“Although Christians across denominational lines often use stewardship language to describe our calling to live out God’s mission in the world, what we mean theologically by “stewardship” varies greatly across religious traditions. Some think stewardship is tithing; others think it means volunteering or living a simple lifestyle. Still others identify stewardship with environmental conservation, social action of some kind or another, charitable giving, or making disciples through evangelism.
Each of these good and necessary activities points to an essential facet of stewardship, but each—on its own—falls shy of capturing the inspiring vision of biblical stewardship as a form of whole-life discipleship that embraces every legitimate vocation and calling to fulfill God’s mission in the world. In this sense, holistic stewardship, transformational generosity, workplace ministry, business as mission, and the theology of work movement all share a common point of origin in the biblical view of mission as whole-life discipleship. In other words, the essence of stewardship is about finding your place—that is, all the dimensions of your many callings—in God’s economy of all things (oikonomia).”
Stephen Grabill in “The Church’s Call to Steward God’s Mission in the World” Gospel Coalition blog post for 19 August 2014 and Acton Institute blog post for 27 August 2014.
In plain terms, whole-life discipleship is about helping people shift from life in the economy of this world where our activities revolve around making money to furnish everything from necessities to luxuries; whereas, life in God’s economy is living on mission, using our gifts and goods to make known the gospel whether we are a preacher or a professor, a salesman or a shopkeeper, and a teacher or a truck driver. Our purpose for work shifts from making money to bringing glory to God. Our living and giving are rooted in His abundant provision. And our place in the geography of the kingdom is making Him know wherever He’s planted us.