Christian Financial Alliance: What is the “Best” thing a church can do with money?

Posted on November 17, 2011 by rkuban

The Christian Financial Alliance  was created to help readers.  The idea is this:  Create a panel of biblical finance gurus.  People who take seriously the call to teach the Bible accurately with grace and truth.  Once a month, we post a question with a response from our panel to provide you with well-rounded, sound, biblical advice.  For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

“In your opinion, what is the “best” thing a church can do with money?”

“I think the best thing a church can do with its money is to fullfill the commandments to love God and love your neighbors. How that plays out in any given church is a matter of their specific vision.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I think the best thing a church can do with money is to equip the church leaders to help people find and follow Christ.  That’s the mission of our church and I think our monthly giving commitment should be used to make sure our leaders are well suited to teach the church members but also to minister to those who haven’t found a church home or don’t have Christ in their lives yet.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“The only one-size-fits-all answer that I think is appropriate is whatever God is calling them to do with the money.  Obviously, I don’t mean for someone to just say that they think God is calling the church to do such and such with the money.  But each church should be intensely focused together on listening to God, praying for wisdom, and seeking His will for them in their situation and context.”- ProvidentPlan.com

“As strange as it may sound, I would say to follow biblical instruction.  I fear that many churches in America handle their money more along the lines of cultural norms than biblical principles.  On account of this, I would encourage churches to seek the scripture’s counsel for their financial management.”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“The best thing a church can do with money is give away a portion of all that comes in – at least 10 percent.  Use the money to support missionaries that have been sent from the church.  Use it to help those in the church who are in crisis.  Use it to help the poor in the community.  Use it as God leads to be a blessing to others.” – MattaboutMoney.com

“My first thought was to provide for missionaries.  However, after a little bit of thinking I would have to say that providing for the poor, downtrodden, orphans, and widows in the churches local community is the ‘best’ things it could do.  In Matthew 25:36 Jesus talks about taking care of those in need.  I think this is the single best way we can show the love of Christ, by serving those in need.” – DiscipleshipGuy.com

“Churches should fulfill their mission and calling with their money.  I know that sounds like a trivial thing to say.  However, far too many churches don’t have a clear sense of what God wants them to be doing.  They don’t know where to focus time, effort, resources, and money.  Thus, when a church has a clear sense of their purpose, they’ll have a better idea of how church funds ought to be spent.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“I really don’t think there is one “best thing” a church can do with their money.  However I would have to say supporting missions abroad and helping missionaries get the gospel out there is an important one.  I feel like churches spend too much time on their flock.  So spending money on outreach in other countries and making sure missionaries have the tools necessary is a critical item that churches should use their money for.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Finding ways to translate the money into winning the lost.” – ChristianPF.com 

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

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Christian Financial Alliance: Defining Contentment

Posted on October 10, 2011 by rkuban

The Christian Financial Alliance  was created to help readers.  The idea is this:  Create a panel of biblical finance gurus.  People who take seriously the call to teach the Bible accurately with grace and truth.  Once a month, we post a question with a response from our panel to provide you with well-rounded, sound, biblical advice.  For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

In your own words, define “biblical contentment”.

“Biblical contentment isn’t something that we find in things or circumstances, it is only found in our convictions. We have to trust in God’s promise that his grace is sufficient for us in all circumstances, both good and bad.  When we do, we will find contentment.” – BibleMoneyMatters.com

“Being at peace with who you are. In a financial sense, that extends to being at peace with what you have/own as well.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“Biblical contentment is being secure in our relationship with God versus the materialistic things in this world.  God provides all we need to survive and just the right amount of resources to manage faithfully for Him.  Having contentment in God provides a new perspective on our work and career, finances and the challenging circumstances we may encounter in this life.  Paul shares in Philippians 4:19 that he has all he needs in Christ.  The problem many people face is when they get caught up in what the world offers which never brings the true joy and peace we can have when we learn to be content and know that God is a loving God who will provide for all of our needs.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“Biblical contentment is discovering the full sufficiency of Christ in your life.  It’s true contentment that is not changed by your circumstances or your wealth (or lack of wealth).  Biblical contentment is being able to say, “I have Christ and He is enough.  I lack nothing!”  That’s the power of  contentment in Christ.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“The definition I came up with while writing my second book (Christ-Centered Contentment) is:  ‘Christ power, purpose, and provision are sufficient for any circumstance.’  It’s finding life in Christ, not in things.”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“Biblical contentment means that we don’t have to look to material possessions for fulfillment.  We serve a God that has promised to always provide for us, so we should feel satisfied and fulfilled because of his grace, not because of worldly possessions.”-FaithandFinance.com

