So what is stewardship anyway and why does it matter? A steward is a servant set with the charge to manage, invest, and care for the property of someone else, usually a powerful master. A steward doesn’t come up with the raw materials for himself; he simply receives the raw materials he’s given and begins to work with them and invest them in order to maximize the potential of what he’s given. This is done not ultimately for himself but for the benefit of the property and asset owner.
This is what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25:14-30. Here we see a master who is going to leave for a long journey. Before he leaves he entrusts his property in varying amounts to three servants (stewards). After the delegation takes place, the master takes his journey and the servants begin to work. Two of them diligently invest and trade what was given them while the other takes the easy road and buries it for safe keeping until the return of the master.
When the master returns we see him blessing the servants who stewarded well what was given to them, while we see him cursing the servant who was lazy, took the easy route, and made excuses for not diligently working to achieve the success of his master. We also see in the text that those stewards who strove for the success of their master also received success for themselves, but the servant who only strove for himself and his own skin lost all success.
The amazing reality is, all good stewards are greatly rewarded. The biblical character of Joseph is a great example of this truth. No matter what situation Joseph found himself in or what position he was given, he served well, made his master successful and in return was greatly rewarded. He was a master steward and God used him to impact the known world at the time.
“God rewards those who faithfully steward what He has entrusted to them.” – Tim Challies
So, what has God entrusted us with? What has He given us to steward? The answer is: everything we have. This includes both the tangible and intangible aspects of ourselves and our possessions. It includes our physical body, our mind and intellect, our willpower and volition, our heart and emotions, and our spiritual being, our soul and spirit. In other words, your whole self, all that you are and have.
How to Become a Good Steward
The truth is, all Jesus-followers are already stewards. We simply have to accept the truth and embrace our calling. Our purpose, our vision, our mission, our calling is all wrapped up in being good stewards of what God has given us. As the New City Catechism says, “Our only hope in life and death is that we are not our own but belong God.” This is why stewardship is such a great paradigm for understanding our lives as Christians because it harks of being given something rather than creating, designing or taking something for ourselves.
The question is not whether you are a steward but whether you are a good steward or a bad one. Becoming a good steward happens in two steps: 1) accept the truth that you are not your own but belong to God, and 2) take biblical responsibility to properly use the energy, time, gifts, abilities, and possessions the Master has given you to steward.
Let’s explore these two steps in more detail.
- The first step to becoming a good steward is to accept the truth that “we are not our own but belong to God.”
We must relinquish control. Too often we try to control everything. We try to be the masters of our own destiny by creating our own vision for life rather than discovering and owning the vision Jesus has for us. We try to design our own lives and create our own realities. We try to be the hero of our own story.
But the truth is, Jesus is the hero of our story. He has a vision and destiny for our lives. He is the big “D” designer of our existence and we are called to live in His design, ensuring that any little “d” designing we do is under His authority and held with open hands for His influence and control.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”¹
But Jesus doesn’t just command us to die. He follows up His commandment of self-denial and cross-bearing with the statement that “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.”²
Although the call of self-denial and cross-bearing is tough and ultimately impossible for us to do without the Spirit’s indwelling power, the reward found in Jesus and in the eternal life He gives us is incomparable. Jesus says true life is on the other side of death. Not only in the ultimate eternal sense, but also in the immediate current sense.
Jesus doesn’t call us to death for the sake of death but for the sake of life. Even in His own death it was for the “joy that was set before Him.”³ It was not some morbid mission to simply die for the sake of dying.
Jesus is telling us that if we will deny ourselves, die to pursuing life and success in the way we see it and the world around us sees it, then we will be able to experience rebirth, true life, life as it’s supposed to be lived, life as stewards. Stewards pursuing a version of life and success the way Jesus sees it.
Jesus offers us this first step to becoming good stewards and the the biblical alternative to being the hero of our own story. It’s counterintuitive to our natural way of thinking, but it is a vital truth for us to embrace as we pursue a biblical and practical life of living like Jesus. The question is, will we accept it?’’
- The second step to becoming a good steward is to “take biblical responsibility to properly use the energy, time, gifts, abilities, and possessions the Master has given you to steward.”
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).
Good stewardship is like an art form. It’s skillful and it’s beautiful. The Art of Stewardship is the strategy, tactics and methods of living life as a steward. It’s life absolutely surrendered to an Almighty Creator God while simultaneously taking responsibility for those things He’s called you to take responsibility for. This is living life in the framework and design of a magnificent, majestic and brilliant Creator. It is in this way that we operate as little “d” designers, as little “c” creators, as little “m” masters without usurping God’s place of big “D”, big “C” and big “M” in our lives. This is the skill and art of stewardship.
This is the remarkable reality about the way God has designed and crafted this whole thing to work. In His impressive creation, we become imitators of Him in how we plan, design and master ourselves and our lives as we seek to be good stewards. Herein lies the beauty of godly stewardship: taking a steward position allows us to live in the design, vision and destiny Jesus has for us while taking the responsibility He calls us to take over the things He has given us to invest in, care for and cultivate, planning and designing our days and lives as little “designers” and little “creators” under His ultimate authority and will. This is the secret to the art of stewardship, which really isn’t a secret at all because it’s exactly what Jesus and the rest of Scripture teaches us.
