As Church leaders we often feel at ease asking questions like: ‘how is your prayer life?’ or ‘are you getting into the word?’ but when it comes to money how many leaders are asking their members about what they are doing with their money? The answer is very few.
So let me ask you a question. If you as a Church leader are called to ‘disciple’ your members using the word of God, and Jesus talks about money more than any other topic, are we not failing in our role if we ignore money? Surely something as seductive and potentially as deceiving as money, should be front and center in our discipleship planning.
HOW?
Well financial discipleship can and should be multi-faceted. Here are some ways you can do it:
Small Groups – get a study guide on money and run it through your home groups. Often, people are more likely to “open up” if they feel they are in a safe and friendly environment.
Church Services – the golden opportunity. You see your members every week so you have the chance to build financial lessons into your weekly talks. You can also run it as a “series”.
Courses & Workshops – Run a course on financial stewardship. Give your members both the practical tools and the principles to actually apply it in their lives. Workshops are a great way to get people actively involved and thinking about their circumstances. In addition, they may be able to incorporate other members’ contributions to their situation in the sharing experiences, ideas, tools and tips. They also create a good environment to develop fellowship amongst the participants.
Materials – provide brochures, books and other useful tools for your members to learn about money in their own private time.
One-on-One – scary huh? Yes, talking one-on-one with your members about money may seem daunting, but when done properly can be highly effective.
Oh, and just a quick plug here, we have all the courses you need to promote financial discipleship in your Church! Check out:
https://wealthwithpurpose.com/our-courses/
Reflection
Be honest with yourself, have you been discipling your members in the area of finances? What do you need to change?
Call to Action
Review how you are currently doing Financial Discipleship with your leadership team, if at all. What has worked? What hasn’t? Plan how you will disciple the different groups of members (youth, young adults, married, elderly) within your Church.