The Concept of Stewardship Councils
A Stewardship Council has been established in each Brigidine school.
The role of the Stewardship Council is to be the synthesizer and
the custodian of the values of the school and will rest heavily
on the expertise and wisdom of the school staff in this work.
The Council tries to model servant leadership, and values the contribution
of all members of the school community.
All those associated with the governance of the school are called
to stewardship. The concept of Stewardship is very rich in biblical
and theological contexts. In St Peter's letter to the early church,
we read:
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied graces (1 Pet, 4:10)
Stewardship is not the whole of the Christian life but it sums
up a particular important element of that life. God wishes us to
be collaborators in the work of creation, and stewardship affects
the way we live our lives in many and varied ways. Part of stewardship
involves safeguarding material and human resources and uses them
responsibly. However, Christian Stewardship is much more than that.
It is giving generously of our time, talents and treasures; it is
also receiving God's gifts gratefully, cultivating them responsibly
and sharing them lovingly in justice with others; has always been
ready to turn them with increase to God.
We are stewards of God's gifts and these include different things:
spiritual gifts like faith, hope and love; personal and community
talents; rich relationships with family and friends; the achievements
of human genius and skill. As well, we are custodians of the traditions
of the Christian people over the centuries, the beautiful land and
the rest of creation we enjoy; the education facilities and resources
including some beautiful school grounds and places for learning;
the spiritual gifts that have come to us from the lives of many
faithful and holy people in the past; the stories and the riches
left to us by those who have established and toiled in Brigidine
schools over the past century.
Responsible stewardship:
- Makes decisions within a mission/values context
- Promotes a good education for all students and responds to issues
of justice and social needs
- Assesses the cost of the services offered, the distribution
of resources and the inclusiveness of the more vulnerable in our
society
- Processes and monitors short and long range financial plans
- Assures and necessary legal responsibilities are taken care
of
Concepts and Operation of Stewardship Councils
The structure of Stewardship Council rests on certain basic premises:
We (the church) are the people of God ("Wherever you come
together I am with you" Matt. 18:20)
the church is the responsibility of all the baptized
we wish to work out of the model that is collaborative, that is
where there is a genuine sharing of responsibility for ministry
and decision making
the collaborative model means that we are working from a shared
wisdom model of being church
a church model of decision making needs to be synthesizing, holistic,
collaborative and enabling
while there are elements of a secular model of decision making
that may sometimes be helpful, we would wish to avoid being overly
analytical, selective, controlling or competitive
We therefore believe in consensus decision making.
It is assumed that the model of leadership exercised in the school
is that of servant leadership and the Stewardship Council and the
way it relates to all other parts of the school community needs
to model this.
The Stewardship Council is not a representative body and this is
because of its very nature.
As an entity, the Council has a leadership role. Council members
should exemplify the spirit of cooperation and consensus. Each individual
member has the duty to support the Council's final decisions, regardless
of her or his personal opinion. Representing a group would make
this difficult to do. Decision making in this model of Stewardship
Council is based on each person trying to see all sides of an issue,
relying on the expertise and insights of others and being mindful
of the effects of one's decisions on others. This is more difficult
if a person is representing a particular point of view.
The Stewardship Council itself can be, and can help to form, new
Christian communities and a way of sharing faith and ministry. For
this to happen, there needs to be a willingness to spend time and
effort in relaxed and supportive climate. There is a need for adult
faith formation and education if the Councils are going to provide
this kind of community. Prayer and reflection should be seen as
integral to the life of the Council.
The Stewardship Council itself will be the synthesizer and the
custodiam of the values of the school but will rest heavily on the
expertise and wisdom of the school community, especially the staff.
It is expected that staff will both inform and provide the practical
support and back-up necessary for the successful operation of the
Council. One of the major ways they will do this is by membership
of committees and by the provision of data, other information, reports
and draft policies for the Stewardship Council members.
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