Stewardship Bible To Be Featured
Stephen Grabill, general editor of the new NIV Stewardship Study Bible, released by Zondervan, will be a keynote speaker at the 4th annual “Christians & Money Conference” on Wednesday, April 28.
Grabill will show pastors and church leaders how the Stewardship Study Bible can help people discover God’s design for every area of life, using a variety of engaging features and indexed content.
Co-sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Barnabas Foundation, and Calvin Theological Seminary, the stewardship conference will originate from the Prince Center on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.
Based upon the positive response to previous conferences, the “Christians & Money Conference” will include four additional locations via live broadcast: Chicago, IL; Orange City, IA; Wyckoff, NJ, and Chino, CA. For complete details and registration, visit: www.barnabasfoundation.com/conference or call toll-free (888) 448-3040.
The purpose of the conference is to provide pastors and church leaders with practical ideas and new resources to help their churches to grow good stewards within their congregations.
Although the Stewardship Study Bible has been out for several months, the conference will be an opportunity to unveil it and to highlight and describe its features to a group of people who are likely to be especially interested in its approach and contents.
"Too often church leadership and people in the pews confine stewardship to tithing, recycling, or building campaigns, and, as a result, stewardship seems strangely irrelevant to life and spiritual growth. The NIV Stewardship Study Bible uses a variety of engaging features to encourage believers to view their lives in light of God’s purposes for stewardship. Pastors and church leaders will be impressed by the wealth of material for stewardship education in this comprehensive resource,” says Grabill.
"The NIV Stewardship Study Bible was created to be a companion in the lifelong journey toward becoming mature and effective stewards. Our role as stewards is a profound privilege designed by a gracious God. God clearly doesn't need us to manage His resources. Yet He chose us for the task, said Elder."
The Stewardship Study Bible includes insights from over 300 Christian leaders who can speak about the various aspects of stewardship. These include Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey and authors Chuck Colson and Randy Alcorn, and many others.
“How do we do all that God wants us to do while being all that God wants us to be? That is what we set out to (explore and answer) in the Stewardship Study Bible,” says Brett Elder, executive editor of the new bible, in a video about the book. The video can be accessed at: http://vimeo.com/9215333.
The Acton Institute, the Stewardship Council, of which Elder is executive director, and Zondervan brought the NIV Stewardship Study Bible into print after more than five years of work that started with a concept from Elder.
For the Stewardship Council, Elder traveled the world speaking on generosity and found that pastors and church leaders wanted resources with which to approach and discuss the topic of stewardship with their congregations.
“We designed and developed a resource that helps us understand the incredible purpose of managing God’s resources and at the same time providing practical tools to help nurture this important calling,” says Elder. There are seven purposes of stewardship as described in the new study bible:
- Unique Calling: a prompting toward fulfilling our unique role in the Body of Christ.
- Unquestionable Character: a prompting toward who we are called to be as individuals.
- Unquenchable Compassion: a prompting toward placing others’ needs before our own.
- Undying Commitment: a prompting toward obedience to God regardless of the cost.
- Ultimate Celebration: a constant expression of glorifying the One who has chosen us to be his stewards.
- Unparalleled Commission: recognition of the privilege to share in the fulfillment of God’s mission.
- Unwavering Conformity: a prompting toward conforming to God’s will and desires.
“Stewardship, in the end, is not just about what we do; it is ultimately about who God is and who he desires us to become,” says Graybill.
The conference will also feature the results from a recent church survey commissioned by the Christian Reformed Church of North America to coincide with its 150th anniversary celebration.
The final report identified the need for stewardship education in the church today as a major area of concern.
Rodger Rice, Barnabas Foundation Stewardship Consultant, will discuss and explain the survey results to help pastors and church leaders understand and respond to differing levels of generosity in their congregations.
Also featured will be a panel of CRC pastors who will discuss the impact of stewardship on ministry.
“Stewardship is about more than money and the ‘stuff’ of life. From that basic connection, the NIV Stewardship Study Bible uses a variety of engaging features to encourage believers to view their lives in light of God's ownership. Pastors and church leaders will be impressed by the wealth of material for stewardship applications,” says Graybill.
For further information contact: Karen Layland, Director of Communications, Barnabas Foundation, 708-532-3444
