A Call to be
Financially Adventurous

Andrew Hingston

If your church is anything like mine, then it is consistently behind budget. And yet the reasons behind the financial struggles of our churches can cause us some confusion. As we look around each Sunday, we can see a high proportion of full-time workers in professional occupations. In theory, if all of these workers gave just ten percent of their income to the church and other ministries then we would easily cover our budget.

Unfortunately, the reality is often quite different. Actual giving falls well below what the theoretical numbers would imply. Some of this shortfall may be due to valid reasons, such as supporting important para-church organisations such as the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) and the Church Missionary Society (CMS). However, it seems that too many of our members are not particularly adventurous with their financial generosity to ministry.

It would appear that the causes of this problem are both spiritual and practical in nature. Spiritually, we are living in an increasingly secular and hedonistic society. This world does not encourage us to keep the “big picture” of God's promises in mind and to wait patiently for heavenly riches. Instead, we are continually influenced to pursue earthly riches now, whether they be financial independence, pleasure or material success.

Practically, Australian Christians are also fairly poor at managing our finances. We culturally feel uncomfortable talking about financial matters with our friends and family. We are not very financially literate. Furthermore, because we correctly shun the “love of money”, our financial literacy often builds far more slowly than our non-Christian colleagues.

And yet the Bible is clear about God's attitude towards money. We know that all money is owned by God and that it is part of His good creation given for our benefit (Ps 24:1; Ps 50:9-12; Hag 2:8; Job 41:11; 1 Tim 4:3-5). However, mankind perverts God's good purpose by setting up money as an idol and that greed is an ugly symptom of that idolatry (Rom 1:21-25; Eph 5:5). We therefore need to be wary of money's seductive power and not to chase after it (Deut 8:6-18; Mat 13:18-23; Lk 12:16-31). We should also be content with what God has given us (1 Tim 6:6-10).

The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss some of the practical issues associated with our financial generosity. It does not attempt to systematically study what the Bible says about money since this is adequately addressed in most of our churches. Instead, it attempts to discuss some practical financial planning issues that have been influenced by a Christian “world-view”.

It argues that while someone may be transformed “spiritually” by God's word, that irresponsible planning and poor management of expenses can effectively cripple their financial generosity to ministry. Alternatively, responsible and prayerful planning of finances under God's sovereignty and a management of expenses with the riches of heaven in mind can radically free you up to be even more adventurous with your financial generosity!

What is adventurous generosity?

Although the call to generosity is clear in many specific places in the New Testament, the primary motivation should come from an understanding of the “big picture” of the world from God's perspective. This understanding of the big picture, with the help of the Holy Spirit, encourages us to be adventurous with our generosity.

Ephesians 1 paints this big picture clearly as we see God has chosen to redeem a people for the praise of his glory. God has blessed in the heavenly realms (v3), chosen us before the creation of the world (v4), predestined us to be adopted as sons (v5), brought us out of slavery by Christ's death and forgiveness (v7), made known his mind to us (v9) and given his Holy Spirit as a guarantee (v14). The passage clearly demonstrates a God-centred view of the universe using the repetition of the attribution of praise to the Father (v3, 6, 12, 14) and his purpose to bring all things under Christ (v10).

While this touches many other areas of our lives and generosity, the appropriate financial response is to “get with the programme”. If these are the things that occupy the mind of God then they should be foremost in our own financial planning. Furthermore, they should trivialise the secular preoccupations with pursuing pleasure through holidays and “lifestyle” and the crass materialism inherent in the accumulation of “fun toys”. Our money and resources belong to God and so we should use them to help further his purposes.

At this point the reader may well ask, “I agree with all of this but my giving to church is done fairly haphazardly!”. Why not try the following:

  1. Plan your financial generosity at a given time each year.
  2. Pray and read the Bible.
  3. Calculate your combined after-tax income per month.
  4. Decide on an adventurous percentage for gospel work.
  5. Brainstorm the available options.
  6. Allocate percentages to each option.
  7. Calculate the dollar amount for each option.
  8. Complete the direct debit forms and pencil in the amounts.
  9. Work creatively with the rest of the finances in order to afford this amount.
  10. Pen in the direct debit amounts and post the forms.
  11. Pray for each ministry from your bank statement each month.
  12. Set a review date in your diary for the following year.

Some things to consider:

  • Try not to plan your financial generosity in January after all the Christmas expenses. A better option might be the start of the financial year in July.
  • Husbands may like to lead their wives by writing a Bible study on money or a key “big-picture” passage in the Bible.
  • Some wives are much better with numbers and finances than their husbands. However, the husband is still responsible for taking financial leadership in this exercise and should take an active interest in the household finances even if the wife is the one who tracks expenses.
  • Single people, couples without children and many retirees have the opportunity to be really adventurous with their giving. See how close you can get to 100%!
  • When brainstorming options, every evangelical Christian should include the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS).
  • Use direct debit for giving as it makes life much easier for the ministries you support as they plan their finances. If used wisely, it can be more thoughtful and prayerful than cash giving.
  • Use your bank statement as a reminder to pray for the ministries you support by direct debit giving. Ask your bank to send your statements monthly (usually no extra charge).
  • Enter a date for review of your giving in the diary. Review the past year and the amount you actually earned and the amount you actually gave to gospel ministry. We often receive tax refunds or unexpected bonuses. Why not give these unexpected amounts away to ministry?

