« Living Stewardship | Main | Scaling Stewardship in Colorado, Part 2 »
September 17, 2007
Scaling Stewardship in Colorado, An Introduction
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet with the Stewardship Directors Assocation during their summer meeting in Colorado Springs. It was during the first night when we heard about the challenges facing Southern Baptists in Colorado. For many us (including myself), we live in the Bible-belt states where Jesus is as much a part of our culture as he is a part of our churches. But that's not the same for everyone. Especially those living in what our denomination has defined as "emerging" areas. Colorado is one of those states. (I wrote about the presentation by Mark here.)
As I was thinking about stewardship, I began to wonder what it might be like to "do" stewardship in a state where you can't assume people even agree with you on the basic premise of God, the Bible, Jesus, Salvation, and the role of the Church. A place so diverse and unconvinced of Christianity that you might think you're in a different country. And in many ways Baptists living in states like Colorado live with the reality that they must "fight" for everything...that includes those things we take for granted in the Bible-belt.
During the Convention, I met the State Stewardship Director for Colorado. Duane Trimble may be one of the most humble men I've ever met. (When I asked him to write about his experience for this blog, he was glad to but didn't think anyone would be interested in reading it.) One whose passion for people, his God, and Southern Baptists have led him to minister in what may be one of the most "lost" states in the country.
Given the uniqueness of his situation, I've asked him to let us into his world so that we might be able to see and understand the obstacles that he faces on a regular basis...obstacles that don't exist for many of us. And in doing so, we might become more grateful for what we have been given and more convinced that there is still much work to be done. Work that can't be completed alone but requires a cooperative effort. Something Southern Baptists have been doing well for a long time.
So, I would encourage you to make a point to check in with the Do More Ministry blog each day this week. And begin to pray right now for Duane and his ministry in Colorado.
Posted by bstroup at September 17, 2007 1:36 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogs.lifeway.com/cgi-bin/mt4.1/mt-tb.cgi/261