Taiwan: Stewardship Trainers head to Taiwan

April 29, 2008 Taichung, Taiwan 

Going to Taiwan was another inspiring experience in Christian friendship and fellowship with church pastors and leaders.   The Church in Taiwan extended a warm and welcoming atmosphere to the two visiting presenters and attendees during the two days of stewardship meetings.  Dr. Puni and Dr. Luna were very pleased and impressed with the Conference leaders’ support of this program.  Their commitment to stewardship education was clearly demonstrated in their decision to provide accommodation for church workers in nearby hotels for them to attend the training seminar conducted at the Taichung Central church.  The two days of intensive teaching and training included presentations on the theology of tithes and offerings plus small group discussion on a number of case studies where participants were given the opportunity to apply Biblical principles to specific church stewardship situations. 

Two full days - April 21 and 22, 2008 - were dedicated to this stewardship training in Taiwan with 92 participants (church pastors, church treasurers and church leaders) registered for the eight sessions.  At the end of the presentations on tithes and offerings, opportunity was given for questions, and there was a dynamic exchange of ideas and observations from the participants.  It was an open, honest, and sincere discussion regarding the nature and use of tithes and offerings from a Biblical perspective and church polity and practice.

During the second day, church leaders were divided into small groups to reflect and discuss certain cases regarding the use or misuse of tithes and offerings in the Church, and this was a wonderful time for the participants to process and make application of the information learnt.  At the close of the program, pastors and church leaders were very excited and happy with the “new” emphasis on holistic stewardship that sees tithe and offerings as a part of the big picture of the church member’s response to the love and mercy of God in the community of the Church.

According to Dr. Puni Jesus is Lord of all areas of human life which includes our money.  From this perspective financial stewardship means acknowledgment of God’s Creatorship and Ownership; it is an expression of partnership with the Divine, a commitment to the Lordship of Jesus, recognition of God’s blessings of grace, and the believer’s response of love and gratitude.  Returning tithes and the giving of offerings is a demonstration of our faith in Christ, and living the covenant relationship with God.

The system used in the Old Testament for the collection and distribution of tithes may have varied from time to time, but there are some fundamental principles that remain valid over time and can be transferred from the Israelite system of offerings to the Christian Church era.  In that context, returning tithe is part of one’s worship of God.  Very early in Bible history tithes were returned in recognition of His blessings.  Tithes were sacred, because they belonged to God.  In summary, tithe is always returned out of God’s blessings, it is returned based on income/increase, tithesis returned in money and in kind, it is returned by the believer/disciple who is in a covenant relationship with God, it is returned for the believer’s benefit, and it is returned in recognition of God as Creator, Owner, Sustainer, and Lord of everything in the universe. Finally, tithes are returned to God – to His storehouse.

It was at the storehouse were tithes were collected and distributed for the support of those who served God in the Temple.  Following Biblical principles by which tithes were returned to a central location and where Levites administered what was received at the storehouse, the Seventh-day Adventist Church considers the local conference/mission/field to be the storehouse.  The conference/mission/field is the place where tithes are gathered and the place from which persons who work in gospel ministry are paid.

Church pastors and leaders at TWC appreciated this stewardship seminar and considered it an excellent help towards enhancing their understanding of Biblical stewardship, and a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and reinvigorate church pastors to share this holistic paradigm with church members.  This training program was concluded with a reaffirmation of commitment by church workers to be faithful disciples of God in this area of their ministry and service.