What is it?Dr. Gwen Dewey

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What remains untouched is the belief that power and purpose and privilege can reside at the top and the organization can still learn how to serve its stakeholders and therefore survive.

Stewardship is the willingness to hold power; without using reward and punishment and directive authority, to get things done.

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Conventional Approach: The purpose of the company is “creating shareholder value” although other purposes or goals may be mentioned.

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Joy At Work Approach: The principal goal or purpose of the company is stewarding its resources to serve in an economically strong manner.

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Decisions are made by non-leaders at the lowest practicable organizational level.

Leaders see their role as service over employees. Allow subordinates to manage resources and

make decisions. Oversee rigorous advice process and fire people who do not use it appropriately.

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Every person is considered unique and must build a job around his or her unique skills and passions

One category: employee – no separate management Shared values are goals to which the company aspires

in and of themselves, not as a means to financial ends

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To serve society with specified services or products

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To operate in an economically sustainable manner

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To achieve these results while rigorously adhering to a defined set of ethical principles and shared values

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Product (what) and process (how) are equal in value

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God designs every human being with a unique giftedness – Leaders must: (Exodus 31:1-6,35:30-36:7)◦ Help others identify their gifts and abilities◦ Place those in jobs where their gifts are best◦ Equip people to function optimally and trust

them to make decisions in their sphere of responsibility

We are all gifted with the ability to make decisions

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Stewardship of people is stewardship of giftedness People long to do something meaningful with their

lives To reclaim work as a source of joy we need to:

◦ Recognize God’s gifts in ourselves and others,◦ Trust others to make decision in accordance with

the way God designed them

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Difficult to do, especially since it is often easier and safer to do a task ourselves

Humility is required on the part of the Servant-Leader

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Lessons of trust from God:

◦ Christ trusted the Apostles

◦ God trusted Mary with His only begotten Son

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What is your reaction to the truth that God has handcrafted you from the womb?

Are you doing what you are designed for?

Why is trusting other workers so difficult?

What can you do to change this?

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A revolutionary idea: CEO retains responsibility – yet – gives up power

Responsibility to steward what God gives us Responsibility to trust others to steward what God

gives them How “successful” we are in God’s sight is measured

on how faithful we have been to our calling, rather than on results

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Humans instinctively want to make decisions and be accountable

Note Bakke’s “advice process” Our Master treats us with grace (tenderhearted

and tough-minded) “Be just and fair” Col 4:1

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What concerns you the most about giving people greater responsibility?

How do you relinquish decision-making power in your workplace?

When someone in your organization fails, what is your protocol for dealing with that failure?

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Power is the ability to exert your will to create a result you desire

A Servant Leader is a steward of power◦ acquiring it, giving it away◦ using it for God’s purposes, getting results with

it◦ not for hoarding and using it for selfish ends.

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God is ultimate power source◦ Made in God’s image we are given power to

take care of His creation - to oversee, to name, to co-create, to choose, to lead

Leaders are funnels for gift of power: Power flows through us - not from us

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Power passes through us (like electrical wires) - Our job is to receive it well and pass it on well

The purpose of power is not to benefit the steward, but to accomplish the will of the power source

How one uses power displays one’s character, whether good or evil

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Jesus displayed God’s goodness by giving up His divine power

Power is more subtle than money : has potential for both good and evil

The ultimate power comes from giving it up (Philippians 2:5-11)

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Are aware of the power they have Measure it, not afraid of it, store it well, and

carefully watch how it affects those in their care Know that all the power they have is given to

them Know that they could be called to give away

much of their power in a moment’s notice - and they would find joy in that

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Listen to God’s voice to know when to acquire power and when to give it away

Use power not out of fear but out of love, joy, and hope

Give away power when God tells them to, even if it doesn’t make rational sense

Know they are stewarding something they cannot control

The more they release it, the more powerful it becomes

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We usually avoid talking about these areas of stewardship, because we are afraid of our own hearts and cannot control ours and others responses in these areas. Yet these three areas are very important aspects of our world. To deny our role as stewards forces them to the underground in our own lives, in the life of our church, and leaves a vacuum of sanity in how they are dealt with in the world.

