Stewardship: An Interview with Nathan Meador

Stewardship of time, talents, and treasure isn’t just about sustaining the material of the church. It’s about guiding those resources in service of the church’s primary mission: proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. In Stewardship: For the Care of Souls, Nathan Meador and Heath R. Curtis present a practical theology of stewardship focused on ministry in service of the gospel. In this interview with Meador, we discuss what makes stewardship a matter of soul care.

Lexham Press: How did a co-authored book on stewardship come together?

Nathan Meador: Heath and I had collaborated on several presentations that really started to gel into a cohesive unit in the area of stewardship. When asked to put it in book form, it just seemed to be the natural progression of our work together.

LP: What sets apart Stewardship from other books on stewardship?

Meador: It is not a “how-to” book. It will not ensure that coffers are full and bills are paid. It will lay the groundwork for congregations and individual stewards to come to see their identity as stewards and live as the Lord Jesus has made and redeemed them.

LP: How is stewardship in ministry directly related to soul-care?

Meador: Poor stewardship is much more than just being stingy or miserly. Poor stewardship is at its core idolatry. 

Idolatry is a heart and soul issue that can and does separate from God. Faithful stewardship teaching is really about a call to repentance and new life in Christ. This is what makes stewardship a matter of soul care.

“Stewardship is not about activity. It is about identity.”

LP: What is the essence of faithful stewardship?

Meador: In essence, it is the steward being who the Lord has created and redeemed them to be in all of life. The steward is a conduit of God’s good gifts for the sake of the neighbor. 

LP: How is faithful stewardship countercultural?

Meador: This flies in the face of the materialism and me-first-ism of the fallen world. It is understanding that we are stewards and not owners. We are accountable to the one who has made us, redeemed us, and entrusted created things to be used for His glory and the benefit of our neighbor.

LP: Why should a busy pastor pick up Stewardship?

Meador: It will lay a groundwork for the necessary steps for a pastor and the congregation entrusted to their care to begin the teaching of stewardship in the right place. Stewardship is not about activity. It is about identity that flows from who we have been made to be. Stewardship that doesn’t begin there will never reach a godly destination. 

It is worth the time and effort. The souls entrusted to their care will benefit as well!