Faith and the Use of Church Money
I have heard many stories of pastors telling their congregations they need to go into debt or stretch themselves financially as “a matter of faith.”…
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I have heard many stories of pastors telling their congregations they need to go into debt or stretch themselves financially as “a matter of faith.”…
Our church was not reaching its budget and had to make difficult changes to reduce expenses by 16 percent. The finance committee realized a reduction…
There is a disaster in your community, and opportunities for giving donations abound. What is your response? You receive a cash gift for your birthday.…
In our U.S. Congregational Life Survey, worshipers rated the extent to which ten factors influence their decision to give to their congregation. The most important…
Many Christians tend to oversimplify the essence of scripture’s teaching with regard to money in such statements as “Christians must tithe” or “the faithful will…
Recently I talked with a pastor about how to fund a $6,000 need beyond the resources of the church budget. I felt he had an…
The other day I was visiting with a key donor of a church along with the pastor. The pastor was asking the donor if she…
My congregation has been in an ongoing mission partnership with the Child Rescue Center and Mercy Hospital in Sierra Leone, Africa, since 2000. However, there…
The oft-repeated claim that churchgoers are the most generous of Americans was always a reassurance to me as I labored in the vineyard of stewardship…
If you want your heart to be with God, here’s a suggestion I’ve found to be very powerful in my own life. Put your money…
As we begin thinking about fall stewardship campaigns, our minds may turn to the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), the story of a master…
Children and youth are typically given little attention in relation to worship through giving. The reasons range from, “They are only children,” to “They don’t…
I have come to see the importance of thinking about different segments within the congregation. There is tremendous diversity within any congregation when it comes…
Scott Cormode writes that pastors need to provide the theological categories to make spiritual sense of money and the issues that it creates. There are…
Ann Michel writes about the remarkable bequest given toward college education by Osceola McCarty, who completed sixth grade, as an example of selfless living and generosity. “What would stewardship season…
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.