“Biblical contentment is knowing that you are where you are suppose to be.  You may not like your situation, finances, career, etc, but you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are in the center of God’s will for your life, at this very moment.  You also know, that the Lord is your Father and He will provide for all of your needs, even in the midst of the desert.  Contentment is not about what you have, it’s about being secure in where the Lord has you – no matter the circumstances.” – DiscipleshipGuy.com

“Let’s break the two words down; ‘Biblical’ pertains to anything that has its origins in the Word of God.  ‘Contentment’ refers to a deep feeling of satisfaction, often directly related to what we have or the state that we find ourselves in.  Thus, “Biblical Contentment” is feeling complete gratification for all that has currently been bestowed upon us while at the same time, having open hearts to offer up praise and worship to the Lord with a clean conscience – void of covetousness.  (In Plain English – “Thank you so much Lord for what you’ve given me.  It’s exactly what I need right now”)” – StewardshipWeekly.com

“Biblical contentment means finding your peace, satisfaction, and meaning in Christ.  It is not subject to the winds of success and failure.  It is deeper.  It is a trust.  One trusts that God has him or her in a certain place in life for God’s own glory.  A person who sees, accepts and realizes this has the ability to be content in all circumstances because they have been filled to the fullness with Christ himself.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Biblical contentment is centered on the view that all God has created and done should be seen with contentment.  Check out this verse, “In Thy Presence is fulness of Joy; at Thy right hand there are Pleasures for evermore… a day in Thy Courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 16:11; 84:10).  It’s all about being truly satisfied in the Lord.  Once we as Christians understand that, the rest is easy.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“For me it is all about keeping my joy regardless of the things I have and my circumstances. If I ever find myself feeling like I need to have ____ to be happy, I realize I am no longer living in true contentment. I personally try to keep a loose leash on every item I own, regularly asking myself, “would I be able to smile as I gave this away if the Lord led me to?” – ChristianPF.com 

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

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Where Will Financial Independence Take You?

Posted on September 25, 2011 by rkuban

Financial independence is a buzzword in today’s time.  Certainly there will be a little variety to our definitions, but the overall idea seems to be:  build wealth until you are independent of any need for earning income.  Or, to put it another way:  work until you don’t have to work any more.  We all have to admit that it sounds pretty desireable to say the least.  Therefore, many of us have dedicated our lives to pursuing it. Yet, I think few of us stop to think about what we’d actually do when we get there.  In a sense, we spend all of our time and energy racing towards our goal that we never take the time to really think about just what exactly it is we are pursuing.

Do we ever stop to ask ourselves what we are going to do when we get there?  I know what you’re thinking:  “Of course I do!  I am going to sleep in, spend time with my kids, stare at the ocean, and do something really significant with my time–you know, give back.”  We all have an endless list of things to do when “financial independence” finally moves into the guest bedroom.  However, the point I am trying to make here is that most of us never REALLY stop and think about what would come after reaching this elusive utopian destination.

If I had to boil it down into its simplest terms, I find that we usually go in one of two directions:  luxury or philanthopy.  Regarding the first option, the Bible speaks rather clearly.  Jesus told a parable about a rich man who had reached what we would call “financial independence”.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.  And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21, NIV)

Plain and simple:  The Bible teaches that a life long pursuit of wealth in the name of personal comfort, luxury, and ease is greedy and foolish.  Though it may seem appealing on the surface, this approach to life is nothing more than a self-revolving, self-indulging, pursuit of short-term and superficial satisfaction.  And, sadly, this person’s deepest hopes are placed in temporal things with no guarantee they will actually get to enjoy what they have stored up.  There is nothing wrong with working hard to enjoy some of the fruit of your labor, but the life dedicated only to this purpose is ultimately meaningless, self-absorbed greed.