A prayerful understanding of the “big picture” of God's plans can inspire us to be adventurous with our generosity. However, poor management of our personal finances can significantly restrict our capacity to be adventurous. Let's talk about some basics that can help to free us to be more adventurous.

Tips for the adventurous

There are two main issues that can help us to be more adventurous with our financial generosity:

  1. responsible planning under God's Sovereign hand, and
  2. managing our expenses as we patiently wait for heavenly riches.

First, responsible planning of our finances is completely compatible with trusting in a Sovereign God. It is clear that God is king and in control of everything in his creation (Gen 45:8, Gen 50:20, Ex 9:12, Pr 16:9, Pr 21:1, Mt 10:29, Acts 4:27f, Eph 1:11). However, God also holds us responsible for our decisions as responsible, moral creatures (Mt 25, Rom 2:6-8, Rv 20:11-13). Furthermore, the Bible treats these apparently contradictory notions as “the best of friends” with striking juxtapositions (Acts 2:23, Lk 22:22).

Some tips for responsible planning:

  • We all need a rain-shelter for our unpaid ministry after age 65 (retirement). Aim towards having a house or unit that has been fully paid-off by age 65.
  • We also need food on the table for this unpaid ministry. For most Christians, superannuation is the best way to be saving for retirement. It makes a huge difference if you learn how to make your super really work hard while you are still young.
  • Save for large anticipated expenses. Think carefully about your likely expenses over the next 5 to 10 years and start savings for them now. Do not take out a loan for anything that goes down in value!
  • Plan for worst-case scenarios. You can update your will with most solicitors. Christians should also carefully consider the benefits of the various types of life insurance with a professional.

Second, we need to be reminded that the true home of a Christian is in heaven and that we are to manage our expenses as strangers and aliens in Australia. We should not love or put our trust in fleeting earthly riches (Mat 6:25) and to live godly lives being content with what we have (1 Tim 6:6-10).

Some tips for managing expenses:

  • Create a “savings buffer” in your bank account of between $5,000 and $10,000. Our financial position will vary over the year as large bills fall due. A buffer helps to manage these fluctuations without getting into debt.
  • Never use credit cards for credit—have the balance paid from your bank account each month. If you can't make a payment then cut up your card.
  • Be shrewd with your purchases. Buying lunch every day at work is costing you $2,000 a year. Say “No” to things that you just can't do without—you'll be amazed that you actually can do without them!
  • Learn to track your expenses. You'll be shocked to find where all the money goes. Buy a small notebook and jot down everything on which you spend money for one month. Financial programs such as Quicken and Microsoft Money provide an easy and inexpensive way to track your expenses.
  • Once you learn how to track expenses then make a budget. A budget is simply an extrapolation of past expenses while taking into account any expected changes in your lifestyle.
  • Men like their “toys” and women like their “trinkets”. Money is not all “doom and gloom” and God wants you to enjoy it—without being greedy or irresponsible. Why not set a limit to your toys and trinkets by deciding on a fixed dollar amount each month (and carrying forward any unspent money).
  • Don't wait until you are an expert at managing your expenses before being adventurous with your financial generosity. Be generous now and you'll be surprised how quickly you are forced to manage your expenses shrewdly!

Prayerful management of expenses and responsible planning may free us as individuals to be more adventurous with our giving. But how can we help others in our bible study or church?

Adventurous churches

The most important step in having churches that are adventurous with our giving is for our ministers to continue explaining God's word and challenging our world-views.

If the Bible is already being taught faithfully in your church, then you may like to consider:

  1. Talking about “responsible planning” and “managing expenses” in conjunction with financial generosity.
  2. Use a financial pledge system that encourages prayerful, specific and accountable and yet anonymous financial generosity.

Educating others about responsible planning and management of expenses starts with us. Discuss the points in this article with your friends at church and your bible study members. Critically read non-Christian literature on the topic. Facilitate discussion at your church by inviting a Christian financial adviser to conduct a seminar on the issue.

Implement a financial pledge system that works:

  • Provide a financial pledge form to every regular member of the church.
  • Provide two stamped envelopes-one addressed to the minister and the other addressed to the treasurer.
  • The member should write their name and payment method (cash, direct debit or other) on the top half. It is sent to the minister.
  • The bottom half includes the amount that they plan to give each month. It is sent to the treasurer.
  • The minister follows up every member until he has received the giving method half of the form. The treasurer uses the pledge amount half of the form for the church budget.
  • You can download a sample pledge form here (download).

The challenge

Our challenge as we live and work in a secular society is to manage our finances in a way that reflects a Christian world-view. An important challenge is to be adventurous with our financial generosity as we understand God's great plan for the world. However, responsible planning of our finances under God's sovereign hand, and the management of expenses in a way that reflects contentment and patience for our heavenly riches will free us to be really adventurous givers!

Andrew Hingston is a professional financial adviser. He is the Managing Director of Switch Online Pty Limited (www.switchonline.com.au), an online financial planning company that helps Australians to make wise decisions with their superannuation. Andrew is a member of St Matthias Church and is frequently asked to conduct seminars to help Christians make godly financial planning decisions.

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