Steward Leadership - Why Matters!

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

Our topic for 2025 has been steward leadership, and today we reach the conclusion of this series. I’ve entitled this episode Steward Leadership – Why It Matters!  

You have read or heard this before. A steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work. 

In this series, we have explored several of Jesus’ parables including

• Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25

• Parable of the Faithful and Wise Steward in Matthew 24 and Luke 12

• Parable of the Barren Fig Tree in Luke 13

• Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16 

Here again are the five major themes of stewardship:

1. Character matters – This theme is foundational; if one fails to have good and godly character, then he or she cannot be trusted with God’s resources or blessings. They will ultimately be disqualified from leadership. Proverbs 10:9 says, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” As an extreme example, consider Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5. 

2. Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship – our earthly leaders have a responsibility to hold us accountable for our use of organizational and Kingdom resources. Ultimately, we are accountable to our Heavenly Father as He is the one who provides.

3. Stewardship necessitates cultivating relationships – An African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Our goal of “A church in every African village by 2050” requires us to go far, and we cannot do this on our own. We must develop relationships both within VCP and also externally with like-minded partners. 

4. The steward must share his master’s goal for growth –The parable of the talents highlights this reality. Also, consider the story of the miraculous catch recorded in John 21. This is following Jesus’ resurrection. Interestingly, the Apostle John includes the detail that 153 fish were caught that morning. This sets a pattern for us in our training center celebrations and metrics reporting. 

5. Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility - With VCP’s growth, more workers and more leaders are needed.  This means more trainers, coordinators and supervisors will be added to the team, and these will be selected from those who have demonstrated faithful stewardship. 

We are incredibly grateful for God’s favor and His provision, and we must steward these well. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership - Faithful Stewards Advance in Their Level of Responsibility

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

Our topic for 2025 is steward leadership. To quickly review, a steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work. 

In recent episodes, I mentioned five major themes of stewardship:

1. Character matters

2. Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship

3. Stewardship necessitates cultivating relationships

4. The steward must share his master’s goal for growth

5. Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility

Today we reach this final, very important theme, and we return to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Recall that both the servants who were given five bags and two bags were faithful stewards and doubled their amounts. 

I want to call your attention to verses 28 and 29.  When the lazy servant failed to bring any return to the owner, the owner said, “So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance…”  

I want to repeat that phrase as it is very important. “Whoever has will be give more, and they will have an abundance.” The principle here is that faithful stewards will be entrusted with more.  This principle certainly applies to our work in Village Church Planting. 

We are seeing an incredible move – and the favor – of God across Africa in VCP. Here are some statistics.

• In the past five years, we have nearly doubled the number of countries in which we are working.

• In the past five years, we have more than doubled the number of VCP training centers.

• In the past five years, our budget (including a significant amount of project funds) has more than doubled. 

• In 2024, we saw more than a quarter of a million (250,000) decisions for Christ reported in VCP-planted churches. 

We are incredibly grateful for God’s favor and His provision, and we must steward this well. 

With this growth in VCP, more workers and more leaders are needed.  This means more trainers, coordinators and supervisors will be added to the team, and these will be selected from those who have demonstrated faithful stewardship. 

Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership - Must Share the Master's Goal for Growth

  

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Our topic for 2025 is steward leadership. To quickly review, a steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work.

In recent episodes, I mentioned five major themes of stewardship:

1. Character matters

2. Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship

3. Stewardship necessitates cultivating relationships

4. The steward must share his master’s goal for growth

5. Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility

Today’s theme is that a steward must share his master’s goal for growth, and we will address this within our context of Village Church Planting.

Firstly, let us consider our VCP vision which is “a church in every African village by 2050.” It will be impossible to reach this goal without growth. If we are to steward well the resources and provision of God for VCP, we must aspire to see growth. (And, praise the Lord, VCP is experiencing amazing growth as we are now working in 36 African nations with more than 800 training centers.)

Secondly, let us consider this theme from our Master’s perspective. Why would our Lord have a goal for growth? Let’s look at three scriptures.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The Lord’s desire to see “everyone to come to repentance” certainly sounds like a Kingdom growth goal to me.

We see a similar message from the Apostle Paul who wrote in 1 Timothy 2:3b-4 “…God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Again, we see our Master’s goal for growth as His desire is that all people might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Lastly, in the Revelation of John, let us consider this vision in chapter 7, verse 9. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”

A numberless multitude of worshippers in heaven “from all tribes and peoples and languages” demonstrates our Master’s goal for Kingdom growth, and it is His assignment for us to be part of gathering this great assembly.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership - Necessities for Cultivating Relationships

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

Our topic for 2025 is steward leadership. To quickly review, a steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work. 

In my previous episode, I mentioned five major themes of stewardship:

1. Character matters

2. Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship

3. Stewardship necessitates cultivating relationships

4. The steward must share his master’s goal for growth

5. Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility

Thus far, we have dealt with the first two, and today we turn our attention to the reality that steward leadership necessitates cultivating relationships with the master, our followers and the resources. 

Firstly, if we as steward leaders are to “achieve the owner’s (or the master’s) objectives, we must have relationship with the owner. In our context, our Master is Jesus Christ. We must know Him, His heart for people and that His objective is for us to “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  (Matthew 28:19-20a) We must intimately know the Master and His objectives for our lives and our ministries. 

Secondly, as steward leaders we must develop relationships with those who are our followers. Leadership expert, pastor, and author John Maxwell once wrote, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” In other words, if we are to be steward leaders, we must have followers, and in order to achieve this we must develop relationships with them. I would assert that developing followers requires both proximity, or closeness, and time. VCP leader, I encourage you to follow the counsel of Proverbs 27:23. “Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds.”  

