Stories to Celebrate, Learn, and Grow
It is time to look back and reflect on how God has guided the Stewardship Ministries Department around the world during recent years. Our editorial team has invited each division and attached fields of the General Conference to share a piece of their God-led story—one key initiative their territory has implemented, which they believe has contributed significantly to nurturing a God-first culture. We want you to be part of the celebration of what God has accomplished through our global community of stewardship educators, and to learn and grow through their narratives.
The submissions we received were truly inspiring, and we are excited to share them with you through this special issue of the Dynamic Steward magazine. For each article, we have added a short excerpt that connects the featured initiative to an element of the Stewardship Ministries Department orientation document for 2022–2025.
Overall, this issue serves as a valuable tool kit of tested stewardship practices to nurture our membership in faithfulness and strengthen partnership in God’s mission. As I read through these submissions, I had a renewed conviction that the reality within our church is not fixed—positive changes are possible, even in dire circumstances, when intentional and well-guided actions are implemented. We pray that as you read of these initiatives and their outcomes, you will be inspired to adopt, adapt, or build upon them. We believe that, through the action of His Spirit, these stories will trigger new ideas about what can be done to better disciple our members in stewardship.
Many of the articles highlight the outcomes of these initiatives, with several reporting increases in monetary giving. The report of the GC treasurer during the 2025 spring executive committee has confirmed growth in tithes and offerings over the past years, with a consequential growth in offerings during 2024. We have good reasons to praise God as more resources are now available to support His final mission locally and globally.
However, one important dimension is often missing in our publications: We seldom tell how these actions and initiatives have transformed participation rates in giving. It is not out of unwillingness, but rather that information about participation rates is inconsistently reaching our contributors. As a church invested in preparing a people for the second coming of our Lord, monitoring progress in faithfulness, through the indicator of participation rates in tithes and offerings, must be prioritized. Our bottom line as a spiritual entity is not financial income; it is about growing a community of believers who trust God and put Him first. Collectively, in the future, we can work to tell more complete and compelling stories of God’s transforming grace.
As we see the day approaching, let us sharpen each other in developing even more effective ways and means to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24, NIV).
Aniel Barbe
Editor
