Consider, please, the state of stewardship in the Episcopal Church. Considering that a full 60 percent of Jesus' teachings involve money and its use, it is fair to say that, were this church so far off the mark on any other teaching, the land would be filled with cries of national apostasy.

In February, 1994, the Executive Council embraced a strange sort of voluntary giving to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society that was, according to the rhetoric, responsive to local congregations and empowered the dioceses, and especially the provinces. Recently the Executive Council was again slashing the budget, the dioceses are likewise down-sizing and the provinces note no increase in overall funding. Nor has there been a surge in congregational outreach. The fabric of good stewardship is unraveling - from the top down. And, it is said, many dioceses and individuals are withholding giving for "good moral purpose": to protest wrongful actions by the great "them."

Jesus calls upon Christians to give. Freely, freely, we've been given, freely do we give, says scripture. What has become of us? Only a generation ago, in my beloved Virginia, when things went awry, we gathered, said our prayers ... and took up an offering for mission. Have we forgotten the mission, forgone stewardship? There is no justification for withheld giving.

Some among us, remembering good stewardship, feel downright "counter cultural" in the American and church environment of local control and states' rights. There needs to be a strong, clear national mission and that, finally, is a matter of stewardship: the strength of national purpose and vision in the affective mission of the whole church. Either we are all in this mission together or we're all lost.

Good stewardship, mission giving, is apolitical. It begins with what tradition requires of dioceses in support of national mission and ends with what scripture requires of the individual. How can a bishop, with any integrity, ask parishes to effect good stewardship if the diocese hedges its full asking to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society? How can any priest, with integrity, expect members of a parish to tithe if the diocesan asking is not met? And, if we don't tithe, in the whole or in the parts, we stand apostate to biblical stewardship.

Unraveling stewardship is not good for our soul. It is time for us to gather, say our prayers, confess to God that we've had a very bad time ... and take up an offering, perhaps $120 million for the mission of the church - one million in each diocese.

(The Rt. Rev.) Richard L. Shimpfky Bishop of El Camino Real Monterey, Calif.