The rest of us place our bets on door number two (philanthropy).  Often Christians aware of the parable above defend their pursuit of financial independence in terms like:  “Once I get there, I will serve and give, etc.”  We have dreams of using our adundant resources to help others…once we get our stockpile high enough.  We tend to be quite stingy now as we strive towards our goal, and push our generosity off to the day our ship comes in.  Let’s stop and think about that.  Will we really dedicate our life to something we never have the time for now?  Are fooling ourselves? 

Jesus told another parable along these lines, the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30).  “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (23)  Would God be wise to bless our pursuit of financial independence if we don’t do what we are supposed to with the little amount we have?  I don’t think so.

In conclusion, I will leave us with two principles to consider:  First, supposed “financial independence” is not evil unless it is the only thing we are trying to define our life by (greed).  Second, we fool ourselves if we think we will be a different sort of person when our assets increase.  We should feel free to work towards this goal, but should never define our lives by it or convince ourselves we can wait until then to start acting like we ought.

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Learning to be a Better Leader…One Board at a Time

Posted on September 15, 2011 by rkuban

This is a post I wrote for onemoneydesign.com

I grew up a little different than your run of the mill American. When something broke in our house, we fixed it. Doesn’t matter what it was, we fixed it. I was probably the only kid in my third grade class that knew how to change out a flapper valve, understand the difference between regular and galvanized nails, and could swap out an oil filter! Seriously! At career day in elementary school, I had no idea what a plumber, mechanic, or electrian was–those people all went by the name “dad”. (Can I get an amen in the comment thread from everyone out there who grew up like I did!?!) Anyway, to understand today’s post you have to know a little bit about cutting boards…so I will do my best to make it sensical for everyone who didn’t grow up quite like I did.

When you are cutting a board with a circular saw, you have to do a couple things at the same time to get the result you are hoping for: a clean, straight cut. First, you draw the line. You make your marks on both sides of the cut, draw a clean line, then pick up your saw. Now, here is where it gets tricky. You have to do two things at the same time to get a straight cut.

1. You have to constantly watch the line out in front of the saw and…

2. You have to constantly watch the point where the blade is intersecting the board.

Both things must be done at the same time. If you stare out in front of the saw–looking only at your guideline, then your blade will get off. Your cut will look like the edge of a lasagna noodle. Crooked. At the same time, if you stare constantly at the blade and never look out in front of the line, then you will get the same result, a crooked line.

Right now, you might be wondering if you have accidentally stumbled upon a DIY site, but I promise: There is a huge lesson in leadership hiding behind this simple example. As leaders, we naturally we swing the pendulum to one side or the other. We either: constantly look towards the future (and neglect the day to day necessities), or we only look at the daily operations (and totally neglect our future vision).

VISIONARIES: These people stare at the line out in front of the saw. They are creative, innovative, and think outside of the box. They have great ideas, but struggle desperately to execute on a daily basis. Details are not their strength. While they might have great ideas, they struggle to get the saw from point A to point B. They only stare out in front.

PRAGMATISTS: These people stare at the saw intersecting the board. They are excellent details people. They are great planners and strategic. They can get from point A to point B–it’s what they do. The struggle with this population is that they are often driving to a point B that is totally irrelevent, out-dated, or illogical. They are great at day to day operations, but often lose sight of just where they are trying to get to in the first place.

Everyone leans one way or the other. To be a good leader you have to recognize which way you lean and strive for balance. If you are a visionary, strive for discipline and day to day balance with details–look down. If you are a pragmatist, strive to set appropriate and purposeful goals–look up. And, if you are looking for the icing on the cake, try to work closely with someone who compliments your leanings. Team up, and build upon each other’s strengths.

(I have to give credit to my pastor for using a variation of this analogy in a recent sermon. Thanks, Rick)

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Christian Financial Alliance: Should the Poor Give?

