Our Ministry

Our Mission

What is Stewardship

Christian stewardship is grateful and responsible use of God’s gifts in the light of God’s purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions. Stewardship is lived out in:

  • Living and telling the Good News
  • Sharing God in seeking justice, peace, and the integrity of creation in an interdependent universe
  • Wisely employing God-given human resources, abilities, and relationships
  • Sharing the material resources we hold and giving them in service, justice, and compassion
  • Providing for future generations
  • Sharing in the life, worship, and responsible stewardship of the Church and of its mission
  • Both for the individual and for the community, stewardship is a joyful act for the sake of God’s world.

The Director

Bruce A. Barkhauer was called as the first “Minister for Faith and Giving for Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)” in 2010.  Since that time he has engaged the whole church in conversations about generosity and offered transformative ways for congregations to think about stewardship.  His ministry includes teaching in seminaries, producing web-based resources, leading workshops and retreats, itinerate preaching, consulting, writing for publication, and mentoring pastors and lay persons around the topic of personal and congregational financial wellness.

For twenty-five years he led congregations in Ohio and Indiana in achieving high levels of financial support for local and global missions. He discovered early in his ministry that stewardship was his passion, and has had a career-long love affair with researching this important topic in the life of the church.

His energy, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit enhance gifts in both business and ministry. He brings a biblical based understanding about stewardship combined with theological integrity and weds them to the current trends and best prac­tices related to spirituality and money. In his workshops and writings, Rev. Barkhauer also talks about the multiple understandings about stewardship in the biblical witness as they touch the whole life of a person of faith.  He is the author of numerous articles and most recently, a book of devotions created for congregations to be utilized during financial campaigns entitled Community of Prayer (published by Chalice Press, 2016).

He is a graduate of Ohio University (Athens), Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis), and did Doctor of Ministry studies at Ashland Theological Seminary (Ashland, OH).  He is married to Laura and they share three grown children and three grandchildren.