In my experience there are several common misperceptions about financial stewardship within the church.
The first misperception is that financial stewardship is just about giving to the church. Shame on us for anything we have done to validate that misperception! Financial stewardship is a deep discipleship issue and is (should be!) about:
- teaching folks the biblical principles surrounding our relationship to money,
- training folks in how to implement those principles into their day-to-day financial lives, and
- in the process, removing money as the chief rival god in many folks’ lives.
To paraphrase Andy Stanley, “Unless the church is teaching folks how to save money and get out of debt, it is irresponsible to tell them to give.”
The second misperception is that discussions and workshops about stewardship are only for folks who are in deep financial difficulty. It is true that the understanding and practice of biblical principles regarding one’s financial resources will be of great help to those in financial distress. But it is equally true that many who are not presently struggling financially have much to learn and will greatly benefit as well.
I remember the very successful financial services professional who upon becoming a Christian was challenged to attend the basic biblical principles and budgeting course offered by his church. As a financial services professional he felt somewhere between insulted and angry at the suggestion! Out of obedience he attended and now testifies that it was an absolutely life-changing experience. Previously, his very significant income had allowed him to simply spend as he saw fit. He had never budgeted. Doing so was eye-opening for him and led to a revision of spending priorities. His newfound biblical perspective on his money led to increased generosity and a joy he had never experienced before. His marriage blossomed and, spurred by what they had learned, his wife quit her high pressure job, which had necessitated getting the 6:30 am train into the city. They now begin the day together over leisurely breakfast and sharing God’s word. All this from attending the basic biblical principles and budgeting course!
The third misperception is that the church shouldn’t talk about money. I’m not sure how that misperception came into being but it flies in the face of a voluminous amount of teaching throughout both Old and New Testament. A pastor cannot teach the whole word of God without a significant amount of teaching on the topic of money.
