A steward, in the ancient world, was a person who was given the responsibility and authority to rule over the affairs of the household. For example, the Patriarch, Joseph, became a steward in Potiphar’s household; he managed everything in the household and was given the authority to rule over the house. (Genesis 39:1-69)

A steward can be described as a person given the responsibility to manage resources – both human and material, and to account to a boss or a master. We can therefore infer that a steward is a servant, albeit a servant with authority and responsibility, reporting to a boss or a master.

In modern language those who work in government establishments are referred to as civil servants. Thus, the president and state governors are referred to as public servants.

In summary, therefore, we can rightly infer that in our context, a steward could be referred to as a servant, manager, administrator, or resource controller with the authority to manage and control resources to the satisfaction of the person or body of persons that elected or appointed him/her. In other words, there is a responsibility on the side of the steward to meet certain expectations. He/she is accountable and ought to present a good report card.