The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 ESV
Last week the stewardship committee mailed letters to church households, encouraging members to give of the time, talents, and treasures entrusted to them. In this article, I’d like to address a few common questions about financial stewardship. While God desires for his people to make good use of the time and talents given to them, he is explicit about how they should manage money.
Pastor, why should I return a pledge card to the church on October 13? I’d rather not commit to giving on a regular basis. I don’t know what my expenses might be each month. I don’t want to be obligated. Completing a pledge card doesn’t legally obligate you, but it does indicate how much you’d like to contribute to the church in the coming year. The church leaders are doing their best to be responsible managers of ministry plans for 2025. Most of you have put together a budget for your household. Without a sense of what your income will be, it’s extremely difficult to plan for expenditures. Your pledge card, the amount you have prioritized to give throughout the next year, is a great help to the church leaders and the congregation.
Pastor, doesn’t the church have enough money? I want to give funds to where they are truly needed and will make the most difference. There is no greater ministry organization today than your local church. It’s your local church that shares the Gospel with lost children, youth, and adults. It’s your local church that ministers most to needy families, both in the congregation and in the community. It’s your local church that provides constant, ongoing discipleship for all ages. It’s your local church that offers intimate Christian fellowship. It’s your local church that is your spiritual family, your brothers and sisters in the Lord. There is always ministry to do in your local church, and the funds needed for that ministry are often greater than you realize.
Pastor, I want to designate my money to special causes. It’s important for me to direct where my giving goes. Designated church giving is a good thing, and it supports a variety of projects. Undesignated church giving, however, is even better. When you give to the church financially with “no strings attached,” it enables church leaders to move funds to where they are most needed. Also, whenever you give, it’s not actually your money, it’s God’s money. All finances ultimately belong to God (Psalm 24:1). You’re just entrusted with managing them while you’re on this earth.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-21, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (ESV).
Where are you investing your treasure? Is it in temporal things that are here today and gone tomorrow? Or is it in the eternal things that are the responsibility of the local church? There is no better investment than in the kingdom of God. There is no greater representation of the kingdom of God than your local church.
With a Shepherd's Heart,
Pastor David
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