He calls us to deny ourselves (aka, put our agenda for our lives to death, exchange our advancement for His advancement, and surrender our authority over our lives and accept His authority). But He doesn’t just leave it there. He calls us to join in the work with Him as He proves and prunes us, refines and sharpens. God doesn’t call us to “let go and let God.” He doesn’t tell us to be spiritual couch potatoes. He calls us to action. He calls us to build our faith stronger with specific qualities (2 Peter 1) and to be imitators of Him. (Ephesians 5:1)
“Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation.” – D.A. Carson
Apart from grace-engineered, grace-promoted and grace-powered responsibility and effort in stewardship, the believer is left disillusioned that God didn’t do what He said He’d do. But the truth is God will rarely do what He has called us to do. Sure, there are always exceptions, we call those miracles. However, in the normative created order of things, God has called us and given us the indwelling Spirit of Christ and the ability to respond to Him in a grace-empowered way to obey and achieve what He has given us to do. This is the heart of all stewardship.
A quick recap:
Stewardship is built on two big ideas.
- We are not our own but belong to God – everything we are and have is a gift from God to be used wisely and intentionally.
- We are called to take biblical responsibility to properly use the energy, time, gifts, abilities, and possessions the Master has given us to steward.
A Call to Action
Our first stewardship responsibility begins with godly Self-Stewardship. Once we accept our position as the Master’s stewards, fully seeing ourselves as belonging to God, set apart for His mission and purposes in the world, then we can begin to properly steward all the responsibilities he gives us. This begins with what I call “self-stewardship,”, the biblical alternative to the world’s improper view of self-love. If you’re ready to take this incredible journey as a steward, join me in part 2 of this series where I write about exercising this important aspect of life.
God has given you a tremendous amount of capital to steward well for His Kingdom. Let’s commit to godly Stewardship for the glory of God and the good of others.
This section of the pericope is, in the context of narrational inner texture, composed entirely of Jethro’s suggestions to Moses, a monologue complete with the caveat, “I will give you advice, and God be with you” (v.19a)! Jetho’s advice has progressional inner texture and a beginning-middle-closing to his argument. The beginning, “what you are doing is not good, you will certainly wear yourself out, you are not able to do it alone,” followed by a separation of what Moses’ unique calling is before the Lord (“You shall represent the people before God” v.19b) and what he can do to empower other potential leaders (“look for able men […] and let them judge the people at all times, every great matter they shall bring to you but any small matter they shall decide themselves” v.22). Jethro’s advice closes with an encouragement to Moses of what God can do if he relinquishes control to others (“God will direct you, you will be able to endure and [there will be] peace” v.23). This section has several interesting facets:
- The use of repetitive inner texture in the first passage with the Hebrew word for ‘judge” (“Moses sat to judge,” “Why do you alone sit as judge?” “I judge between a man and his neighbor”) and it’s contrast in this section (“Let them judge,” “every minor dispute they will judge”). Shaphat (to judge, govern or rule) is used as a signal for the leadership first carried by Moses alone in the first passage, but that Jethro advocated sharing in the second passage and by the third passage (the resolution) Moses has successfully given to others (Brown, Driver, & Briggs, 1996).
- The character qualities advocated by Jethro in looking for leaders were that they be able (capable, strong), fear God (have humility and understand followership), be trustworthy (honest) and be above bribery (have integrity) so that Moses could share the weight of leadership with them (“it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you” v.22b).
- Jethro encourages Moses that if he relinquishes control to others, he will “be able to endure” – the Hebrew word for endure, `amad, can be translated to stand, to remain, to establish, to give stability but also is translated 12x in the Old Testament as a form to the word “to serve,” depending on context (serve, served, serves service, serving) (Brown, Driver, & Briggs, 1996). It is an interesting thought exercise to consider the texture and nuance that provides: “God will direct you, you will be able to endure-serve-stand-remain-establish-give stability and all this people will also go to their place in peace” (v.23).
EXODUS 18:24-27: THE RESOLUTION
In the closing passage of this pericope, Moses implements Jethro’s advice, listening “to the voice of his father-in-law” and installing “able men” as leaders among the people. The new leaders, “judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any smaller matter they decided themselves” (v.26). Campbell (2006) remarks, “this an important passage, [because it shows that] Moses, with his great responsibility to lead, is not averse to being led; with his great task of teaching, he is not unwilling to learn” (p.74). In his willingness to follow his father-in-law’s lead, Moses made decisions that would ultimately “leave most of Moses’ time free of judicial responsibilities for him to lead the people in other ways, including his ministry of prayer and worship and his ministry of teaching and preaching all God’s laws” (Stuart, 2006).
III. MOSES AND SERVANT LEADERSHIP THEORY
This passage of scripture is full of leadership lessons for both inexperienced and practiced leaders. The lessons learned from Moses’ example can be summed up in an examination of the argumentative inner texture of this text (the inner reasoning or logical assertions within the text – namely the major and minor premises followed by the conclusion):
- Major Premise: Do not attempt to do leadership by yourself and carry the burden of ministry alone; where it possible, delegate! You were not designed to be a one-man show and will not be able to bear the burden of sole responsibility and control.
- Minor Premise: Find men and women of character to delegate leadership to; pay attention to their capacity and abilities, character (namely humility and integrity), motivations, and who or what they follow (i.e. are they submitted to others? Following God? Only interesting in themselves?).
- Conclusion: God will direct you, you will have the capacity to endure and serve faithfully, and their will be peace among you followers.