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In your experience, what usually leads to the abuse of power?

What would humility (not grasping for power) look like in your workplace

Why is it so hard to talk about power, human sexuality, and money in the Church?

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Failure and risk before the Fall: Did it exist? And if so, how might that affect your perspective on failure today?

Failure and risk after the Fall: We can’t escape the undertow of a world that is cut off in some way from its Creator

Every one of us feels the effects of futility (hebel)

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Even though we Christians live on this side of the Cross, we still are on this side of Heaven

We need to remember that we are not in control of what we steward

Life always has a purpose - even in a fallen world Bakke realized that success as defined in Joy at

Work cannot be guaranteed, but will still strive to live out ethical principles of integrity, justice and fun in the workplace

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How are risk, failure. and forgiveness connected to your experiencing joy in the workplace?

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Our world and communities do not lack for problems to be solved: Who is responsible?

Christians have a role to steward their communities

Bakke believes the business sector is primarily called to help meet the needs of the world (Providing electricity is considered to fulfill a social responsibility by AES)

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Should we preach an Individual or a Public Christianity? ◦ Paul addresses both personal and public faith

(1Thess 4:1,4:9-10)◦ Unfortunately, many churches today promote

personal over public faith It takes spiritual leadership to produce social

systems that are fair and just

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Sabbath (Ex 20:8-11) Sabbatical year (Ex 23:10-12) Gleanings (Lev 19:9-10, 23:22) Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10-17) God is interested in the long-term welfare of His

creation (Eccl 1:3-11) The world operates in continuous cycles - If God cares about sustaining the earth’s resources, shouldn’t we?

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God ultimately owns all the resources (Lev 25:23, Deut 8:18)

God especially cares for the powerless (Lev 15:17, 1 John 4:16-18, James 5:1-6)

God still provides even when His rules don’t make sense (Lev 25:20)

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DVD: The Innotec Story

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How is it that the people at Innotec found joy at work? What is required?

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Between Heaven and Earth: The Plight of the Chesapeake Watermen (DVD) 27 min

Conflict can best be solved in a faith-based community by biblical reminder of the “Creation Mandate” and the command to be stewards of all of creation.

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Have you ever seen an example before of how faith can be used in conflict resolution?

In what ways are your faith-based communities using their faith for stewarding the environment?

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Good stewardship discerns what the Owner wants then does it

(Romans 12 ) We work according to the gifts God has given us

Joy comes from: Faithfully doing what we were created and called to do To the good steward, the Owner says “well done, good and

faithful servant…come and join in your master’s happiness”

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God does not judge us on “success” as the world measures it, but on our faithfulness to our calling

When Mother Teresa was asked if she felt like she failed when she was unable to rescue all the children on the streets of Calcutta, she said

“No, I have been called to be faithful. This is all I have been called to do.”

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God designed us for work, and we are to do it willfully and joyfully to God’s agenda for the earth

We work according to the gifts God has given us (Romans 12 )

Even the sun, moon, trees, and animals praise God in worship by “being what God designed them to be and do” (Psalm 148)

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We give glory to God when we do what God designed us to do, acknowledging that we are doing it for God’s pleasure

Joy: “a deep, abiding, inner peace that no circumstances can take away, because we are in God’s will and aware of God’s presence.”

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Understanding the original purpose of work Understanding how the Fall marred that purpose Taking responsibility to help both ourselves and

others discover and employ their gifts

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Taking responsibility to create a healthy environment for work

Taking responsibility to acquire and give away power

Seeing success and failure from God’s perspective

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Taking responsibility for community needs Taking responsibility for values and beauty in

work Taking responsibility in all areas of life Pursuing joy as both a present and future reward

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