As a millennial, I don’t take things at face value. Skepticism is very much a part of my DNA. Appeals based on historical precedent or past performance are only as good as the real value they show today.
Baby Boomers have an established sense of duty; they bought into establishments and their support. Not so much millennials. We find that participation in civic duties and government don’t meet our expectations. We center on items involving personal choice. For us, tithing is a personal choice, not a Christian duty.
What’s been stretching my mind lately is the idea that the individualism, leading us to participate out of preference and not duty, can come at a cost. As Os Guiness, author and social critic, brilliantly summarized, “Without individuals, nothing happens, without institutions, nothing survives.
Last year, I was asked to help reframe stewardship for the next generation. I was encouraged to see administrative leadership questioning their own assumptions, thinking outside the box, and earning trust by sharing the mic—capstoned by the AdventistGiving app that leverages technology to connect you to your local church’s offering plate and broader Adventist-coordinated missions. The app will share inspiring stories from the lives of everyday Adventists. These are real stories of real people engaged in God’s redemptive economy by experiencing Him personally and professionally.
Stewardship is the act of carrying out mission in our everyday lives. I trust that like me, you too will be challenged and inspired by these stories.
—Diana Smith, an impact strategist consultant and producer for I am a Steward. Diana and her husband, Kasee, live in New England where among other social-entrepreneurial ventures, they are helping build spiritual community in the tiny tourist town of Shelburne Falls, MA.
To read Diana Smith’s full article go to /i-am-a-steward-article-by-diana-smith/