This week’s blog question is on a topic that we’re all thinking about – especially us’ns who are in the church biz: money. It’s stewardship season! And although we emphasize that stewardship (a vastly misunderstood word) is not just about money, it’s what people hear us talking about this time of year, as we encourage people in their spiritual discipline of giving, and as we have to make decisions about deploying our congregation’s resources for the coming year – monetary and otherwise.
I’ll be honest. One of the hottest button topics in our household? Money. We often take different sides on questions about how to use it/save it/give it/spend it. One likes to give more than the other, and for different causes. One often questions the purchases of the other. (Questionable purchases on my side? Woodworking stuff. On hers? Clothes and knitting. We won’t go any further there…).
And, another aspect of this: working with our 8-year old about how he uses his allowance, which he’s been getting now for about 2 years. We work out with him, as a family, a giving/saving/spending discipline: ten percent to the church off the top, other giving for other good causes, a certain percentage for saving, a certain percentage for spending. This is the beginning of a life-long discipline around the proper use of money. It’s dang important, in my book.
I’m really curious about what conversation goes on just before the pledge card goes in – in your mind, or in your family. How do you make decisions about giving, as an individual or a family? How do you make decisions about spending? How do you – consciously or otherwise – teach or share values with others in your family about the proper use of resources?
And, in terms of giving, we talk a lot about a tithe – giving away ten percent. I’m extremely curious about whether people approach their giving discipline in this way – by setting a percentage that seems faithful, and sticking with it. Do you give all to the church? Some to the church and some to other causes? Is a tithe supposed to ALL go to the church?
It’s often hard for us to talk about money (harder, sometimes, than talking about sex – perhaps a topic for next week in the blog!) But, fact remains that over 1/3 of the words of Jesus recorded in the scriptures are about the use of resources and material things. For better or worse, we can’t divorce our use of money from the Christian life.
And…if you want to comment on a safer topic than this…here’s another question: how should we talk about money as a church? Do we spend too little time and attention on it? Too much? I get people giving me both kinds of feedback.
Love to hear from you out there!
–Jeff V.