Gotsis and Grimani (2015) argue that inclusive leadership —as exemplified in the advice of Jethro and follow-through of Moses to empower other leaders— “is centered on empowering employees” and “bears potential for new ways of relating, sense making and creativity;” it is “a relational construct that expands on care compassion skills to account for prompt responses to fluid environments, in view of fostering deeper relationships, modeling courage and embracing a profound sense of humanity” (p.989). This connects to servant leadership’s aim to “serve followers while developing employees to their fullest potential in different areas such as task effectiveness, community stewardship, self-motivation , and also the development of their leadership capabilities” (van Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015, p.119). Although Jethro did not have a formal leader-follower relationship with Moses, he exercised servant leadership in helping to develop Moses to his fullest potential by addressing his task effectiveness, community stewardship and leadership capabilities and simultaneously “providing vision, gaining credibility and trust from followers and influencing others by focusing on bringing out the best” in Moses (van Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015, p.119)
This passage of scripture also challenges leaders, experienced and inexperienced alike, to consider what responsibilities of leadership pertain to calling (such as Moses’ calling to represent the people before the Lord and teach them His ways as He revealed Himself to Moses) and the “glass balls” that only they can juggle, and what responsibilities have the potential to be “rubber balls” that can be given to another to foster empowerment, inclusivity and creativity. As in the case of Moses, often it might take a wiser, more experienced leader to point out the differences in the weights of responsibility we carry, what burdens can be put down, what can transferred to someone else and what is unique to calling and divine purpose.
IV. CONCLUSION
This pericope of scripture presents a set of important lessons that can be applied to servant leadership theory as a whole. While much of servant leadership theory is centered on inner motivation, care for others and an innate desire to serve, namely the being side to servant leadership, there is also the action oriented, behavioral (doing) side of servant leadership as well. Just as “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17), it stands to reason that inner realities of love, humility, gratitude, forgiveness and altruism, if not accompanied by the actions associated with trust, vision and self-sacrifice, and without empowerment, authenticity and stewardship, would have little power to transform and influence others. As van Dierendonck and Patterson (2015) propose, it is a foundation of love that gives birth to the virtuous traits of servant leadership (Patterson, 2003), and combines with servant leadership behaviors that leads to a sense of follower wellbeing.
The leadership stories of Moses demonstrate the full scope of biblical servant leadership: the essential nature of underlying motivation and virtue as well as the expression of that motivation and virtue in behavior and substantive outcome. Activating others through empowerment and stewardship is essential to the optimal functioning of the greater community. Every piece of the servant leadership puzzle is needed to see transformation.
As we exercise dominion over the created world, we do it knowing that we mirror God. We are not the originals but the images, and our duty is to use the original—God—as our pattern, not ourselves. Our work is meant to serve God’s purposes more than our own, which prevents us from domineering all that God has put under our control.
Think about the implications of this in our workplaces. How would God go about doing our job? What values would God bring to it? What products would God make? Which people would God serve? What organizations would God build? What standards would God use? In what ways, as image-bearers of God, should our work display the God we represent? When we finish a job, are the results such that we can say, “Thank you, God, for using me to accomplish this?”
God equips people for the work of dominion (Genesis 2:5)
The cycle begins again with dominion, although it may not be immediately recognizable as such. "No plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground" (Gen. 2:5; emphasis added). The key phrase is “there was no one to till the ground.” God chose not to bring his creation to a close until he created people to work with (or under) him. Meredith Kline puts it this way, "God's making the world was like a king's planting a farm or park or orchard, into which God put humanity to 'serve' the ground and to 'serve' and 'look after' the estate."[2]
Thus the work of exercising dominion begins with tilling the ground. From this we see that God's use of the words subdue[3] and dominion in chapter 1 do not give us permission to run roughshod over any part of his creation. Quite the opposite. We are to act as if we ourselves had the same relationship of love with his creatures that God does. Subduing the earth includes harnessing its various resources as well as protecting them. Dominion over all living creatures is not a license to abuse them, but a contract from God to care for them. We are to serve the best interests of all whose lives touch ours; our employers, our customers, our colleagues or fellow workers, or those who work for us or who we meet even casually. That does not mean that we will allow people to run over us, but it does mean that we will not allow our self-interest, our self-esteem, or our self-aggrandizement to give us a license to run over others. The later unfolding story in Genesis focuses attention on precisely that temptation and its consequences.
Today we have become especially aware of how the pursuit of human self-interest threatens the natural environment. We were meant to tend and care for the garden (Gen. 2:15). Creation is meant for our use, but not only for our use. Remembering that the air, water, land, plants, and animals are good (Gen. 1:4-31) reminds us that we are meant to sustain and preserve the environment. Our work can either preserve or destroy the clean air, water, and land, the biodiversity, the ecosystems, and biomes, and even the climate with which God has blessed his creation. Dominion is not the authority to work against God’s creation, but the ability to work for it.
Relationships and Work (Genesis 1:27; 2:18, 21-25)
Back to Table of ContentsEngineer Turned CEO Learned to Put Relationships First in Managing People |
To Work in God’s Image Is to Work in Relationship with Others (Genesis 1:27)
A consequence we see in Genesis of being created in God’s image is that we work in relationship with God and one another. We have already seen that God is inherently relational (Gen. 1:26), so as images of a relational God, we are inherently relational. The second part of Genesis 1:27 makes the point again, for it speaks of us not individually but in twos, “Male and female he created them.” We are in relationship with our creator and with our fellow creatures. These relationships are not left as philosophical abstractions in Genesis. We see God talking and working with Adam in naming the animals (Gen. 2:19). We see God visiting Adam and Eve “in the garden at the time of the evening breeze” (Gen. 3:8).
How does this reality impact us in our places of work? Above all, we are called to love the people we work with, among, and for. The God of relationship is the God of love (1 John 4:7). One could merely say that "God loves," but Scripture goes deeper to the very core of God's being as Love, a love flowing back and forth among the Father, the Son (John 17:24), and the Holy Spirit. This love also flows out of God's being to us, doing nothing that is not in our best interest (agape love in contrast to human loves situated in our emotions).
