AY Honors/Stewardship/Answer Key

Stewardship

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Contents

1

What was the role of a steward during biblical times? What has stewardship come to mean in the modern era? Create a modern “dictionary entry” for the term.

2

Is biblical stewardship about the management of all of God’s creation? How does Psalm 50:10-12 affect your understanding of biblical stewardship? Brainstorm a list of ways that stewardship is part of daily life and not just financial gifts.

3

With regard to biblical principles, briefly describe the concept of stewardship based on the list below. What real life example can be applied to each? Use biblical references to support your answer.

Mind and Body

Environment

Talent

Time

Possessions

Stewardship of Mind and Body:

4

In the Pathfinder pledge, we promise to be pure, kind, and true. How does following that pledge relate to the stewardship of our mind?

5

Discuss how the text found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 relates to the stewardship of your body.

Stewardship of Environment:

6

Using Genesis 2:15 as reference, choose from the list below, one way that you could help to care for God’s earth.

• Pick up trash
• Use regular dishes instead of paper whenever possible
• Recycle paper, plastic, and bottles
• Use reusable bags
• Use a reusable water bottle
• Use paper, bamboo, or stainless steel straws instead of plastic
• Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them
• Wrap gifts using gift bags that can be reused, recycled wrapping paper, or even newspaper
• Encourage your family to recycle as much as possible.
• Ask your parents to start a compost pile for food scraps instead of throwing in the trash.
• When camping or hiking, follow the Leave No Trace 7 Principles: 1) Plan ahead and prepare, 2) Travel and camp on durable surfaces, 3) Dispose of waste properly, 4) Leave what you find, 5) Minimize campfire impacts (be careful with fire), 6) Respect wildlife, 7) Be considerate of other visitors.

© 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. www.lnt.com

Stewardship of Talent:

7

Do the following:

7a

Read the Bible story about the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) or 1 Corinthians 12.

7b

How does God reward the proper usage of talents? How can we know that all of us are given talents/giftedness? Why does it seem God appreciates variety in talents?

7c

List three talents or skills that you feel you may have or want to possess. Sketch symbols that illustrate each talent and how it could be used for God’s glory (Ephesians 4:12).

7d

Choose one of the talents from the previous list and create another list of three things you want to do to be a good steward and improve that specific talent.

7e

Spend at least four hours planning and executing a community activity that uses your talents. Prepare and present the results of your project to a group.

The project is to be a benefit or outreach to others.

The project is to be a new endeavor not previously accomplished.

Stewardship of Time:

8

Create a list of six daily activities and write down by each item how much time you think you usually spend on the activity. Afterward, measure how much time you actually spend on the items on your list. Some examples can be found below.

• Personal devotions (reading the Bible and prayer)
• Family worship
• Entertainment
• Rest
• Personal time
• Classwork time
• Home study
• Extracurricular activities
• Home chores
• Other

Stewardship of Possessions:

9

Briefly describe the fundamental difference between returning the tithes and giving offerings. Include biblical references to support your answer.

10

Discuss Malachi 3:10, answering the following questions:

10a

What is the storehouse?

10b

How does the storehouse function with reference to the church at large?

11

Briefly describe the process of how the tithe is dispersed and utilized from the local church to the local conference, union conference, division, and the General Conference.

11a

Interview an individual (church treasurer, stewardship coordinator, etc.) within your church that is familiar with the church budget.

11b

What are some of the financial obligations that your church must meet?

11c

How are individual funds placed in a tithe envelope allocated? Prepare and present your findings to a group.