stewardship

I grew up in a church where money was rarely talked about. I say “rarely” instead of “never” just in case I happened to miss something the preacher might have said. I imagine there must have been some public teaching that warned people about serving money instead of God, but I can’t recall this message being linked to the idea that money was needed for church ministry. Instead, the silence taught me that giving was personal and private. An offering box sat at the back of the sanctuary, providing equal convenience to the discreet giver and the regular avoider. It also cemented the idea that money and the church were two separate topics. 

People have different reasons for giving, but church leaders can greatly strengthen or hinder this potential. Part of this hinges on the words that come from the stage (here are 7 phrases to avoid saying), but another critical part is the giving philosophy that is established and demonstrated by church leaders. By philosophy, I’m referring to the core values that churches have about money and the methods they use to mobilize ministry. 

Many pastors don’t see the importance of developing a giving philosophy, but my friend Mike Penninga, the former Senior Pastor of Kelowna Gospel Fellowship, has grown to understand how giving is connected to personal and corporate transformation. Mike has developed a giving philosophy that fits his understanding of Scripture and the reasons why people typically choose to give. His observations cause him to believe that people have four primary reasons for giving:   

People give when they believe in the mission   

Giving is fueled by the belief that a church is doing something that matters. A person becomes a likely donor when they make the connection between what a church is doing and what they personally care about.

“There are two kinds of people in our world: those who pay interest and those who make interest.” I heard Andy Stanley share this statement a number of years ago and I'm reminded of it whenever I think about how to manage my financial resources.

It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to pay interest instead of making it, but it easily happens when we don’t transfer our intentions into a plan. And sometimes the best motivation for making a plan is recognizing that our current pathway is headed toward trouble.

Mary Hunt is a bestselling author whose most recognizable book is called Debt-Proof Living. Here are her top warning signs that your interest-paying tendencies are headed toward dangerous debt trouble.* 

You’re living on credit
For example, you carry a credit card balance from month to month or you pay for things with credit because you don’t have enough money in your checking account.

You pay your bills late
You count on next month’s paycheck to pay for this month’s expenses; you schedule your payments based on the balance of your bank account instead of the deadline of your bill; you willingly pay late fees because you think of them as the price you must pay for your current financial situation. 

You’re not a giver 
You like the idea of giving money to your church or a charity and you plan on doing this once you have enough to cover your necessary expenses; you call yourself a giver-in-kind because you regularly drop off your old stuff to a thrift store; you reason that you can’t give what you don’t have.

You’re not a saver
You reason that once you cover your necessary expenses, you’ll be able to save a lot; you think of your available credit as your savings.

You dream of getting rich quickly and living an extravagant lifestyle
You find yourself wanting excessive things even though you can’t pay for what you currently have; you quickly show interest in the latest get-rich-quick opportunity. 

You worry about money
You think about money often; you answer your phone with hesitation or fear; you think of ways to hide purchases or bills from your spouse.

You overspend your checking account
If you’ve fallen into your overdraft protection plan more than twice in the past 12 months, this is a serious indication that you’re about to be snapped into the jaws of the debt trap.