By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO
I have the privilege of assisting people from every financial station in life; those with modest amounts of material possessions, those with vast amounts and everything in between.
I do not recall any of those for whom money did not present some kind of difficulty. For some the difficulty was in not having enough of it. Interestingly enough, an increase in quantity does not eliminate necessarily all of the difficulties. Money continues to be a difficulty even when it is plentiful. For then the challenge becomes how to preserve, invest and use it wisely. Money is an aspect of life where the struggle is universal.
Churches have a real responsibility at this point, but I am concerned churches are not fulfilling this responsibility as effectively as they should. Too often financial stewardship is relegated to institutional fund raising focusing on financing the local budget to the neglect of the broader perspective of the meaning of money in the life of a Christian.
The call to responsible stewardship is to let God, not money, be the One and Only God in our lives. It is a call to shift our priorities and to change the way we relate to money. The Bible is clear, if we ascribe to money the highest possible value for total satisfaction in life, we shall go through life dissatisfied and unfulfilled. One cannot find in money what can only be found in God. Money is the means by which we live, but not the end for which we live.
My prayer is our churches will become more intentional in teaching men, women, boys and girls how to stop worshipping money and how to start investing it for eternal gains in the lives of people through the missions and ministries of our churches and our KBC-related Great Commission service organizations. Through your church and these organizations money is transformed into ministry.
Call toll-free Laurie Valentine or me to arrange a stewardship education seminar in your church before the end of this year – (502) 489-3533 or toll free in KY at 1(866) 489-3533.
The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.