My "Promise" is a term attributed to an offering that is both regular and systematic in nature, according to God’s guidance in Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy.

The value and importance of being self-supporting as a mission organization came to my attention while my husband and I were working on the 2005 GC session report for our division, the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division.

The goal of Development Service in the North American Division, which ran from 1954-1966 at the grassroots level, was to help churches raise funds for financing church building projects.

The concept of stewardship began in Eden as a responsibility assigned to Adam and Eve. It is expressed by the Hebrew word radah (Gen. 1:26, 28). The New Testament uses the Greek word oikonomía (Lk. 16:2), translated as “stewardship.”

Here are some reasons why applying the second-tithe1 principle to the system of offerings may not be the best solution for increasing the offerings received at the local church level.

Rather than a “contribution” or a “donation” to the church, offerings should be viewed and practiced as an expression of trust (Ps. 4:5) and as an act of worship to the Lord (Ps. 27:6).

Reports on strategic initiatives from each world devision.

I love the way my German friends use the English language. Sometimes they’ll say they are “making an experience” instead of “having an experience.” It articulates a more active than passive attitude. This has often given me pause to consider what part we play in the way our lives play out.

We believe that stewardship, which touches almost all facets of the Christian life, is a concept too broad to be dealt with by just one department.

This edition holds important information for both our stewardship educators as well as all those learning to be good stewards.