Francis Schaeffer explores further the idea that because we are made in God's image and because God is personal, we can have a personal relationship with God. He notes that this makes genuine love possible, stating that machines can't love. As a result, we have a responsibility to care consciously for all that God has put in our care. Being a relational creature carries moral responsibility.[4]
God Equips People to Work in Relationship with Others (Genesis 2:18, 21-25)
Because we are made in the image of a relational God, we are inherently relational ourselves. We are made for relationships with God himself and also with other people. God says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner” (Gen. 2:18). All of his creative acts had been called "good" or "very good," and this is the first time that God pronounces something "not good." So God makes a woman out of the flesh and bone of Adam himself. When Eve arrives, Adam is filled with joy. “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23). (After this one instance, all new people will continue to come out of the flesh of other human beings, but born by women rather than men.) Adam and Eve embark on a relationship so close that “they become one flesh” (Gen. 1:24). Although this may sound like a purely erotic or family matter, it is also a working relationship. Eve is created as Adam’s “helper” and “partner” who will join him in working the Garden of Eden. The word helper indicates that, like Adam, she will be tending the garden. To be a helper means to work. Someone who is not working is not helping. To be a partner means to work with someone, in relationship.
When God calls Eve a “helper,” he is not saying she will be Adam’s inferior or that her work will be less important, less creative, less anything, than his. The word translated as “helper” here (Hebrew ezer) is a word used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to God himself. “God is my helper [ezer]” (Psalm 54:4). “Lord, be my helper [ezer]” (Ps. 30:10). Clearly, an ezer is not a subordinate. Moreover, Genesis 2:18 describes Eve not only as a “helper” but also as a “partner.” The English word most often used today for someone who is both a helper and a partner is “co-worker.” This is indeed the sense already given in Genesis 1:27, “male and female he created them,” which makes no distinction of priority or dominance. Domination of women by men—or vice versa—is not in accordance with God’s good creation. It is a tragic consequence of the Fall (Gen. 3:16).
Relationships are not incidental to work; they are essential. Work serves as a place of deep and meaningful relationships, under the proper conditions at least. Jesus described our relationship with himself as a kind of work, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29). A yoke is what makes it possible for two oxen to work together. In Christ, people may truly work together as God intended when he made Eve and Adam as co-workers. While our minds and bodies work in relationship with other people and God, our souls “find rest.” When we don’t work with others towards a common goal, we become spiritually restless. For more on yoking, see the section on 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 in the Theology of Work Commentary.
A crucial aspect of relationship modeled by God himself is delegation of authority. God delegated the naming of the animals to Adam, and the transfer of authority was genuine. “Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name” (Gen. 2:19). In delegation, as in any other form of relationship, we give up some measure of our power and independence and take the risk of letting others’ work affect us. Much of the past fifty years of development in the fields of leadership and management has come in the form of delegating authority, empowering workers, and fostering teamwork. The foundation of this kind of development has been in Genesis all along, though Christians have not always noticed it.
Can You Love Your Employees?(Click Here to Read)Samantha thought the advice of her grad school professor was a little unusual—words given her as she was about to launch her career: “Don’t get too close to your co-workers,” he said. “You never know when you’re going to have to fire someone, and you don’t want to fire your close friends.” |
Many people form their closest relationships when some kind of work—whether paid or not—provides a common purpose and goal. In turn, working relationships make it possible to create the vast, complex array of goods and services beyond the capacity of any individual to produce. Without relationships at work, there are no automobiles, no computers, no postal services, no legislatures, no stores, no schools, no hunting for game larger than one person can bring down. And without the intimate relationship between a man and a woman, there are no future people to do the work God gives. Our work and our community are thoroughly intertwined gifts from God. Together they provide the means for us to be fruitful and multiply in every sense of the words.
Fruitfulness/Growth (Genesis 1:28; 2:15, 19-20)
Back to Table of ContentsTo work in God’s image is to bear fruit and multiply (Genesis 1:28)
Since we are created in God’s image, we are to be fruitful, or creative. This is often called the “creation mandate” or “cultural mandate.” God brought into being a flawless creation, an ideal platform, and then created humanity to continue the creation project. “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’ ” (Gen. 1:28a). God could have created everything imaginable and filled the earth himself. But he chose to create humanity to work alongside him to actualize the universe’s potential, to participate in God’s own work. It is remarkable that God trusts us to carry out this amazing task of building on the good earth he has given us. Through our work God brings forth food and drink, products and services, knowledge and beauty, organizations and communities, growth and health, and praise and glory to himself.
A word about beauty is in order. God’s work is not only productive, but it is also a “delight to the eyes” (Gen. 3:6). This is not surprising, since people, being in the image of God, are inherently beautiful. Like any other good, beauty can become an idol, but Christians have often been too worried about the dangers of beauty and too unappreciative of beauty’s value in God’s eyes. Inherently, beauty is not a waste of resources, or a distraction from more important work, or a flower doomed to fade away at the end of the age. Beauty is a work in the image of God, and the kingdom of God is filled with beauty “like a very rare jewel” (Rev. 21:11). Christian communities do well at appreciating the beauty of music with words about Jesus. Perhaps we could do better at valuing all kinds of true beauty.
A good question to ask ourselves is whether we are working more productively and beautifully. History is full of examples of people whose Christian faith resulted in amazing accomplishments. If our work feels fruitless next to theirs, the answer lies not in self-judgment, but in hope, prayer, and growth in the company of the people of God. No matter what barriers we face—from within or without—by the power of God we can do more good than we could ever imagine.
