What Does It Mean to Be a Steward?
Discovering a calling through the teachings of Jesus Christ
Many of us have heard the stories of Jesus Christ and His disciples. We may remember His teachings about loving our neighbors, helping those in need, forgiving others, and treating people with compassion.
But there is another important teaching woven throughout the Bible that we may not immediately recognize.
It is the calling of stewardship.
A steward is someone entrusted with the care of something that belongs to another.
Jesus spoke about this responsibility when He described a faithful and wise servant entrusted with caring for his master's household (Luke 12:42–48).
He also told the Parable of the Talents, in which servants were entrusted with their master's resources and later asked to account for what they had done with them (Matthew 25:14–30).
These teachings invite us to consider an important question:
What has God entrusted to our care, and what are we doing with it?
For some, that responsibility may involve raising a family. For others, it may involve teaching children, caring for an aging parent, helping a neighbor, sharing knowledge, or protecting the natural world.
Stewardship is not limited to wealth, property, or positions of authority.
The Apostle Peter taught Christians to use the gifts they had received in service to one another (1 Peter 4:10).
The calling is therefore both personal and practical.
It asks us to recognize that our abilities, opportunities, possessions, and relationships carry responsibilities beyond our own interests.
Why Stewardship Matters at Portal Grove
At Portal Grove, we believe the land has been entrusted to our care for a time.
We seek to cultivate and preserve its natural beauty, learn from the living world, share knowledge, welcome others, and prepare future generations to continue the work.
We do not believe stewardship requires perfection. It requires faithfulness, humility, a willingness to learn, and the courage to correct our mistakes.
Our guiding principle is simple:
“Use what the land yields; don't unnecessarily destroy what the land has already placed.”
The Grove Keeper's responsibility is not simply to maintain a beautiful woodland.
It is to help transform a personal blessing into something that may continue blessing others long after the present steward is gone.
An Invitation
Whether you are a lifelong Christian, someone exploring faith, or a visitor who simply appreciates nature, we invite you to consider three questions:
What has been entrusted to my care?
How faithfully am I caring for it?
What will I leave for those who follow?
These questions are at the heart of the stewardship calling.
And they are among the reasons Portal Grove exists.
Welcome to Portal Grove.
Where faith, knowledge, nature, and stewardship meet.