The concept of “stewardship” gets a lot of attention these days in both secular and religious contexts. 

Whether the conversation is about Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, impact investing, avoiding toxic charity, or what sacred texts say about it, stewardship is a hot topic. 

There is no lack of opinions on how the idea of stewardship should influence our lives. In particular, the Biblical understanding of stewardship is one that has had an increasingly profound impact on both investing and philanthropy. 

But what is the difference between thinking like a steward and thinking like an owner? And what are the key distinctions from a Biblical perspective between an ownership mindset and a stewardship mindset?

At its core, stewardship means caring for something that does not belong to us. A steward is someone entrusted with the management and care of another person’s property or affairs. 

A steward recognizes that they are not the owner but are responsible for helping the owner fulfill their purposes for that property or those affairs.
From a secular perspective on stewardship, the owner is humanity collectively, or ‘the Earth’ or ‘the universe’.

From a faith-based perspective on stewardship, the owner is God. 

The Bible has a comprehensive view of God’s ownership: 

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

“…all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16)

If God is the only rightful owner of everything, our rightful role can only be that of stewards of everything he has entrusted to us.

For many, the idea of stewardship is noble, but abstract. When it comes to how we make decisions in life, most of us are pretty unclear about the difference between making those decisions with a stewardship mindset and making them with an ownership mindset. 

Differences Between Thinking Like An Owner and A Steward

There are three key differences between thinking like an owner and thinking like a steward.

Owners think in terms of  1) rights,  2) privileges, and 3) possession. 

Stewards think in terms of 1) responsibility, 2) accountability, and 3) distribution.   

If we aspire to have more of a stewardship mindset in life, our challenge is to stop thinking about anything in terms of rights, privileges, and possessions and start thinking about everything in terms of responsibility, accountability, and distribution.

The difficult question to answer is: 

How can we better catch ourselves when we’re thinking like an owner and refocus to think like a steward?

You may be familiar with an old optical illusion drawing of a young woman and an old woman blended into the same image. Some people immediately see one, while others see the other. A few can switch between the two images at will. 

Once you’ve seen it one way, however, it becomes difficult to see it the other way. This happens because “a way of seeing is a way of not seeing.”

Similarly, for those of us trying to embrace a stewardship mindset, the goal is to shift our perspective from seeing life through the eyes of an owner to seeing it through the eyes of a steward. Once we recognize the difference, we can self-correct when we find ourselves slipping back into an ownership mindset.

Here are a just few specific ways owners and stewards think differently as reflected in the statements they make and questions they ask – maybe not out loud, but at least to themselves. 

Some of these apply to both secular and faith-based understandings of stewardship: others apply best to a faith-based understanding of stewardship. 

Owner:
    I have rights
Steward:
    I have responsibilities.

Owner:
    I have privileges
Steward:
    I have accountability.

Owner:
    Effective possession is key to my success
Steward:
    Effective distribution is the key to success.

Owner:
    I know best
Steward:
    Lord, you know best.

Owner:
    Lord, here is what I desire…
Steward:
    Lord, what do you desire?

Owner:
    I will do what will give me the greatest pleasure
Steward:
    I will do what will give you Lord the greatest pleasure.

Owner:
    Will God provide? (which is fear based)
Steward:
    How will God provide? (which is faith-based)

Owner:
    How will I protect myself from what I fear?
Steward:
    How will God protect me from what I fear and deliver me from the fear itself?

Owner:
    How do I protect and enhance my reputation?
Steward:
    How do I honor your reputation, Lord?

Owner:
    There is scarcity and I will only give accordingly
Steward:
    There is abundance by God’s grace and I can give accordingly.

Owner:
    How do I get the best deal and make this work to my advantage and win?
Steward:
    Lord, what outcome would make this situation ‘a win’ for you and your kingdom?  

In Summary

Owners think in terms of their rights, privileges, and possessions – and the things they say and questions they ask, even if just of themselves, reflect this way of thinking and reveal their motives.

Stewards think in terms of their responsibility, accountability, and distribution – and the things they say and questions they ask, even if just of themselves, reflect this way of thinking and reveal their motives.

If we have resolved to think more like a steward and less like an owner in our investing, in our philanthropy, and in our everyday decisions in life, applying the above contrasting statements of owners and stewards to our lives should serve to help us see the difference, and having seen the difference, make a difference in our world.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered tax, legal, or financial advice. Please consult with a qualified tax professional or financial advisor to address your specific needs and circumstances before making any financial decisions.