God equips people to bear fruit and multiply (Genesis 2:15, 19-20)
Official Ram Trucks Super Bowl Commercial "Farmer" (2:03) |
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). These two words in Hebrew, avad (“work” or “till”) and shamar (“keep”), are also used for the worship of God and keeping his commandments, respectively.[5] Work done according to God’s purpose has an unmistakable holiness.
Adam and Eve are given two specific kinds of work in Genesis 2:15-20, gardening (a kind of physical work) and giving names to the animals (a kind of cultural/scientific/intellectual work). Both are creative enterprises that give specific activities to people created in the image of the Creator. By growing things and developing culture, we are indeed fruitful. We bring forth the resources needed to support a growing population and to increase the productivity of creation. We develop the means to fill, yet not overfill, the earth. We need not imagine that gardening and naming animals are the only tasks suitable for human beings. Rather the human task is to extend the creative work of God in a multitude of ways limited only by God’s gifts of imagination and skill, and the limits God sets. Work is forever rooted in God's design for human life. It is an avenue to contribute to the common good and as a means of providing for ourselves, our families, and those we can bless with our generosity.
An important (though sometimes overlooked) aspect of God at work in creation is the vast imagination that could create everything from exotic sea life to elephants and rhinoceroses. While theologians have created varying lists of those characteristics of God that have been given to us that bear the divine image, imagination is surely a gift from God we see at work all around us in our workspaces as well as in our homes.
Much of the work we do uses our imagination in some way. We tighten bolts on an assembly line truck and we imagine that truck out on the open road. We open a document on our laptop and imagine the story we're about to write. Mozart imagined a sonata and Beethoven imagined a symphony. Picasso imagined Guernica before picking up his brushes to work on that painting. Tesla and Edison imagined harnessing electricity, and today we have light in the darkness and myriad appliances, electronics, and equipment. Someone somewhere imagined virtually everything surrounding us. Most of the jobs people hold exist because someone could imagine a job-creating product or process in the workplace.
Yet imagination takes work to realize, and after imagination comes the work of bringing the product into being. Actually, in practice the imagination and the realization often occur in intertwined processes. Picasso said of his Guernica, "A painting is not thought out and settled in advance. While it is being done, it changes as one's thoughts change. And when it's finished, it goes on changing, according to the state of mind of whoever is looking at it."[6]The work of bringing imagination into reality brings its own inescapable creativity.
Provision (Genesis 1:29-30; 2:8-14)
Back to Table of ContentsTo Work in God’s Image Is to Receive God’s Provision (Genesis 1:29-30)
Since we are created in God's image, God provides for our needs. This is one of the ways in which those made in God’s image are not God himself. God has no needs, or if he does he has the power to meet them all on his own. We don’t. Therefore:
God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Gen. 1:29-30)
On the one hand, acknowledging God’s provision warns us not to fall into hubris. Without him, our work is nothing. We cannot bring ourselves to life. We cannot even provide for our own maintenance. We need God’s continuing provision of air, water, earth, sunshine, and the miraculous growth of living things for food for our bodies and minds. On the other hand, acknowledging God’s provision gives us confidence in our work. We do not have to depend on our own ability or on the vagaries of circumstance to meet our need. God’s power makes our work fruitful.
God Equips People with Provision for Their Needs (Genesis 2:8-14)
The second cycle of the creation account shows us something of how God provides for our needs. He prepares the earth to be productive when we apply our work to it. “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed" (Gen. 2:8). Though we till, God is the original planter. In addition to food, God has created the earth with resources to support everything we need to be fruitful and multiply. He gives us a multitude of rivers providing water, ores yielding stone and metal materials, and precursors to the means of economic exchange (Gen. 2:10-14). “There is gold, and the gold of that land is good” (Gen. 2:11-12). Even when we synthesize new elements and molecules or when we reshuffle DNA among organisms or create artificial cells, we are working with the matter and energy that God brought into being for us.
God Sets Limits (Genesis 2:3; 2:17)
Back to Table of ContentsTo Work in God’s Image Is to Be Blessed by the Limits God Sets (Genesis 2:3)
Making Time Off Predictable and RequiredRead more here about a new study regarding rhythms of rest and work done at the Boston Consulting Group by two professors from Harvard Business School. It showed that when the assumption that everyone needs to be always available was collectively challenged, not only could individuals take time off, but their work actually benefited. (Harvard Business Review may show an ad and require registration in order to view the article.) Mark Roberts also discusses this topic in his Life for Leaders devotional "Won't Keeping the Sabbath Make Me Less Productive?" |
Since we are created in God’s image, we are to obey limits in our work. "God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation" (Genesis 2:3). Did God rest because he was exhausted, or did he rest to offer us image-bearers a model cycle of work and rest? The fourth of the Ten Commandments tells us that God’s rest is meant as an example for us to follow.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. (Exod. 20:8-11)
While religious people over the centuries tended to pile up regulations defining what constituted keeping the Sabbath, Jesus said clearly that God made the Sabbath for us–for our benefit (Mark 2:27). What are we to learn from this?
When, like God, we stop our work on whatever is our seventh day, we acknowledge that our life is not defined only by work or productivity. Walter Brueggemann put it this way, "Sabbath provides a visible testimony that God is at the center of life—that human production and consumption take place in a world ordered, blessed, and restrained by the God of all creation."[7] In a sense, we renounce some part of our autonomy, embracing our dependence on God our Creator. Otherwise, we live with the illusion that life is completely under human control. Part of making Sabbath a regular part of our work life acknowledges that God is ultimately at the center of life. (Further discussions of Sabbath, rest, and work can be found in the sections on "Mark 1:21-45," "Mark 2:23-3:6," "Luke 6:1-11," and "Luke 13:10-17" in the Theology of Work Commentary.)