Posted on September 4, 2011 by rkuban

The Christian Financial Alliance  was created to help readers.  The idea is this:  Create a panel of biblical finance gurus.  People who take seriously the call to teach the Bible accurately with grace and truth.  Once a month, we post a question with a response from our panel to provide you with well-rounded, sound, biblical advice.  For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

Do you believe the Bible teaches the poor should or shouldn’t give?.

“I think all Christians are called to give, although the amounts and proportions may be different for the poor and the wealthy.  Giving is a matter of the heart, and we should give freely what Christ has called us to give.  Christ commended the poor widow for giving, so I think that right there should show us that it’s a good thing for all of us, including the poor to give.  I don’t think, however, that the poor should go into debt to give – as having debt is in most cased frowned upon by the bible.” – BibleMoneyMatters.com

“I believe everyone should give according to their ability. I also believe that a smaller gift from a poorer person is just as “valuable” as a larger gift from a wealthier person. 2 Corinthians 8:12 says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I believe that God wants everyone to give.  We are all responsible for managing God’s resources as His stewards no matter our income level.  I believe God can provide blessings to us on this earth in the form of additional resources to manage for Him, should we put Him first in our finances.  He who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).  This is challenging for those who are finding it tough to meet expenses or get out of debt, but I’d like to encourage people to give as much as they can to the Lord out of trust and faith that He provides for all of our needs.” – OneMoneyDesign.com

“I believe that God is very clear in the Bible that He expects all His followers to be generous and ready to share at all times.  So I wouldn’t necessarily prevent a poor person from giving.  Giving is a grace of God and a joy to those who are following Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, I also don’t believe that the Bible teaches that a poor person must give beyond their means.  We must never forget that God wants us to give so there may be equality and not to place an undue burden on anyone.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“Whether we realize it or not, when we begin to distinguish who should or shouldn’t give based upon their financial situation, we unknowingly make biblical giving about amounts–turning what is spiritual into economics, and turning the focus on our wallets instead of our hearts.  This is clearly not the way the Bible approaches generosity.  The scripture does advocate proportional giving…but I believe the call to generosity extends to all believers.  I wrote a position post on this very topic.”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“The Bible is clear in teaching us that everyone should be generous with the resources they have.  Often quoted is the story of the widow in Luke chapter 21, who gave much less than the others in monetary terms.  Jesus was quick to say that she had given so much more because of her willingness to give all she had.  Remember, giving is more about the motives of your heart than the size of your offering check.”-FaithandFinance.com

“Everyone, bar none, is accountable to the Lord for how they live on the earth.  God requires everyone to be generous (Matt 5:42, Luke 6:38).  Do we get an out if we are poor?  No.  There are too many examples in the Bible of God requesting even those with little, to give what they had (1 Kings 17:8-24), and those who had little, giving all the have (Luke 21:1-4).” – DiscipleshipGuy.com

“The Lord instructs everyone – the rich & the poor – to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).  It is evident in numerous passages of scripture, that one of the many ways a believer stores up treasure “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” is to give generously of the money God has entrusted to them.  If it is indeed “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), the poor should strive to be active participants in the process as well!  To advise those lacking in financial resources to withhold their gifts from God is to not only take away their opportunity to receive a blessing, but is in direct opposition to Christ’s teaching.  “Give and it will be given to you…For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).” – StewardshipWeekly.com

“The Bible is pretty clear in terms of what God expects of the poor.  Just like the rich, God expects us to give to others and for his kingdom.  The best example I can think of is the story of the widow who gave away her last coin in Luke 21 1:4.  That is a shining example of what God expects of the poor and how we should all view giving.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

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Book Review: The Root of Riches

Posted on August 25, 2011 by rkuban

I just finished up reading Chuck Bentley’s new book:  The Root of Riches:  What if everything you think about money is wrong?  I enjoyed it and would highly recommend the book to all dollarsanddoctrine readers.  I have to admit, you’d think the CEO of one of the largest financial ministries in the world coming out with a book on money would be full of charts, graphs, spreadsheets, and strategies…the typical sort of stuff in financial books.  But Chuck does nothing like that.  He focuses almost entirely on our hearts.  Save for a few simple financial principles in the final chapter, Root of Riches is a full on deep-sea diving expedition to the deepest corners of our hearts. 

