The SOLI board will be spending time in 2027 to reconfigure its mission and will not be receiving any grant applications during the year.
SOLI Email Update
Stay connected with the latest from the Stewardship of Life Institute!
Each week, SOLI’s Email Update features a lectionary reflection, fresh stewardship resources, practical tools and ideas, and more to help you live out a life of faithful stewardship.
Most recent reflections:
October 11, 2026 | Dress-code requirements for God’s wedding banquet
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23, Year A. By the Rev. Robert Blezard.
October 4, 2026 | The Vineyard is Not Ours
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22, Year A. By the Rev. Matthew D. O’Rear.
September 27, 2026 | God is at work in you!
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21, Year A. By Deacon Timothy Siburg.
A Stewardship Curriculum of the ELCA
Growing in God’s Grace Generation to Generation
The goals of The Generosity Project are to connect and engage all generations, equip every age and household for the faith practice of generosity, and to grow in God’s grace generation to generation.
Notice: The Stewardship of Life Institute will not be accepting grant applications during the Fall of 2026. We will resume grant application processing as of the April 1st deadline. We are using our September meeting to review and discern how best to serve the needs of the ELCA in a stewardship context.The Sharron Blezard Innovation Fellowship.
About
The Stewardship of Life Institute, founded in 1994, is headquartered at United Lutheran Seminary, with campuses in Philadelphia and Gettysburg, Pa. The Institute’s mission is to serve stewardship in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Institute carries on the vision and work of its founder and benefactor, the late Arthur L. Larson, who died in 2000. The institute is a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, which enables it to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.
Contact Us:
- 717-334-6286
- 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg PA 17325
- Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Martin Zimmann
- Web Content Manager, Rev. Sarah Hess
History & Mission
The Stewardship of Life Institute has a rich history rooted in one person’s vision and a lasting commitment to stewardship as a way of life. Explore the story of founder Arthur L. Larson, the beginnings of SOLI, and how his vision continues to shape our mission today.
Leadership
SOLI is guided by a dedicated board and staff who bring together diverse gifts, experiences, and perspectives. Meet the leaders who help steward SOLI’s mission and support this work.
Stewardship is about relationship. First our relationship with God, from whom all blessings flow. In right relationship, we put God at the very center of our being. With God at the center, every other relationship settles into its right place, including:
Our relationship with our time, talents and treasures. We don’t own our time, it’s given to us to use wisely as we walk on the earth. Most people find it easy to think of time in this way, but it’s harder to think of talents and treasures as things we don’t own, aren’t entitled to and have no right to hoard.
Our relationship to the earth. The earth is God’s, and produces an abundance of the essentials for our lives: Food, water, air, resources for keeping warm and building shelter. The earth belongs to God but is entrusted to us to use. Stewardship involves thoughtful consumption of resources so all will have enough and the processes that sustain life will not be harmed.
Our relationship to others. Jesus commanded us to love God first, and then our neighbor as ourselves. In a world where greed, anger, hatred and selfishness abound, Stewardship calls us to embrace God’s love more fully, that we may embrace others.
Stewardship is a journey. Like all faith disciplines, Stewardship takes awareness, prayer and practice. This website is devoted to inspiring and equipping Christians to walk that journey.
Six Weeks of Money
Money talks… but do we know how to listen faithfully? Six Weeks of Money is a unique stewardship education resource for congregations, small groups, and stewardship committees.
This series helps people reflect on their personal money stories, uncover the emotional and spiritual layers of giving, and start honest conversations about generosity.
With leader guides, video support, and downloadable resources, it’s a great way to stir meaningful engagement without awkward “fundraising speak.”
📥 Ready to start the conversation?