God Equips People to Work within Limits (Genesis 2:17)
Having blessed human beings by his own example of observing workdays and Sabbaths, God equips Adam and Eve with specific instructions about the limits of their work. In the midst of the Garden of Eden, God plants two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). The latter tree is off limits. God tells Adam, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Gen. 2:16-17).
Theologians have speculated at length about why God would put a tree in the Garden of Eden that he didn’t want the inhabitants to use. Various hypotheses are found in the general commentaries, and we need not settle on an answer here. For our purposes, it is enough to observe that not everything that can be done should be done. Human imagination and skill can work with the resources of God’s creation in ways inimical to God’s intents, purposes, and commands. If we want to work with God, rather than against him, we must choose to observe the limits God sets, rather than realizing everything possible in creation.
Francis Schaeffer has pointed out that God didn't give Adam and Eve a choice between a good tree and an evil tree, but a choice whether or not to acquire the knowledge of evil. (They already knew good, of course.) In making that tree, God opened up the possibility of evil, but in doing so God validated choice. All love is bound up in choice; without choice the word love is meaningless.[8] Could Adam and Eve love and trust God sufficiently to obey his command about the tree? God expects that those in relationship with him will be capable of respecting the limits that bring about good in creation.
In today’s places of work, some limits continue to bless us when we observe them. Human creativity, for example, arises as much from limits as from opportunities. Architects find inspiration from the limits of time, money, space, materials, and purpose imposed by the client. Painters find creative expression by accepting the limits of the media with which they choose to work, beginning with the limitations of representing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional canvas. Writers find brilliance when they face page and word limits.
The Gift of Limits (Click to read)How do you avoid failure? A lot of people come to a crisis in their lives that forces them to recognize their shortcomings. Jim Moats claims, "I believe that failure is the least efficient method for discovering limitations." Instead, he welcomes us to embrace our limitations, thereby allowing ourselves and others around us to flourish.[9] |
All good work respects God’s limits. There are limits to the earth’s capacity for resource extraction, pollution, habitat modification, and the use of plants and animals for food, clothing, and other purposes. The human body has great yet limited strength, endurance, and capacity to work. There are limits to healthy eating and exercise. There are limits by which we distinguish beauty from vulgarity, criticism from abuse, profit from greed, friendship from exploitation, service from slavery, liberty from irresponsibility, and authority from dictatorship. In practice it may be hard to know exactly where the line is, and it must be admitted that Christians have often erred on the side of conformity, legalism, prejudice, and a stifling dreariness, especially when proclaiming what other people should or should not do. Nonetheless, the art of living as God’s image-bearers requires learning to discern where blessings are to be found in observing the limits set by God that are evident in his creation.
The Work of the “Creation Mandate” (Genesis 1:28, 2:15)
Back to Table of ContentsGrassfed Burger Franchiser Sees Work as God’s Mandate to Tend the Garden |
In describing God’s creation of humanity in his image (Gen. 1:1-2:3) and equipping of humanity to live according to that image (Gen. 2:4-25), we have explored God’s creation of people to exercise dominion, to be fruitful and multiply, to receive God’s provision, to work in relationships, and to observe the limits of creation. We noted that these have often been called the “creation mandate” or “cultural mandate,” with Genesis 1:28 and 2:15 standing out in particular:
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:28)
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15)
The use of this terminology is not essential, but the idea it stands for seems clear in Genesis 1 and 2. From the beginning God intended human beings to be his junior partners in the work of bringing his creation to fulfillment. It is not in our nature to be satisfied with things as they are, to receive provision for our needs without working, to endure idleness for long, to toil in a system of uncreative regimentation, or to work in social isolation. To recap, we are created to work as sub-creators in relationship with other people and with God, depending on God’s provision to make our work fruitful and respecting the limits given in his Word and evident in his creation.
A faithful steward recognizes that God is the owner of all things and that we have been entrusted with some of those things for a time to manage for his pleasure (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 19:5; Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3). Faithful stewards are grateful to God because they recognize that all they have comes from him, including even the ability to earn wealth (James 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:17; Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
Faithful stewards are content, whether they have been given much or little. They don’t put their hope in wealth but rather in God. As a result, they serve God rather than money, storing their treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
Philippians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 6:6, 17; Matthew 6:20-24
Ironically, it’s often hard in a church setting to catalyze spiritual growth of any kind – including in the area of stewardship – among our staff. In the rush to make disciples, we tend to forget that we must first be disciples. We can’t pass on what we have not absorbed. In the area of stewardship, we must commit to beginning with our staff.
So, how do we get started? What key Biblical and practical truths lay the foundation? As we mentioned above, a faithful steward is both a diligent earner and a prudent spender. So let’s start with the diligent earner.
The Diligent Earner
God created work before the Fall to be a significant part of our lives (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). Work was made more difficult after the Fall (Genesis 3:17-19) but has always been part of God’s purpose for his people. God Himself gives us the ability to work and produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) and calls us to be diligent earners.
Diligent earners have a Biblical view of work, understanding that work is part of the purpose for which we were created. They know that work is part of being in God’s image; as a result, they recognize that how they work reflects on God’s character. At the same time, they realize that their value is not in their accomplishments at work, their position, or their paycheck. Instead, they identify their value as beloved sons and daughters.
