International Steward - Grand Rapids, MI

What We Do

We have a problem, a real problem! It’s a problem that for years we thought we could deal with simply by spending billions of dollars and by sending people around the globe to fix things. But we were wrong. For the past 150 years or so we in the Christian Church have misguidedly believed that simply sending money and people were all that was needed to accomplish the great commission.

But God's plan for the world is that every believer should be engage in accomplishing the great commission, wherever they are. Because we have acted inappropriately, we continue to find 2 billion people living on less than two dollars per day. We find 6 million people dying annually from preventable diseases. And we recognize that the HIV-AIDS problem worldwide is continuing to grow and will continue to grow until ministries recognize that local needs are best met at their most local level.

Corruption has become a tremendous problem throughout the majority world and especially throughout the Church. The only means of stemming the tide is for those most local to the problem to become involved in the funding of the answers to each problem as it arises.

The Church will grow, the Church will accomplish the great commission, and the Church can become a beacon of hope displaying light to the world only when local believers everywhere begin to excel in the grace of giving as Paul calls each of us to in 2 Corinthians 8:7.

We believe that the transformation of cultures and societies is made possible through the principle that Jesus set forth in Matthew 6:21. “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” To that end, International Steward has developed three 3-day workshops that assist local ministry leaders throughout the world in developing mature stewards who can fund these ministries locally.

Workshop Overview

Leadership through Biblical Stewardship and Fund Development

This 3 day workshop will transform local ministry efforts. Local ministry leaders become change agents in their local communities and lead their ministries to become locally funded and sustained through the power of generosity and the grace of giving.

INTERNATIONAL STEWARD presents . . .

A Workshop for Pastors and Ministry Leaders

Topics that will be addressed during the workshop include:

Biblical Principles of Stewardship and Resource Development
Pastors and Ministry Leaders will be enabled to develop a working knowledge of the biblical principles and guidelines for stewardship (material possessions, money, grace of giving, etc.). We will also clarify the crucial role that the grace of giving, as discussed in 2 Corinthians 8:7, plays in spiritual growth and maturity of individuals. Time will also be spent helping each leader to articulate and defend a theology of fund development and its strategic importance to effective fulfillment of the Great Commission.

The Problem of Dependence upon External Funding Sources
We will examine the historical and cultural forces that gave rise to and shaped a crippling dependence (ecclesiastical welfare system) on the United States, Western Europe, or the government for financial support.

Principles of Effective Communication
We will examine the importance of and strengthen interpersonal communication skills in building effective ministry.

Strategic Planning
Each ministry leader will develop skill in the use of the SWOT Analysis Model for use in ministry planning and evaluation. Each will also develop Mission and Vision statements as initial steps in the construction of a strategic ministry plan.

Effective Leadership
We will examine the foundational characteristics, expectations, and practices of organizational worthiness in terms of ministry leadership (staff, board, volunteers, etc.).

The Foundational Concepts for Resource Development
As a group we will Identify and examine the basic philosophical principles of fund development. Time will also be spent examining ethical concerns related to fund development.

Methods of Resource Development
We will Identify and examine the four basic methods/strategies of a comprehensive fund development program. Emphasis will be placed on those methods that are culturally and contextually the most effective in stimulating the stewardship/spiritual growth of prospective financial constituents (i.e. supporters).

Managing Resource Development Programs
We will identify the tools essential to the evaluation of the health of a biblically-driven fund development effort. Each participant will begin working on the creation of a One-Year Resource Development Plan