What’s the mission of the book?  In my estimation, I think it’s two fold.  First, the book takes due time to sink its teeth into the idea that life is found in money, possessions, pleasure, and status:

“More money means a better life.  It’s such an easy sell because most people actually believe it–as much as they believe in the law of gravity.  They just won’t admit it.” (36)

“Darwinism gives full birth to the selfish pride of a world that denies God’s existence and reaps the fruit of their deception.  Everybody will be grabbing, gobbling, coveting, cheating, stealing and lying, all to get more at any cost and calling it a successful life.” (78)

These sort of definitions of a “successful life” are brought under strict scrutiny for the first half of the book.  However, rather than standing on a soapbox and shouting at the masses, Chuck offers a pretty honest account of how his own pursuits, hopes, and dreams were set entirely upon financial success for years.  His vulnerability makes the book approachable and his experiences make the book relateable.  In an effective and efficent manner, he explains that: “We all want more of what we love” (83), and the Bible is pretty clear on what destination the love of self, money, and pleasure will take us to.  The stern reality with which our culture (and our sin) makes a god out of money and success is tackled head on.  Which brings us to the second mission of the book…  What should we be loving?

In a smart and sneaky sort of way, Chuck uses money to explain the gospel.  I picture someone grabbing the book off the shelf thinking they are going to learn about money (because who would want to have everything they think about money to be wrong!), and instead, they are introduced to Christ.

“Christ must be more than Savior; He must be Lord of your life.  There’s an invisible usurper, a usurper that pushes out the rightful King and sits on the throne of your heart.  Your must throw out the usurper, the love of money and things.  You must make Christ alone Lord of your life.” (139)

Carrying the metaphor of trees, roots, and fruits through the entire book, Chuck shows how our beliefs (roots) end up shaping our behaviors (fruits).  Attention is given to show just how much what we believe will shape what we do with money (or anything else for that matter).  Ultimately, summing the book up in the simple statement that:  “The root of riches is found in Christ.” (111) 

Saying the book preaches the gospel may seem on the surface to be less beneficial to already professing Christians, but I’d have to disagree.  Sadly, American Christians tend to be more easily identified with cultural norms than biblical instruction.  There is nothing in this book that won’t resonate with a Christian willing to be honest with his own hopes, dreams, and definitions of success.  I am about to put out my third book on the Bible and money, and this book challenged and convicted me on deep levels. 

There is something about the book that is inspirationally  simple. It does a really good job of bringing Christians back to simple, pure-hearted devotion to Christ.  I don’t think there are any of us out there that wouldn’t admit we could use some more of that!  This book takes us on a journey that starts in our wallets, travels deep into our hearts, hopes, and dreams, before taking us to our final destination:  the person of Jesus Christ.  It’s a journey I’d recommend to anyone willing to take it. 

(For more on the book, or to purchase click here.)

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And the winner is…

Posted on August 21, 2011 by rkuban

The winner of our crown mvelopes premier gift card is…JoAnna!  Thanks for all who entered.  Be sure to give it a shot in the next DollarandDoctrine Giveaway!

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Another FREE GIVEAWAY!

Posted on August 14, 2011 by rkuban

As a thank you to Dollars and Doctrine for taking the time to interview Chuck Bentley regarding his new book (Root of Riches), Crown Financial Ministries gave me a complimentary copy of the book to give away (sorry, already did that!) and a Gift Card for their online mvelopes program.

Crown Mvelopes is an online budgeting program that could be just what you need to get that budget under control!  For a free trial, or to take a quick tour of the product click here.  Now it’s time for another giveaway!  Crown has generously given me a Mvelopes Premier Membership Gift Card ($450 value!) and in matter of days…it could be yours!  To enter the giveaway, simply click here and put “giveaway” in the subject line.  I will announce the winner soon.  Good luck!  (I am not being compensated in any way to promote this product.) 

 

 

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