John 5:17; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:1
Diligent earners work hard, but they do more than just that. They strive to make their churches and their bosses successful. They care about the end results of their work and invest not just their labor but also their expertise. Diligent earners work “with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).
Diligent earners get their identity from Christ rather than from their work. As a result, they don’t depend on promotions and raises (or on ministry numbers) to validate their worth. These tend to come over time, but diligent earners respond with gratitude rather than entitlement. Additionally, diligent earners maintain a good sense of work-life balance. They may occasionally work overtime to meet an important deadline, but they place a priority on their walk with God, time with their family and involvement in the community.
The diligent earner is the balance between two extremes – the disinterested earner and the driven earner. In general, disinterested earners work only out of necessity to earn a paycheck but don’t value work as something created by God for our benefit. In a church, this most often occurs when a staff member is placed in a position that they don’t see as their ultimate goal, but rather as a step toward something else. Disinterested earners tend not to be grateful for their jobs and tend to grumble when the work environment gets difficult (which it always does!). They may work out of a sense of duty or obligation, but they’re not working with all their heart.
On the other end of the scale are the driven earners. In general, driven earners may be motivated by a compulsion to make money, or by a desire for advancing in their career, or by other pressures. On a church staff, driven earners are often a product of the church culture. Genuinely caught up in the vision of the church, they sacrifice God-given priorities like their families and their own walks with God to work longer and harder. Metrics tend to reinforce this sense of drivenness – ironically, whether they are positive or negative. Positive metrics encourage us that we’re producing results and drive us to produce more; negative metrics push us to work harder to achieve success.
Equipping Diligent Earners
The church needs its staff to be diligent earners – people who work with a sense of purpose and vision, and who see work in a context of overall discipleship. These are the people who are in the best position to disciple others and to make an impact in the congregation. The good news is, the church can empower and equip its staff in this area.
Before teaching our staff about being diligent earners, we first have to make sure that we’re creating an environment that engenders diligence rather than disinterest or drivenness. Here are a few key questions to consider:
- Are our staff and key volunteers generally serving in areas of interest and giftedness?
- Are there signs of burnout?
- What is the turnover rate?
- How long is the average work week?
- Does our staff generally have healthy spiritual lives and family relationships?
- Does our staff feel sufficiently valued – both financially and otherwise – for their work?
Equipping diligent earners requires that we teach and practice a balanced, Biblical view of work as part of an overall approach to stewardship. This begins with God’s creation of work as a significant part of our purpose. This purpose goes beyond a paycheck – it’s part of who we’re made to be (note that Adam and Eve never received a check for their work!). Additionally, we need to emphasize gratitude for work as a response to God’s giving us the ability to produce wealth.
Most stewardship programs focus specifically on the spending side of the equation, and often there are significant adjustments to be made there. But in the case of folks like Youth Pastor Pete, it’s possible that he simply isn’t making enough money to make life work. Pete may need to take a second part-time job for a period of time to get him over the hump and create some working margin.
Given the demands of a family, Debbie is not likely in a position to take on a second job to earn more. In fact, she’ll probably find that she and her husband make enough; they’ll need to focus more on the spending side of the equation.
Elizabeth will likely discover that she and her husband make more than they need – possibly significantly more. They have some options as to how they will respond to this discovery, but one of them may be to dial back a bit on earning in order to spend more time with family or in volunteering. They need to avoid the pitfall of becoming driven earners.
The Prudent Spender
Earning is one side of the money equation. The other side is spending, which incorporates everything we can do with money: giving, saving, lifestyle spending, and debt retirement. Balancing all of these in a God-honoring way requires intentionality and diligence. Faithful stewards are prudent spenders.
Prudent Spenders enjoy the fruits of their labor while guarding against materialism. They recognize God as the source of all they have and enjoy what he has provided with a sense of gratitude. At the same time, they realize that life consists of more than possessions, so they guard against greed. They’re content with what God has provided.
James 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:17; Luke 12:15; Philippians 4:11-13
Prudent spenders exhibit self-control (Galatians 5:23; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 2 Peter 1:6). This leads them to be intentional about their spending. They recognize that “there is a time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), including a time to spend and a time to refrain. As a result, they’re patient and able to wait for their wants to be satisfied.
Prudent spenders commit themselves to God in the way they use their resources. Whether they’re spending on lifestyle, giving, saving, or retiring debt, they see all of their finances in light of God’s provision and their own stewardship. As a result, they don’t make idols of either possessions or money.
Prudent spenders have a strong sense of priorities guiding their financial decisions. They consistently ask, “What’s the best use of this next dollar?” They have a plan and that plan guides their decisions. Supporting that plan, prudent spenders keep good financial records. They know how much they’re spending, what they’re spending it on, and how that matches up to their plan. This way, they know when the plan needs adjusting (as it inevitably will), and they make the right adjustments at the right time.
Because prudent spenders are intentional about their spending, they avoid impulse buying. They don’t tend to shop as entertainment – whether online or in stores. Instead, they shop when they’re looking for something specific that they’ve planned for. For large purchases, they weigh multiple factors as they decide on what to buy.
Finally, Prudent spenders know how much they need to live on and they live within their means. Ultimately, contentment and intentionality lead them to establish a lifestyle cap – an amount that they’ve determined that they need to live on. This lifestyle cap describes an appropriate level of spending for their situation, and frees them toward increasing generosity as their income increases.
