MAKING FAITHFUL STEWARDS
OF OUR CHILDREN
Aniel Barbe
Stewardship Ministries and Trust Services
SID
Category: Mainstreaming of Stewardship

The Four Focus Areas
1. Mainstreaming of Stewardship
education.
1. Building Trust
1. Empowering the Partners.
2. Disseminating Information and
Service for Trust Services.

The Four Focus Areas
1. Mainstreaming of Stewardship
education.
1. Building Trust
1. Empowering the Partners.
2. Disseminating Information and
Service for Trust Services.

First Focus Area
To bring stewardship
education to Everyone in
the Church.

The Five Original Life Purposes
• Acknowledge and act as creatures
(One Creator)
• Rely on God (God provided for All)
• Behave as representatives of God (In
God’s Image)
• Maintain relationship with God (God
Visited the Garden)
• Accept responsibilities (God’s
Commission)

Objectives of the Presentation
1. Explaining why it is decisive to provide
stewardship education to Children.
1. Providing techniques and tools to teach
Stewardship education to Children

Part I
The Importance of Stewardship
Education for Children

The Basic Rational
What is acquired during childhood is
withheld for the all life!
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he
should go, And when he is old he
will not depart from it.

A Divine Commission
Deuteronomy 6:6,7a
“ And these words which I
command to you today shall
be in your heart. You shall
teach teach them diligently
to your children...”

Counsel from E.G. White
Too much importance cannot be placed
upon the early training of children. The
lessons learned, the habits formed,
during the years of infancy and
childhood, have more to do with the
formation of the character and the
direction of the life than have all the
instruction and training of the after
years.
Ministry
of Healing, p. 380

Counsel from E.G. White
It is during the first years of a
child's life that his mind is most
susceptible to impressions either
good or evil. During these years
decided progress is made in either
a right direction or a wrong one.
Ministry
of Healing, p. 380

Other Reasons to Provide Stewardship
Education to Children
 Jesus loves Children (Luke 18:16;
Matthew 18:2-6; Mark 10:13–16)
 Never too young to give (John
6:9)…Childhood is the time to develop
lifetime givers.
 Stewardship helps build self-esteem.
Ads contribute to a lifetime of poor
self-image and lasting discontent.

Other Reasons to Provide
Stewardship Education to Children
 Stewardship brings joy and
contentment.
It is impossible to be grateful and
unhappy at the same time (Acts
20:15)
 The giving and spending trend is
changing among the new generation.
Declined in giving.
Spending 5 times more per year
than previous generation.
Teenagers are called “Green
Machines.”

Further Explanations for the Actual
Giving Trend
• New technologies, material
possessions and lifestyles that would
have once been considered as luxuries
and “wants” are now “needs.
• No one is telling them that giving is a
need for the believer.

Other Reasons to Provide
Stewardship Education to Children
• It creates a sense of belonging and
ownership in the kingdom.
• The Economic Crisis prevailing in
today’s world.

Part II
Techniques and tools to teach
Stewardship to Children

The first providers of stewardship
education to children are the parents;
others will build upon this foundation.

Four Basics of Stewardship
Education to Children
i. Help children to see the blessings
provided by God.
i. Teach children to be grateful to God
i. Show children how generosity has built
our church and is supporting the church
activities.
i. Help children to see stewardship as a
lifestyle.

Help Children to See the
Blessings provided by God.
– Challenge children to make a list of
all God’s gifts to them.
– Regularly compliment children on
their special gifts – simple things
like nice handwriting, pretty smile,
nice coat to keep you warm, etc.
– Encourage children to recognize
their talents and the talents of
other people.

Teach Children to be grateful
to God
• Ask children on a daily basis to name
something for which they are thankful.
• Ask children to write a prayer or a
thank-you letter to God.
• Read and Discuss the Judgment of the
Nations (Matthew 25:31-46) Show how
service is a mean of being thankful to
God.
• Encourage children to pray and offer
services to the needy.

Show how Generosity has Built and
is Supporting the Church
– Tell children the history of the
church and the role generosity has
played.
– Help children make a list of church
activities and also of the needed
resources.
– Invite a volunteer to come and share
his testimony and joy about his
service.
– Ask the children to question their
parents and encourage the parents to
share about their stewardship
experience.

Help Children to See
Stewardship as Lifestyle
Teach Time Management
- Record all daily activities and time
spent for one week.
- See if adequate time is provided for
the 6 life priority zones of a steward:
Time with God, Time for the Family,
Time for Oneself, Time for
Working/Studying, Time for the
Church, Time for Others.

Help Children to See
Stewardship as a lifestyle
Teach the Basics of Managing Money:
(1) There is a limited supply of money.
(2) You cannot have everything.
(3) Your current spending decision will
impact your other goals.

The 3 S of Money Management
• Spending. How to create a budget? Help
them to differentiate between “wants” and
“needs.” Give Children the opportunity to
manage a certain amount of money.
• Sharing. Teach the principle of tithe,
offering and supporting the needy.
• Saving. Teach the principle of delayed
gratification; giving up today's desires
(short-term) for future benefits (long-term)

Help Children to See
Stewardship as a lifestyle
• Bring children to recognize their abilities
and talents.
• Provide opportunities and encourage
children to use and develop their abilities
and talents.
• Make it a joyful memory.

A Divine Commission
Deuteronomy 6:6,7a
“ And these words which I
command to you today shall
be in your heart. You shall
teach teach them diligently
to your children...”

Walk Your Talk
Deuteronomy 6:,7-9
“ Talk about them when you sit
in your home and when you walk
along the road, wen you lie down
and when you get up. Tie them as
symbols on your hand and bind
them on your foreheads. Write
them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates.”

Resources
• The Wise Steward Award for Adventurers
and The Stewardship Honor for
Pathfinders.
• Dollars and Sense, a storybook about
stewardship.
• 4 full camp meeting programs to teach
stewardship to various groups: God’s
Special Gift Me!(below 4 years);Sense-ational
Stewards (4-6 years);Partners with
Jesus (7-9 years); Earth Stewards (10-11
years).

OUR VISION
All of us in Full Partnership with
Him, Accomplishing the final
mission.

Conclusion
Our first aim is not to increase the income of
the Church but to bring our kids to become
disciples of Christ.
We do so by providing answers to these two
critical questions: Who God is? and “ How
should we respond to who God is?”
The results will be children who are both
growing spiritually and using their various
resources to build the kingdom.