Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 51-57 “A Faithful, a Just, and a Wise Steward”
As we study Doctrine and Covenants 51-57, we take a deep dive into the concept of stewardship. What is a stewardship? How do we attain the ideal of becoming faithful, just, and wise stewards? And we discuss some of the stewardships we hold: financial stewardship, environmental stewardship, and stewardship over our children.
In this lesson…What is a stewardship?Financial StewardshipEnvironmental StewardshipParenting as a StewardshipWhat if someone disappoints us?What is a stewardship?
In 1831, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were living in Kirtland, Ohio and practicing the Law of Consecration by communal living. For a more detailed dive into this history, review Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 41-44 “My Law to Govern My Church”
Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 41-44 “My Law to Govern My Church”
How is a stewardship different than a possession?
If you were a Church member in 1831, you might have been invited to live the law of consecration by signing over your property to the Church through the bishop. He would then return to you, in most cases, what you donated, sometimes with a surplus. But it was no longer just your possession—it was your stewardship.
—Doctrine and Covenants Come Follow Me
What are some examples of temporal stewardships?What are some examples of spiritual stewardships?
In the Church, a stewardship is a sacred spiritual or temporal trust for which there is accountability. Because all things belong to the Lord, we are stewards over our bodies, minds, families, and properties.
—Spencer W. Kimball, Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action, October 1977
In Kirtland, Ohio, Bishop Edward Partridge was responsible for allocating stewardships of land and resources.
Why was it necessary for Bishop Partridge to consider wants as well as needs?What is the difference between having wants and being greedy?
3 Wherefore, let my servant Edward Partridge, and those whom he has chosen, in whom I am well pleased, appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.
Doctrine and Covenants 51:3
What is a faithful steward?What is a just steward?What is a wise steward?
And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.
Doctrine and Covenants 51:19
Why do you think President Kimball chose to highlight these three specific components of faithful stewardship?Financial Stewardship
A faithful steward is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own, and looks to the poor and needy.
—Spencer W. Kimball, Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action, October 1977
Financial stewardships over money, land and other financial assets, often come to mind first when we talk about the principles of consecration and stewardship. The communal living experiment in Kirtland, Ohio, primarily focused on sharing financial assets. These sections in Doctrine and Covenants offer a great deal of guidance about financial stewardship.
What does it mean to remember the poor, needy, sick and afflicted?How can we better incorporate remembering the poor, needy, sick and afflicted into our daily lives?
40 And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.
Doctrine and Covenants 52:40
Why is honesty so vital to financial stewardship?How can we safeguard honesty in finances?
9 And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you.
Doctrine and Covenants 51:9
Invite the class to read D&C 56:16-19 silently, comparing counsel for people who are rich and counsel for people who are poor. Afterwards, list what they found.
What counsel is given to the poor?What counsel is given to the rich?How does the counsel for rich and poor relate to each other?Environmental Stewardship
16 Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!
17 Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!
18 But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.
19 For behold, the Lord shall come, and his recompense shall be with him, and he shall reward every man, and the poor shall rejoice;
Doctrine and Covenants 56:16–19
Another important stewardship mentioned throughout Doctrine and Covenants is environmental stewardship.
Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge by Claude Monet, 1899. Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé shared this image to illustrate his General Conference talk on Our Earthly Stewardship.Why is it important to exercise wisdom and restraint in our use of the earth’s resources?How does caring for the earth demonstrate discipleship?
As God’s children, we have received the charge to be stewards, caretakers, and guardians of His divine creations. The Lord said that He made “every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.” (D&C 104:13)
Our Heavenly Father allows us to use earthly resources according to our own free will. Yet our agency should not be interpreted as license to use or consume the riches of this world without wisdom or restraint. The Lord gave this admonition: “And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.” (D&C 59:20)
President Russell M. Nelson once remarked: “As beneficiaries of the divine Creation, what shall we do? We should care for the earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations.”
Beyond being simply a scientific or political necessity, the care of the earth and of our natural environment is a sacred responsibility entrusted to us by God, which should fill us with a deep sense of duty and humility. It is also an integral component of our discipleship. How can we honor and love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ without honoring and loving Their creations?
