Discipleship and stewardship go hand in hand

Stewardship Kaleidoscope workshop leader asks: ‘What grows from your soil?’

by Jody Mask for the Presbyterian Foundation | Special to Presbyterian News Service

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Kukla speaks during a workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope. (Photo by Gregg Brekke)

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Kukla, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Boise, Idaho, showed a picture of a stained-glass window from a different church. In the middle of the window, a red plant dominated the scene.

“That’s the rose window,” members of the church would say to visitors. But the words in all caps that accompanied the image said, “I WILL BE WITH THEE.” Someone had to tell the church members that “the rose” in the window was actually the burning bush of the call story of Moses.

In the same way, our view of stewardship isn’t quite right, Kukla taught in his workshop “Stewardship is Belonging in Action” at the 2024 Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference. If we want to grow faithful stewards of the church, we must grow faithful disciples. “If you have a giving problem in your congregation, what you really have is a belonging problem,” he said.

Using repeated images of concentric circles reminiscent of a target or perfect ripples in a pond, Kukla taught the attendees that this is long, slow work. There are no quick fixes when it comes to growing disciples if you want them to become benefactors of church ministry. So, name your goals correctly! (At this, Kukla shared the example of a drill bit manufacturer that correctly discerned it was in the “hole-making business” and shifted to lasers instead of bits.)

Through the image of a patchwork quilt, Kukla advised leaders to stitch together the spirit of discipleship through scriptures like “Drop your nets and follow me,” “Pick up your cross daily,” and “Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

All of these verses, Kukla said, remind us what Søren Kierkegaard taught: “It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression ‘follower’… It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is looking for,” Kukla said. “Jesus’ call to discipleship is a lifelong and complete commitment.”

Kukla also referred to stewardship as a “response-ability.” It is developing capacity for generosity when encountering stressful opportunities, whether they appear as negative (distress) or positive (eustress).

Throughout the workshop, Kukla demonstrated his passion for building community, even calling it “a life-or-death matter” that calls for loving our neighbors and seeking the welfare of the city, town or community we call home.

Turning to the nuts and bolts of generosity in a congregational context, Kukla reminded the workshop’s participants that “budgets are moral documents.” And he challenged the group with this question: “Who benefits when we don’t talk about money? Those who have too much of it.”

Given this reality, church leaders should communicate to their congregations that “stewardship is the story of this congregation’s purpose. It is no less and no more than what God has called you to do together.” Therefore, stewardship leaders should be natural storytellers or other creative types. “Your budget and finance group can all be auditors and bankers, but not your stewardship instigators,” Kukla said.

Kukla closed his workshop with some of the practical tools he uses in his generosity campaigns, such as writing personal letters; sharing video sermon teasers, witness and testimony; waiting to send pledge cards; and following up with everyone, regardless of membership status.

Even as he shared the titles and images of several of his previous stewardship campaigns, he reminded those present that it was not important to write down every last idea: “Don’t do exactly what these workshops are teaching, but take the concepts with you — what grows from your soil?”