UNITED METHODIST CREED FOR CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

Approved by 1988 General Conference

“We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.”

From “The Social Creed” of the United Methodist Church

We as stewards affirm the goodness of life. We rejoice in accepting the abundance with which God has endowed the earth. We commit ourselves to participate in God’s redemptive intention for the world: that all people should be able to live in peace and to enjoy the days of their lives free from hunger, disease, hopelessness, and oppression.

As stewards, we commit ourselves to love and justice among persons and nations in the equitable distribution of income and wealth. We affirm the ownership of property as a trust from God. We acknowledge the responsibility to share the abundance of creation. We regard the conditions created by poverty to be demeaning to the human spirit.

As stewards, we insist on the efficient management of human and natural resources in the production of the goods and services needed by the human community. We insist on conserving resources in order to sustain permanently the fruitfulness of the earth.

As stewards, we are committed to give generously of our time, money and service through the church to the world. We affirm the tradition of tithing as a disciplined practice of giving.
As stewards, we acknowledge the necessity of civil government. We encourage all people to participate in the activities of responsible citizenship.

We believe that Christian stewardship is a joyful response to God’s gifts: it is a spiritual understanding of the practical and economic aspects of all of life. Our stewardship affirms the redemptive power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our confidence in God’s final victory in the world.