Stewardship

Although many Christians in America are content to think of their faith as merely one corner of their private life, Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God to liberate whole people and transform them from the inside out, supernaturally changing them and radically reorienting the way they think about work, sex, education, medicine, money, relationships… everything.

This kingdom perspective—a Christian worldview—frees us from the self-oriented consumerism that would enslave us into thinking our jobs are just about making money and our time and money are just about gaining personal peace and affluence. Through Jesus, jobs become divine callings and our resources become opportunities to bring the kingdom of God to bear on the suffering and brokenness of the world. Every sphere of life becomes a calling from God, an area of life in which we become stewards of whatever God has put temporarily at our disposal.

The gospel brings a whole new set of questions. How can I serve Christ in my relationships? How can I steward my skills and training—in medicine, in social work, in construction, in finance, in relationships? How can I receive my free time from God and use it for a purpose larger than myself? How can God free me from the idolatry of money, using it in counter-cultural ways to help others? How can I learn to recognize what God has given me, and press it into service to my Savior in his work of renewing the city—its people, families, neighborhoods, institutions, society and culture—and the world itself?

Our vision is to see a vibrant community of Christians gathered around Memorial, a counter-culture of liberality in which people sacrifice their time, empty their wallets, open up their apartments, dorm rooms and houses, and offer their skills and experiences to Christ. We envision a people who have known need themselves, but who are motivated by compassion for all, gratitude to God, reliance on Jesus and a shared passion to see the gospel restore St. Louis socially, spiritually, culturally and physically.