I have been reading and gaining insights from the great academic and ministry journal, Currents in Theology and Mission for a little over a decade. While in college, I read a number of articles and cited them in my religion capstone. Later in seminary, it was a go to source of insights and the references these articles cited helped in crafting and strengthening my thesis.

It’s with this in mind, that I was humbled, honored, and grateful for the opportunity to join some great and friends and colleagues, including Grace Duddy Pomroy and Steve Oelschlager, in writing for the most recent volume, “Fresh Stewardship,” (Vol. 42, No. 2, 2018).

Rev. Dr. Craig Nessan invited me to ponder the relationship of stewardship and Word and Service ministry. After much time and thought, I ended up writing an article entitled, “Stewards of God’s Love for the World: The Relationship of Deacon and Stewardship.”

The article’s abstract is as follows:

Being a deacon broadens the senses to God at work in the larger world. A deacon, as a minister of Word and Service, makes the connection between the faith community and the larger world more intentional. This connection helps listen, learn, share, and tell stories of God’s work and promises. It also helps tell the stories of the world’s needs, inviting the people of God to participate and respond, and to thank them for doing so. In other words, a deacon helps the faith community live and grow in its identity as stewards of God’s love.

Within the article I ponder the question of what is a deacon, and what stewardship might mean as a deacon? I make my case for why I believe the heart of stewardship rests in God’s love, and our joyful response to it. Inspired by Chick Lane’s summary, I think about stewardship also through the lens of “ask, thank, tell.” Perhaps the most fun I had in writing this article, other than the opportunity to write in an academic form again, is that the topic was one that I wrote on out of my personal situation and intersection of identity and vocations.

To see where these questions took me, and to join the discussion and conversation, please read the entire article here.

Image Credit: Currents Cover