Published in Bulletin of Psychological Type, 28:3, Summer/Fall 2005

1. STEWARDSHIP THROUGH TEMPERAMENT: SERVING OTHERS AND
OURSELVES
At the core of most traditional religious thought is a belief that our lives are not our own
but rather we exist to serve transcendent purposes. One such purpose is stewardship - the
managing of the time, talents and resources given to us in order to build up the lives of
others. Being about ends higher than themselves, a steward intentionally chooses service
to others over their own self-interest.
Although the objective of stewardship is to promote the well-being of others, because it is
a fundamental spiritual discipline, the steward’s activities should promote their well-
being, too. Since Temperament theory gives us insight into our core needs, values and
talents, it provides a perceptive lens to see how we might use the best parts of ourselves
to effectively serve others while deeply satisfying our own souls. Rather than being a
burdensome spiritual discipline, serving can be a joyous celebration of our innate design.
The Artisan/SP Temperament
What satisfies the soul of the Artisans/SP temperament is action. Wanting to go out and
practice what is preached, Artisans believe in a faith that expresses itself in activity.
Artisan stewards serve with a results-oriented pragmatism and prefer serving activities
that can have an immediate impact on others.
Theirs is an immediate and physical spirituality: the temporal, tangible, visible and
audible presence of the divine on earth right here and right now. For Artisans, “here”
often means in a specific place where they can make a conspicuous impact, e.g. missions,
the inner city, youth crusades, concerts, or community outreach. And “now” means to
make an immediate difference by using their natural ability to be in tune to what’s
happening in the moment and serve best by meeting needs as they arise.
Artisans value freedom and practicality that leads them to serve wherever they can see
their efforts producing immediate results. They can be especially skilled servants in crisis
and emergency situations. The true gift of Artisan stewardship is bringing an animated
joy and an eager can-do zeal that makes their faith have a real-world impact.
The Guardian/SJ Temperament
What satisfies the soul of the Guardian/SJ temperament is belonging to and faithfully
serving a meaningful community. Guardians desire to serve in ways that allow them to
feel depended on by the people that they are involved with. Being able to look after
others in a peer, parental or authoritative role creates a very satisfying sense of belonging
for Guardians.
Guardian stewards demonstrate their spiritual values through self-discipline, and social,
moral and relational obligations. With a deep sense of obligation and duty to their God,
they are the responsible caretakers, the humble “salt of the earth” types, who form the
backbone of their faith communities. Guardians are persevering servants who can be
counted on to keep their commitments and to pick up the slack when others don’t keep
theirs.

2. The gift of Guardian stewardship is stabilizing and preserving the lives of others.
Guardians serve best when they can demonstrate their logistical gifts of responsibly
managing time, people, resources, and money. They also bring structure, rules, and
procedures to make certain everybody is doing things right. In addition, Guardians create
and uphold rituals and traditions that can give others a sense of belonging and
permanence.
The Idealist/NF Temperament
Insight. Inspiration. Involvement. Intimacy. Idealist/NFs pack up their “I’s” and take
them on a life-long soul search for Identity. What satisfies their soul is finding answers to
the questions, “How can I be all that I was intended to be?” and “How can I help others
become all that they were intended to be?” Idealists serve by using their distinctive
capacity to see what might be able to be done with, through, and for people.
Always seeing the best in others, Idealist stewards inspire hopefulness in those they
encounter. They have a natural empathy for hurting people and are insightful counselors
and mentors, with a perceptive ability to see into the unspoken needs and concerns of
others. Idealists are also enthusiastic communicators who bring people a spirit of
optimism in the midst of difficult situations.
Idealists prefer serving activities which allow them to make uniquely personal
contributions. The gift of Idealist stewardship is being an inspiring catalyst of spiritual
growth through encouragement, receptiveness and support. Idealist stewards are at their
best when they can serve in ways consistent with their values of self-improvement
through spiritual and personal growth, both in themselves and others.
The Rational/NT Temperament
What satisfies the soul of the Rational/NT temperament is a quest for knowledge and
competence, and the long-term advantages that such knowledge can give to an individual
or group. Rational stewards desire to serve by challenging themselves and others to
achieve excellence by understanding how to apply universal spiritual truths and
principles to everyday life.
Rational stewards prefer servant activities that allow them to focus others’ attention to
transcendent ideas and principles that give life vision and mission. They demonstrate
their spiritual values through an intense desire to seek, understand and to explain the
spiritual life in order that they and others might master it. For the Rational, knowledge is
spiritual power, and the goal of the spiritual life is to expel darkness by living in the light
of Truth.
Because they value the central truths, concepts, and doctrines that underlie their beliefs,
Rationals bring a passion for religious studies into their communities of faith. Driven by
their own love of learning, the gift of Rational stewardship is teaching, and so a great
many of them serve others by writing, developing study aids, and instructing others how
to better understand the principles of their faith.

3. Even when we virtuously choose to put others before ourselves, the gifts we offer others
can be gifts to ourselves. When we serve out of our own temperament values and talents,
stewardship can allow us to choose service and self-interest. As a pastor once told me,
“When we serve others through our gifts, we are satisfied, others are edified and God is
glorified.”