Main > Lesson 4 — Money and faith: applications to households and congregations The Whys and Hows of Money Leadership
A curriculum for pastors/leaders just getting started
by Mark Vincent, Lead Partner, Design for Ministry
  1. Evaluative Questions
  2. Background — Money and faith: applications to households and congregations
  3. Part 1:  Study/Reflect — Your personal finances
  4. Part 2:  Your congregation's finances
  5. Part 3:  Comparison between the two (optional)
Background:
This lesson builds on much of the material covered already — namely that pastor, congregation and household work as a system. Each needs to be free from unhealthy money agendas if they wish to assist the others. For example, many persons in North America spend more than they earn and must pay out additional and significant money for interest on their consumer debt. For many this debt servicing amounts to more than their charitable contributions. If such people are reached through evangelism and become involved in a congregation — even if they are a Zaccheaus and immediately commit their estate to godly uses — it will take time for them to change. But how will they learn generosity if the congregation remains silent on money and faith, spends all it earns and first covers its expenses and debt before it is generous beyond itself? They did not learn generosity and good financial habits in their homes, so how will they learn it if not in the church? And how will pastors recognize this link and be of help if they are caught up in their own money issues?

The linkage between pastor, congregation and household is built on three key concepts:

  1. Firstfruits orientation
  2. Money pools
  3. Sinking savings (cash reserve)
1. Firstfruits orientation — Simply put, a firstfruits orientation means a commitment to honor God with the first and best of what one has while using the rest in generous ways that honor God. Pastor, household member and congregation (ministry organizations too!) need to make this a question of discernment and worship: what is our first and best? How can we best express generosity so that it testifies to our faith?

When this question is not asked, money activity becomes a matter of self-interested income and expense, rather than worship of God. That is, households, congregations and ministry organizations become concerned about their income and see giving beyond themselves as an expense that limits what can be done with the remaining money. Consider the description of these problems from a forthcoming manual for a denominational firstfruits giving system1:

"… the systems currently in use had compartmentalized giving from expenditure — as if they had little to do with each other. The result was a system where households, congregations, conferences and ministry organizations all felt they were the final arbiters of money given to God, and that all others areas needed to answer to them. Money given to another area, whether from household to congregation, or from congregation to ministry organization, was given from what was left over rather than as a firstfruits act of trust in God. Not only did this create a cash flow log jam that hindered the ability to engage in evangelism and world relief, but it is thoroughly hypocritical to ask someone else to engage in firstfruits activity when there is no intention for the one doing the asking to do the same.

Continued

1 From a documentation of the Firstfruits Funding System for Mennonite Church USA, unpublished.