what we mean when we say we are disciples of Jesus and citizens of the Kingdom of God. This model of discipleship, then, sets our way of life in the context of scripture and worship. From there, we will explore the scriptural and theological accounts of God’s economy, thus putting our practices of stewardship within the frame of sufficiency. For God’s creation and providence gives us all that we need, and from the surplus we can share with those who have a greater need. Our commitment to follow Jesus transforms both how we understand the world and live within it. Stewardship, then, is the constellation of our practices with time, talent, and treasure according to the principles of the Kingdom of God.
Course Objectives
Students completing this course will be able to:
- Describe stewardship within the frame of discipleship;
- Articulate the biblical metaphor of stewardship;
- Discuss the principal of sufficiency and contrast it with the cultural perspective of scarcity.
Expectations
- Students will participate in three conference calls. These conversations will cover the readings and topics that emerge in the discussion boards.
- Students will prepare a multimedia presentation that outlines the principals of stewardship from within their faith tradition.
- Students will participate in week discussions on the course website.
On Online Courses
Study in the online format is a complicated task. The medium certainly offers opportunities to discuss concepts and practices beyond traditional classrooms. As such, it is inherently flexible and accessible. However, the outcomes of the course are significantly more dependent on the efforts of the students. In a classroom setting discussions flow naturally from the common meeting time and place. Online, these discussions happen across time and in threads. Reading through and engaging the ideas and questions of classmates requires a significant amount of time and focus. Thankfully, this course includes three opportunities for us to explore the course readings and discussions. While the material in the readings and lectures does provide a basic survey of the ideas related to stewardship, our understanding and application of those concepts depends on our discussions. Though there is no required number of posts, it is hoped that each student will participate to enrich our shared understanding.
Course Schedule
- October 12-17 - A Theory of Discipleship
Readings
- October 15 9:00 PM Eastern- Conference Call 1
- October 19-24 - Biblical Vision of Stewardship
Readings
- October 26-31 - The Economy of God
Readings
- October 29 9:00 PM Eastern- Conference Call 2
- November 2-7 - Transformation of a World View
Readings
- November 9-14 - Practices of Enough
Readings
Presentations Due
- November 16-21 - Ends define the Means
- November 19 9:00 PM Eastern- Conference Call 3
Presentation Assignment
Theological principals often span traditions. In this course, we will cover some concepts and ideas specifically related to stewardship. However, like a language, theology develops a kind of accent. That is to say, the ideas take on various emphases and patterns based on their wider culture. We will certainly establish a common vocabulary during this course, yet each of us will appropriate those terms for our various denominational and theological traditions.
This assignment has two goals. First, students will summarize the key concepts covered in the course. Second, students will organize and interpret these ideas for their own denominational or theological traditions.
Each student, then, will prepare a 20-30-minute multimedia presentation designed for their local congregation. Using images, text, video, or audio each student will present the concepts covered in the lectures and discussions for a lay audience. Along with the presentation, each student will prepare an outline for a Sunday school or Bible study that will include questions and activities to facilitate conversation.
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