1. How has stewardship gotten a bad reputation?

Mark Allan Powell: For many people, the word stewardship is simply a synonym for fund-raising. The church is partly to blame for this because we sometimes use the term "stewardship program" to refer to what is basically an annual fund drive. I have nothing against fund-raising, but the biblical concept of stewardship is something else, something more.

2. What is stewardship meant to be?

Mark Allan Powell: Biblical stewardship is a way of life — and, for many, it can be a way to a better life! Stewardship means belonging to God, allowing God to rule our lives, putting God in charge of everything, including our time and our money. That may sound threatening, but God is very good at ruling people's lives, and when we put God in charge we are never the worse for it. When we know and practice what the Bible teaches about stewardship, we will be better people, and we will have happier, better lives.

3. Why does so much of stewardship focus on money?

Mark Allan Powell: When we focus exclusively on money, we miss the bigger picture — God wants us, not just our cash. But I think there is a legitimate reason that money gets so much attention: we are especially reluctant to give up control of our money — we think it is ours to do with as we please. Martin Luther said everyone needs to experience three conversions, of heart and mind and purse. We can love God and believe in God and still try to keep this one area free from the influence of faith. But when God finally does get our wallets and our credit cards, then God really does have all of us.

4. What prompted you to write a book on this subject?

Mark Allan Powell: I am a New Testament scholar and after writing 18 books on the Bible, a few years ago I began working more in the area of spiritual formation. I have talked with thousands of people about their spiritual lives and discovered that what people do with their money is often related to how satisfied they are in their relationship with God. That's why I wrote the book. There are books on the topic of giving that are designed to motivate church members to give more faithfully, so that the church can meet its budget and do God's work. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not my interest. I wrote this book so that those church members might have deeper, more satisfying spiritual lives. That is the whole point for me — connecting people with Jesus Christ so that their giving might be an offering of love to him.

5. How can we be better stewards?

Mark Allan Powell: I talk about stewardship as an act of worship, as an expression of faith, and as a discipline for spiritual growth. First, the Bible offers us a vision of what it means to belong to God, and then it offers us practical advice to make that vision a reality. Here is just one example: Paul says he has learned the secret of being content with whatever he has (Philippians 4::11). Wow! I'd like to know that secret. Wouldn't you? Whether we have a lot — or a little — to be content! The Bible offers us that vision and it shows us how it can be true, not just for saints like Paul, but for ordinary people like you and me. So, a lot of this book is very practical: how-to suggestions for bringing the biblical vision into our daily lives.

6. What might surprise us?

Mark Allan Powell: It is good news! What the Bible says about stewardship and giving is good news. Many people assume that God has only negative things to say about money and that the more we learn about what God wants, the more guilty we will feel. That just isn't so. The Bible presents faithful stewardship and generous giving as joy-filled aspects of a close and loving relationship with Jesus Christ. When we make this discovery, we move from duty to delight. We might increase our giving, or we might not — either way, we will give because we want to give, because the goodness of God has taken hold of us and transformed us into grateful, generous people.

7. Have you found this to be true in your own life?

Mark Allan Powell: This was another motivation for writing the book — a good bit of it comes out of personal struggle in this area, and I share a few embarrassing stories about myself in that regard. I think this gives the book a "realistic" feel. Most of us, I think, would like to be generous people, but we don't know how to get there — and we're not sure that we are willing to do what it takes. What would we have to give up? The Bible shows us how to become generous people — and it is not as difficult as many imagine. We do not have to miss out on the good things in life. In any case, no one who does what the Bible suggests ever seems to regret it. As for my own life, I have been stingy and I have been generous, and I can testify that "generous is better"! I am no role model for anyone to follow, but I am doing much better than I once did, and I will never go back. Think about this: have you ever met an ex-generous person? There's a reason for that.

8. Would this be a good book for congregational study groups?

Mark Allan Powell: I hope so. I realize this can be an awkward topic, so I keep the focus on Bible study and I try to include a bit of humor and lots of anecdotes. I hope that helps. It is a book that invites discussion — I throw out ideas that might not appeal to everyone but that are likely to connect with some folks in every setting. For example, I have sought ways to make the Sunday offering a more meaningful part of my worship experience. Sometimes, it feels like we just take a break from worship to pass a plate around and collect everybody's envelopes. I don't like that, so here's what I've started to do: I mail my regular contribution to the church once a month, just like paying bills, and then try to come up with something else each week to bring for the Sunday offering. Every week, I try to find one thing that I can do without — and give the money to God instead. It might be something little (like a dessert), or it could be something big, but I think about it every day until I decide what I am going to do. As a result, the offering has become my favorite part of the Sunday service. I would go to church just for that, to give God the little gift that I decided on earlier in the week. So that's just one idea; the main point is that even if this idea doesn't work for everyone, a group reading the book together could talk about it and come up with other suggestions that would be more appealing.