Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest
by Peter Block
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco 1993

Leadership Redefined . . . Stewardship Reclaimed
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Shakespeare was right, of course. Whatever word we use for the rose, its fragrance is lovely and sweet. It is also true that the word "rose" conjures the aroma in our imaginations.

In recent years, the concept of leadership has been redefined. Rather than describing an autocratic, singular, charismatic, front "man," leadership is now seen as that quality in a community, partnership, or team that brings synergistic growth and vitality to an organization (see FaithQuest Bible Study, Quest: A Journey Toward a New Kind of Church, and Equipped for Every Good Work). In book reviews and articles, this new concept of leadership has been explored with creativity and imagination (See reviews of A Force for Change, Leading with Soul, and The Dance of Change). What these resources have redefined as leadership, Peter Block calls stewardship. Now, here is a biblical term free of misconception, right? If only that were so! Unfortunately, stewardship is poorly understood in the church, both in concept and in practice. In many congregations, stewardship has been relegated to a once-a-year fund-raising program. In this secular resource, Peter Block captures the biblical meaning of faithful stewardship in fresh ways.

True and faithful stewardship resides not with the few, but with the whole community. It calls for the redistribution of power in ways appropriate to the gifts, talents, and passions of the people. Peter Block offers several definitions of stewardship that have to do with equitable distribution of power, but the one that really caught my eye is this one: Stewardship is " . . . the exercise of accountability as an act of service . . ." (page 28).

There are parallels in Block's work to Peter Senge’s The Dance of Change (Doubleday/Currency, 1999), where leadership is described as the capacity of a community to sustain profound change. Listen to Peter Block on stewardship: "We choose service over self-interest most powerfully when we build the capacity of the next generation to govern themselves" (page xx, Preface to Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest).

Using the common understanding of leadership as identification with the position of the leader, Block proposes stewardship as a viable, valuable alternative approach. He associates the term leadership with parenting. No matter how benevolent, it is still about control, compliance, and predictability. Stewardship, on the other hand, offers a model of partnership: distributing the power of choice and resources to each individual in an organization.

Basic Tenents of Stewardship
Some of the basic tenets of stewardship, as defined by Peter Block, are:

• Everyone is responsible for outcomes.
• Total honesty is critical. End secrecy. Give knowledge away because it is a form of power (page 67).
• Mutual trust is the basic building block.
• The willingness to risk, to be vulnerable, is a given. Vulnerability indicates that we accept the "rhythm of events" and trust that good will come without our controlling efforts (page 76).
• Stewardship is personal. If we are not transformed, institutional change will have no impact (page 77).

The Stewardship Contract
After making the case for stewardship as a critical and revolutionary approach to successful business practice, Block outlines the first step in this journey, the "Stewardship Contract." He then walks through the learning process of re-creating the organization in every area. There are chapters devoted to management, staff functions, financial practices, human resources and training, and compensation and performance evaluation. Throughout his book, Block carefully and skillfully warns of the traps that our desire for control will present:

• Getting folks on board can be a form of colonialism; only owners really create and choose. If we use words that offer choices that do not really exist, we are bing manipulative (page 192).
• Prescribing mandatory training — no matter how good the training — is patriarchy (page 197).

Re-creation and Resistance
In his menu for the re-creation process, which begins on page 204, Block stresses the values, passions, and talents of each individual as the starting point for all decision-making. Listening is lifted up as a critical skill. Sound familiar?

An especially helpful section (pages 221-231) explores resistance to the revolution. Block’s approach to cynics, victims, and bystanders — whether they are co-workers, bosses, or whole departments — is grace filled.

How? . . . Yes
Finally, Block deals with the inevitable question that plagues every change initiative: "How do we do this?" (See pages 233-237.) He examines the underlying values that drive the question: the desire for freedom and security and the desire to be of service. He answers the "how" question brilliantly. In every case, the answer to "how?" is "yes!" We live out our core values when we say "yes" to responsible freedom, "yes" to serving something larger than ourselves, "yes" to radical faith and the inherent risk of trusting ourselves and others.

Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest is an important and significant resource. It adds a provocative perspective to our explorations of identity as the body of Christ. It challenges us to step forward and reclaim stewardship as our call to Christian community. As we reclaim our spiritual giftedness as God’s power working through us, faithful stewardship of that power becomes more urgent and critical.

A concept by any other name is still as true — to borrow a phrase. Whether we call it leadership redefined or stewardship reclaimed, we are called to be God’s "yes" in and for the world.

Study Reflections

1. Read the four requirements of true partnership (pages 29-31). Where do we see evidence of these elements in our church life? Where might we improve?
2. "Trust comes out of the experience of pursuing what is true" (page 43). Do you agree or disagree with this statement. What is its meaning for your life? In what ways is this statement related to the discovery and use of your spiritual gifts?
3. Examine the five elements of a "Stewardship Contract," beginning on page 68. Write a Stewardship Contract for your church.
4. What is your approach to change? Does your style more closely resemble "Cosmetic Reform" as described in chapter 12 or the learning process of chapter 13? Which of these is most beneficial? Using the menu for re-creating the organization through stewardship that begins on page 204, examine the work areas of your church. Where is there room for improvement? How can knowledge and awareness of spiritual gifts, leadership/interaction styles, spirituality, and task types contribute?
5. What opportunities exist in your church for dialog as a learning tool? How do you use the results of informal conversation in the governance of the church? (See page 209.) To paraphrase from our experience — one parking lot conversation is worth ten committee meetings.
6. Examine the various approaches to resistance on pages 221-231. How does your church deal with resistance? Discuss the suggestion to replace coercion and persuasion with an invitation to faith (see page 227).
7. Do you agree that freedom, security and the desire to serve are the underlying sources for the question "How"? Why is "Yes" an appropriate answer to the "How" question? (See pages 234-237.)

All quotes from Peter Block are reprinted with permission of the publisher. From Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest, copyright © 1993,1996 by Peter Block, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA. All rights reserved. 1-800-929-2929.

Barbara Miller provides consultation, training, and resource development nationwide in spiritual gifts discovery, leadership development, change management, stewardship, and conflict resolution. She is the coauthor of Equipped for Every Good Work.

Posted 4-17-02