Third, and lastly, steward leaders must cultivate relationships with the resources. I will be quick to admit that I needed some help on this point, so I did an internet search, and here is the result. “Cultivating relationships with resources involves not only building connections but also leveraging those connections to provide support and resources. This can include sharing knowledge, skills, and experiences, as well as offering advice and assistance to others. It's about creating a network that can be relied upon for guidance and collaboration, especially in … settings where resources are often limited.” 

Steward leaders are stronger and more effective when we work together. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership - Accountability

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Our topic for 2025 is steward leadership. To quickly review, a steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work.

Earlier this year in my introduction to this topic, I said that we would explore five major themes of stewardship:

1. Character matters

2. Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship

3. Stewardship necessitates cultivating relationships

4. The steward must share his master’s goal for growth

5. Faithful stewards advance in their levels of responsibility

In the early June podcast, I addressed the first theme, Character Matters. Today we will examine our second theme, Accountability. We saw this in all four of the parables we’ve explored and specifically in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30.

Firstly, there is a reward for good stewardship. Notice that verses 21 and 23, speaking to those who were given five talents and two talents respectively, the owner’s words are identical. “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.’”

Sometimes “accountability” is exercised in an exclusively negative context, but I do not believe that should be the case. As leaders, a better practice of accountability is to affirm appropriate behavior, actions, or outcomes. This is similar to an athletic coach who provides encouragement and positive reinforcement when an athlete does well.

That said, there must also be accountability for failure. In our parable, the poor steward was reprimanded and punished. We see this in verses 24-30. The servant who did nothing with his one bag was called “wicked” and “lazy,” and the one bag that he had was taken away from him.

Good and godly leaders must have wisdom and discernment to know when – and how – to hold others accountable for their wrong behavior, actions, or outcomes. I would suggest that the primary factor should be when someone knows what should be done but fails to do it. (See James 4:17) In the parable of the talents, the “wicked” and “lazy” servant knew that the owner expected a return on what he was entrusted with.

Conversely, I would suggest that when mistakes are made because someone did not know what was expected or what they were to do, this should be used as a teaching opportunity for the leader.

Stewards have an obligation to account for their stewardship, and leaders practice accountability with followers.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership – When Necessary, Rebuke with Authority

       This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.  

We continue our series on steward leadership; today, I want to provide some additional instruction regarding something that I shared two weeks ago.  

A steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources and exercising the authority provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work.  

Here again is the recent prayer of one of my fellow OMS Regional Directors. “Lord, please help us steward the authority entrusted to us.”  

In my past two episodes, I shared these instructions to leaders from Titus 2:15.  

“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”  [emphasis added]

As I pondered Paul’s instruction, I asked myself some questions.

· Under what circumstances are leaders to “rebuke with all authority?”  

· In what situations should leaders refrain from rebuking someone?  

· When it is necessary to rebuke, how should we do this?  

· Lastly, what does Paul mean when he says we should rebuke with all authority?  

Firstly, a rebuke is a correction to someone who is wrong in their teaching and/or their behavior. The purpose of a godly rebuke is to lead them back to the Truth; it is not to shame them.  Good and godly leaders must be willing to rebuke others in order to restore them and/or to protect others who may be negatively impacted in the situation.  

Next, I would suggest that there are times when we should hold back from rebuking. In general, I believe there are two circumstances.  One is when the erring brother or sister is not under our authority; they are accountable to others. Related to this is when we do not have a relationship with the one who has strayed in doctrine or behavior. (see Proverbs 27:6)

This leads me to some comments about how spiritual leaders are to rebuke.  Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to “speak the truth in love.” On this point, I would suggest that when we choose to overlook sinful behavior or the teaching of doctrine that is not sound, we are not acting in love toward the offending party; rather, we are abdicating our leadership responsibility.

Lastly, Paul instructs spiritual leaders to rebuke with “all authority.” What does he mean here? All authority is delegated from God, and those of us who are in authority are accountable to God.  

In closing, James 5:20 says, “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Next time, we will continue our study of steward leadership. This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Steward Leadership - Encourage with Authority

 

    This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

We continue our series on steward leadership as we examine some major themes on this topic. Today I want to provide some additional instruction regarding something that I shared two weeks ago. 

To quickly review, a steward is defined as “someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” In our context, we are managing resources and exercising the authority provided by the Lord for our Village Church Planting work. 

Here again is the recent prayer of one of my fellow OMS Regional Directors. “Lord, please help us steward the authority entrusted to us.”  

In my last episode, I shared these instructions to leaders from Titus 2:11, 12 and 15. 

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age … These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” 

Today I want to say more about our responsibility to encourage with all authority. I’ll speak first about encouragement since for most of us that is the easier of these two duties. My French is not very good, but I recognize that the word “encouragement” has its origin in the French language. It means “to give heart.” 

As leaders, when we encourage those who follow us, our words lift their spirits and motivate them to continue their Kingdom work. To press on for the work of Christ. 

Many years ago, I learned something very important about encouragement and feedback. I had a boss who would say nice things to me, but he was seldom specific.  He would say things like “good job” or “keep up the good work.”  Honestly, that was not very encouraging to me because his words lacked specifics. 

So, leaders, I would coach you to provide specific words of encouragement to those whom you lead. You might say something like “you did a very good job presenting that lesson.” Or “your planning for that training event was outstanding because you communicated clearly to everyone involved.” 

We must also follow Paul’s instruction to “rebuke with authority.” That is a more difficult, but sometimes necessary, part of our leadership responsibility, and I will address this topic in my next podcast.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.