Nonprofit Growth Through Faithful Stewardship By Andre South
Reject Ownership and Embrace Stewardship
Changing your leadership and growth mindset includes rejecting ownership and embracing stewardship. But first, how do you define growth? Is it more revenue or employees? Would your business have grown if you had raised more money or increased headcount? Maybe.
Actual growth isn’t just about increasing money or people. I define growth as expanded reach and impact. Your nonprofit has grown if it stays the same size but helps more people, serves more effectively, or strengthens its mission.
The challenge is knowing if our actions will lead to growth. In other words, what can we do to guarantee increased reach and impact?
The Control Problem
The hard truth is that you can’t guarantee anything. We try to force success by gripping tighter and tighter until we’re crushing everything in sight. We raise expectations to impossible levels and demand perfection from every employee. We buy any tech solution that promises to fix everything.
However, obsession over control often leads to frustration, burnout, and poor decision-making. Instead of grasping for power, we should focus on stewardship.
God’s Got This
“All things were made through Him and for Him.”
– Col 1:16.
Everything belongs to God – including your mission. He gave it to you not to control but to steward. Like in the Parable of the Talents, your mission is the task the Master has given you. You don’t own it; you manage it on behalf of the true Owner.
This perspective changes everything. Instead of seeing obstacles as threats to your organization, we can navigate them through the fresh eyes of a responsible third party.
How to Lead as a Steward, Not an Owner
Instead of asking “What can we do to guarantee growth?”
“How can we best steward the mission God gave you?”
Stewardship shifts your leadership mindset in four key ways:
1. Seek First – Act on the Owner’s Behalf
How can you know what the Master would have you do if you do not know Him? Before making strategic decisions, you must first seek God’s guidance.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Spending time in His Word daily is the best way to hear God’s voice. Meditate on what you read and spend time in secret prayer in these still and quiet moments. God’s Spirit will give you understanding and guide your mind in wisdom, knowledge, and discernment.
“…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
God’s Word applies to every part of our lives, including business.
It’s incumbent on us as ministry leaders to earnestly seek God. Get in tune with the Master, walk with Him daily, and sit at His feet as He teaches. Then, you will know His will and be set up for successful stewardship.
2. Plan Well – Decide Your Approach in Advance
Today, disruptors are everywhere—new technology, shifting donor trends, and unexpected crises. If you don’t plan, you’ll constantly react instead of leading. Strategy has varying definitions based on the context. I define strategy as the approach to achieving an objective based on your view of the future and its insights.
A steward’s strategy isn’t just a business plan. It’s an intentional approach based on:
- A clear vision for impact (What does success look like?)
- Realistic assessment of resources (What has God provided?)
- Flexible thinking for uncertainty (How will we adjust when challenges come?)
For example, if digital giving declines, an ownership mindset might panic and pressure donors. A stewardship mindset would adapt, exploring new funding models while trusting God’s provision.
3. Execute Faithfully – Prioritize consistency
Historically, great deeds are not achieved by the exceptionally talented. Sure, talent helps, but great things happen most often because of consistency. Men and women show up daily with focus and passion to hone their craft, practicing, studying, and rehearsing relentlessly.
God chose you to carry out His mission here on His behalf. He doesn’t require us to be superhuman to do that; He needs us to be faithful.
As you walk with God daily and plan according to His will, execute faithfully. You won’t always be perfect, but that’s not what moves the needle. Consistency does.
4. Watch Expectantly – Detach from Forcing Outcomes
“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
A steward works diligently and doesn’t try to control the results.
This trust in God means:
- Letting go of anxiety over numbers – Attendance, donations, and engagement fluctuate. Don’t let them define your faithfulness.
- Learning from failure without fear—Not every initiative succeeds, and that’s okay. Adjust and move forward.
- Recognize success in unexpected ways—maybe your nonprofit didn’t raise as much money as planned, but you built more profound relationships with donors.
This mindset gives you mental margin and clarity. Instead of living under constant pressure, you lead with peace and trust.
Wrapping it up
The original question was: How do we know if our actions will lead to growth?
The answer is to shift from ownership to stewardship!
- Seek First – Act on the Owner’s behalf.
- Plan Well – Decide your approach in advance.
- Execute Faithfully – prioritize consistency over perfection.
- Watch Expectantly – Trust God with the outcomes.
This mindset will free you from pressure, burnout, and fear, allowing you to lead with clarity, confidence, and peace. The mission is God’s, and He rewards the faithful.
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Andre South is the Principal Consultant at South Software Solutions. He helps Christian nonprofits create clear, actionable technology strategies. He believes technology is a tool that can be stewarded and, when executed correctly, will exponentially impact the Kingdom of God. Andre is also a Christian Leadership Alliance Community Catalyst for Internet and Technology. Alliance members are welcome to meet inside the Member-only Community!
Andre South will be a faculty member at the Outcomes Conference, so if you are coming, check out his Internet and Technology Track workshop!
Tech-Clarity Now: Align Your Strategy
Feeling stretched thin managing your mission and IT? Learn how to simplify your decisions and amplify your impact! This workshop equips you to align technology with your mission, set clear priorities, and make confident decisions. Outcomes: 1) Create a one-page tech strategy aligned with your mission, 2) Build a framework to evaluate and prioritize technology investments, and 3) Apply IT strategy in day-to-day operations.
What is Christian Leadership Alliance?
Christian Leadership Alliance equips and unites leaders to transform the world for Christ. We are the leaders of Christ-centered organizations who are dedicated to faithful stewardship for greater kingdom impact.
