The economic implosion that has rocked our world may be one of the greatest gifts that church leaders could ever receive. It has thrown a spotlight on one of the most significant issues facing the church today — financial stewardship.
The uncertainty of these days presents a great opportunity to reframe the way Christians think about this issue that is so vital to the spiritual life of every believer. For the most part, Jesus’ teaching about money has failed to seep into the fabric of churches, as members have a view of money that is more culturally informed than biblically informed.
Most churches don’t view how money is handled as a central part of spiritual growth and a key to a personal relationship with Christ. It’s trumped by things like Bible reading, prayer, accountability to others, worship, mission trips and attending small groups. Although all of these are important, your church members can’t fully mature as Christians if they do not view money from a biblical perspective. But in our culture, many people serve and worship money. Living in capitalistic societies that are driven by money and consumerism shapes how people, including most Christians, handle their money.
People keep their money
A recent study by the Center on Philanthropy shows that giving within Christian denominations ranges from about 1.6 percent of household income to a high of 3.5 percent. The U.S. average of all households — Christian or not — is 2.3 percent. So it’s fair to say that Christians have bought into the world’s view of finances and are holding on to their money rather than sharing it as generously as they should. They have bought into the consumerism of capitalism.
I’m not against capitalism; it has helped build great nations. But it has at its roots a humanistic view of God’s world. It lives for the here and now and builds capital for self-serving purposes. As a result, it is the god that the masses worship — believing that this god will bring security and good fortune.
We should have learned a hard lesson, however, with the meltdown of the world economy and the resulting financial struggles of nations, markets, economies and households. This god of capitalism promises a security it can never deliver. Many hearts have been ensnared by the promise of good fortune, when in fact, this worship of money has only turned hearts away from fully following God.
This financial hardship is a clear and vibrant wake-up call to Christians everywhere. It challenges our view of money and our consumerism. It tests where we have placed our faith and trust. And it calls into question to what degree we have succumbed to the hypnotizing trance induced by money.
Bigger portfolio not the end
God knows that money has the power to turn the hearts of his people away from him because the human heart is inclined to put its “hope” in money, to find its security there. So if the priority of Christians in handling money is building a bigger and bigger portfolio, or accumulating possessions, or acquiring material things to the point that they are deeply in debt, then their hearts cannot fully follow God.
This is the danger in our churches today, even for serious followers of Christ. Subtly the hearts of God’s people have been given to money above God in the belief that money is a source of security, with the result that the lives of our people are driven more by consumerism than by genuine, biblical stewardship.
What should church leaders, do? Let me give just a few suggestions.
• Understand that how church members view and handle money is crucial to their spiritual well-being. They cannot be fully devoted to Christ and become mature in their faith if they are not investing as they should in God’s Kingdom.
• Preach the whole counsel of God, including the central role that money plays in a person’s spiritual walk. This doesn’t mean putting congregants on a guilt trip, but helping them understand that the natural inclination of the heart is for money to be the source of security rather than God. If people’s hearts are given to the things of this world, God’s Kingdom work will lack the resources needed to fulfill God’s call.
• Challenge your members to take time to step back and give serious consideration to their financial priorities, especially those with eternal consequences. Is funding God’s Kingdom work here on earth really a priority or not?
• Finally, inspire Christians to understand that they are in the midst of an epic spiritual battle against the forces of darkness for the hearts and souls of men and women, and that they have a crucial role to play in fighting this battle through their financial support of God’s work, especially through His Church.
• God expects us to use the resources He has put in our trust to fund the advancement of His Kingdom against those forces. As we make that investment, God also ends up with what He really wants — our hearts.
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