—Gérald Caussé, Our Earthly Stewardship, October 2022
General Relief Society President Camille N. Johnson taught that our stewardship for the earth is closely connected to the commandment to love our neighbor.
How is environmental stewardship related to commandments to care for other people?
It is important that we recognize the connection between caring for the earth and caring for our neighbor. In caring for the earth, beautifying our local environment, and helping our communities become more sustainable, we are acting as wise stewards of the earth to bless the lives of our neighbors. They are those we have been commanded to love. Like the sheep in the parable, we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and the weary. We “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”
Camille N. Johnson, Righteous Stewards—Disciples of Jesus Christ, May 2025
Read this personal experience from Sheiyenne Baloo-Seegmiller, who is a member both of the LDS Chruch and the Navajo Nation.
What resonated with you about Sheiyenne’s story?How has your membership in the LDS Church inspired you to be a good steward of the earth? What other aspects of your heritage have inspired you to be a good steward of the earth?Parenting as a Stewardship
My current work is focused on helping Tribal nations and communities transition to renewable power sources, which can be a great boon to their society. A majority of tribes are located in rural, remote areas where blackouts and brownouts are frequent and interfere with their lifestyle, especially those who need power for cooking, using medical devices or other daily activities. However, updating and maintaining the power infrastructure in these areas is not a priority for electric companies, who continue to bill at high rates. Implementing renewable energy creates opportunities for Tribes to have reliable power sources and establish their energy sovereignty. These projects allow me to visit Tribal nations across the country through stakeholder engagement, educating their communities on renewable energy and seeking funding for their projects through grant writing and corporate partnerships. Being a Tribal member of the Navajo Nation myself, I share their views on protecting the Earth and wanting to be a sustainable steward of the land. Tribal members have shared with me their creation stories and how the land, vegetation and animal life work together to provide for their Tribe. Moments like this remind me of how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view earth stewardship and show gratitude for the things that “please the eye and…gladden the heart” (D&C 59:18).
—Sheiyenne Baloo-Seegmiller, Rendering Christ-like service by establishing clean energy systems in tribal communities, March 4, 2025
One of my favorite descriptions of parenthood as a stewardship comes from the poem, On Children, in the book, the Prophet, by Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran.
Did any parts of this poem resonate with you? Which parts and why?How might we approach parenting differently if we see parenting as a stewardship?What if someone disappoints us?
On Children
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
—Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923 (This poem is in the public domain)
In Doctrine and Covenants 54, we read advice to Newel Knight and other church members from Colesville, New York. The Knights and other Latter-day Saints had moved from New York expecting to settle on Leman Copley’s farm in Kirtland, Ohio. Leman Copley had offered to consecrate his land to the church and allow Latter-days Saints to live communally on his property, just as they were doing at the Lucy and Isaac Morley farm, but Leman Copley changed his mind.
If you feel tempted to condemn Leman Copley for not sharing his farm, stop and review Leman Copley’s story in the previous Come Follow Me lesson: Doctrine and Covenants 49-50 “That Which Is of God Is Light.”
Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 49-50 “That Which Is of God Is Light”
Leman Copley was what modern missionaries might call a “golden contact.” He had so much enthusiasm for the LDS Church when he converted that he not only offered to host a Mormon commune on his property, but also volunteered to serve a mission to his previous religious congregation. However, the church leaders who served as his missionary companions were so disrespectful to his friends of his previous faith that the experience was deeply traumatizing to Copley and led him to reconsider his membership in the LDS Church.
President Gordon B. Hinkley taught that established church members have a “duty” or in other words, a stewardship, to nurture new church members. This story may have ended differently if LDS church leaders had better treated Copley and his friends of another faith.
How can we better nourish new members of the church?How can we rectify the situation if we fall short in one of our stewardships?
With the ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things.
—Gordon B. Hinckley, Converts and Young Men, April 1997
Left without a place to stay in Ohio, the Colesville Saints moved to Missouri. A revelation for them gave this advice:
How should we react when we suffer a disappointment?
And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants 54:10
