Welcome to Stewardship

The East of England Evangelisation Trust (EEET)

As the Open Brethren movement grows exponentially, eleven men gather around a table to work out how best to support churches springing up around the country. EEET is born – a trustworthy, unified body supporting new church buildings and their congregations.

Growing God’s Church

Passionate about evangelism and generosity, EEET connects philanthropists and missionaries as they run evangelistic “tent missions” in towns and cities. Thousands come to Christ, and EEET supports those Christians and their congregations as they build new meeting places.

The Origins of ‘Gift Aid’

To make tax-effective gifts, individuals have to sign a ‘covenant’; committing them to support a church for seven years. With people reluctant to make a long-term commitment to one recipient, EEET offer flexibility – sign a covenant with them and they’ll distribute donations to more than one church.

The First Giving Account

Mirroring the modern-day Giving Account, EEET attracts more donors keen to have flexibility and boost their generosity. The national demand prompts a name change – to United Kingdom Evangelization Trust (UKET), and UKET commissions a Christian solicitor, Mr Francis Stunt, to take on the administration.

The Start of Sovereign Giving

In a different part of the country, another significant part of Stewardship’s history begins. 50 years before a merging of paths, Sovereign Giving is founded (then called North Staffordshire Evangelical Trust) by banker Harry Green.

A Change of Pace

Back to UKET, and the popularity of the covenanting service grows. Francis Stunt struggles to balance his own legal worth with the service, so turns to an influential character in Stewardship’s history – Tony Wakelin, a self-employed clerk. So began a pivotal 20-year era for the organisation

On the Move

Having recruited a number of employees to keep up with the pace, Tony and his team outgrow the cramped room they’ve been working in. They move to a bigger space, occupying the upper floor of a church hall; keen to keep UKET’s face-to-face, relational approach.

Modernisation

Rapid advancements in technology provide uncharted territory for UKET, but a series of inspiring leaders, including Tony himself, followed by Chair Leslie Lucas and CEO David Jones, lead the way, using innovation to foster greater generosity and support even more causes.

A Wider Appeal

Over the years, UKET supports more people and causes outside of the Brethren movement, and offers a range of services including insurance, mortgages, legal advice and accountancy. This wider appeal prompts a further name change, to something more familiar to us today: Stewardship Services.

Kingdom Partnerships

A series of mergers bolster the offering. MET in 2001 bring research and educational expertise, Sovereign Giving (see 1958) is added alongside Credit Action in 2006, and philanthropy investment company Maxco merges in 2008. Stewardship Services becomes simply ‘Stewardship’.

Church Growth Fund

Having grown a portfolio of church buildings since 1906, The Church Growth Fund is created by Stewardship and all properties gifted to it. The fund has more autonomy and is better equipped to support the church buildings – some dating back all the way to EEET’s origins.

A Global, Generous Community

Every Lent since 2010, over 100,000 people from around the world take part in 40acts – a generosity challenge encouraging individuals to impact their communities with acts of kindness. It’s not only blessed other people, it’s blessed churches, charities and causes along the way.

A New Platform for Giving

True to the innovation of recent years, a new giving platform launches – Give.net. The online fundraising platform makes it easy for people to raise money and donate to causes they care about. To date, Give.net has raised over £14 million through 23,000 appeals.

Raising Funds Conference

Building on the foundations of an organisation called Action Planning, Stewardship relaunch the Raising Funds Conference – a place for church leaders, charity leaders and fundraisers to explore biblical principles and practical tools that make a significant impact on fundraising. Hundreds join from around the country.

Kingdom Bank

In a ground-breaking, pioneering deal, Stewardship acquire Kingdom Bank. The acquisition saw philanthropists come together to fund the move, ensuring the Christian bank with a rich and vibrant 65-year legacy stayed under Christian ownership.

Philanthropy Services

Partnering and supporting Philanthropists has always been a significant part of Stewardship’s DNA, and in 2019 a new team ensures that aim continues. As well as two new funds, the new Stewardship America service allows dual taxpayers to make tax-efficient donations to causes they care about.

A lot has changed in the last century – but Stewardship’s vision stays the same. Since the East of England Evangelisation Trust’s inception, the goal has been to encourage active generosity and support Kingdom causes. Last year, we received over £100 million, ready to pass on to charities and churches doing incredible work across the world.