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The stewardship crisis facing churches

by: Brian Kluth

A few years ago a foundation funded a research project to determine how many seminaries were actually teaching future pastors about stewardship and finances. Here’s what they found out:

Less than 5 percent of American seminaries across the country had any teaching on biblical stewardship, personal finances or church funding.

The study also discovered that only one pastor out of every seven felt as if he had been equipped to understand, practice or teach biblical stewardship and financial principles.

It’s strange that biblical stewardship seems to be such a silent subject in today’s churches and seminaries. Because stewardship really is the heart of what it means to submit one’s life to God. But in many churches if the word stewardship is used at all it’s used solely in connection with funding the budget, paying the bills, or getting money to build a building.

But God’s goal in the area of stewardship is something altogether different and much, much better. God’s goal is transformed lives—men and women, boys and girls, transformed by the truth and power of god’s word. True biblical stewardship is lordship teaching at the highest level. It’s about bringing every aspect of a person’s life under the lordship of Christ.

Several years ago a study by the Barna research group found that the less often people read their Bible, the less likely they are to be faithful givers in their church.

In contrast, the more people learn and understand God’s perspective on life and material possessions, the more likely they are to give.

God’s perspective tells us that everything belongs to him and that we’re simply managers of it. God’s perspective is that where our treasure is there will our hearts be also. God’s perspective says we can’t serve him if we’re serving money.

The Rev. Billy Graham once said that every person’s checkbook is a theological document. It tells you who and what you worship.

That’s why teaching about money in the church is so important. Why pastors, teachers, Sunday school teachers and seminary professors must not be silent on this subject any longer.

You see, money is about so much more than money. It is indeed about who and what we worship. When we teach what God has said about financial stewardship we’re working with the Holy Spirit to transform lives, which is the very reason the Lord instituted the church in the first place.

From Crown Financial Ministries, "Money Matters" radio broadcast.

Brian Kluth is a senior pastor and the founder of the www.MAXIMUMgenerosity.org Web site. He also sends out a generosity monthly newsletter that is sent FREE to 13,000 pastors and church leaders from over 50 denominations. He is the author of a "40 Day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life" and many other materials for use by churches and ministries to advance biblical generosity in churches everywhere in America and around the world. Copyright, www.kluth.org.