Equipping Prudent Spenders
A staff equipped as prudent spenders brings several benefits to the church. First of all, the discipline and self-control that characterize prudent spenders will show not only in their finances but also in their spiritual lives and in their ministries. Second, prudent spenders naturally avoid the financial pressures that lead to stress for staff and their families. Finally, because prudent spenders reject the “me-first” attitude prevalent in our culture, they are quick to share God’s blessings with others. This spirit of generosity develops a community of caring and sharing, like we see in Acts 2 and 4.
Jesus said that our hearts tend to follow our treasure (Matthew 6:21), so equipping the staff as prudent spenders begins with helping them track their spending with a Spending Record. This Spending Record, together with priorities determined through prayer, then informs a Spending Plan to guide future decisions. The Spending Plan reflects priorities such as giving, saving, debt retirement, and lifestyle. Understanding where our money goes is the first step to controlling where it goes, and that control both determines and reflects where our treasure is. Heart change will tend to follow that treasure.
The Generous Giver
It comes as no surprise that the Bible speaks more about giving than about any other area of financial stewardship. Giving both directs and reflects our hearts. On the one hand, giving directs our hearts by breaking the hold that money can have on us. On the other, it reflects our hearts by showing what we value. God calls us to be generous givers.
Generous givers give with an obedient will, a joyful attitude, and a compassionate heart. They make room for giving generously by living with gratitude and contentment, which protects them from materialism. While most believers want to be generous givers, the prudent spender’s intentionality about spending actually enables generous giving.
Believers can be grudging givers, rather than generous givers. Motivated by guilt, legalism, or a “call to action” over something they’re not passionate about, they give out of compulsion, rather than cheerfully and joyfully. This is the kind of giving that God doesn’t want. As Paul told the Corinthians, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Generosity is more a function of the giver’s heart than of the size of the gift.
Giving is the area of stewardship that most directly reflects where our hearts are and whom we’re serving (Matthew 6:21-24). Contrast the reactions of two men who encountered Jesus. Zacchaeus, on encountering the Savior, joyfully and immediately revealed the transformation of his heart by giving generously to the poor and making restitution for his past unfair tax collection practices (Luke 19:1-9). But the rich young man couldn’t part with his wealth and “went away sad” (Mark 10:17-22). The difference? Zacchaeus had made Jesus his lord, while the other man’s lord was his money.
Generous givers are grateful to God for all that they have. They understand that they are stewards of God’s possessions and rejoice in opportunities to further his kingdom. They tend to be compassionate and aware of needs around them (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37). They’re content with what they have, regardless of whether that is much or little (Philippians 4:12).
Generous givers make room for giving by limiting lifestyle spending. They give systematically (Proverbs 3:9) but also look for opportunities to meet specific needs (such as the collection for the church at Jerusalem). As God leads, they may give lavishly on special occasions (Matthew 26:6-13). This giving may or may not be large in amount (see Mark 12:41-44), but it represents a sacrifice on the part of the giver. The Macedonian church was characterized by this kind of giving (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
Equipping Generous Givers
The church needs generous givers – but not primarily to meet programming budgets. Acts 2:42-47 reflects several key characteristics and habits of the early church, one of which was generosity (v. 44-45). This spirit of generosity enabled the church to fulfill two primary objectives: meeting the needs of its people (v. 45) and attracting and discipling non-believers (v. 47).
Equipping staff as generous givers is a key to ministry fruitfulness in general. This doesn’t mean that we encourage staff to disclose their generosity as an example to the congregation (in disobedience to Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:2-4). But, as we mentioned earlier, our hearts follow our treasure. If staff is putting their treasure in heaven through generous giving, they’re much more likely to be “all in” in their ministry areas. They’ll connect their work with their generosity and will work like they give – joyfully, gratefully, and sometimes sacrificially. This spirit will inevitably flow out to volunteers and participants in their ministries.
The Wise Saver
Giving requires first of all that we have something to give! That requires earning, but it also requires saving. Saving doesn’t replace faith, of course; instead, saving reflects responsible stewardship of what God has provided.
Wise savers build, preserve, and invest with discernment. They provide for the future, saving for their own needs and the needs of others. At the same time, their ultimate hope is not in their savings but in God. As a result, they avoid hoarding.
Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:20; 30:25; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Genesis 41; 1 Timothy 6:17; Luke 12:16-21
Wise savers are intentional about how they manage their finances. Because saving is an important goal, they dial back on spending in order to make a priority out of setting aside for the future. Wise Savers understand the value of delayed gratification – a very counter-cultural characteristic! They practice patience and planning.
Wise savers anticipate the future. They recognize, for example, that items like appliances and automobiles will eventually need to be replaced and they prepare by saving up replacement funds, rather than borrowing in the moment when the need arises. They also realize that unexpected events will occur and, rather than relying on credit, they prepare for these events by saving. Finally, wise savers realize that a time is likely to come when they are no longer earning enough to meet their needs, so they prepare with long-term saving for those years.
Equipping Wise Savers
By providing margin for both expected and unexpected expenses, saving brings stability to our financial picture. A church benefits when its staff are stable financially. Staff who struggle in this area are distracted from ministry and potentially dealing with a number of other issues that tend to stem from financial difficulty, such as marital and family strife. A church whose staff is living without financial margin will likely experience more conflict within the staff and may see higher turnover rates.
An often-used rule of thumb for allocating income between giving, savings, and spending is the 10-10-80 plan. 10% of gross income for giving, 10% for savings, and 80% for everything else (including taxes). Younger staff may have difficulty building up savings early on due to student debt, etc. (more on this later); older staff may actually need to begin saving more than 10% in order to meet retirement goals.
The church can come alongside staff members in a couple of ways when it comes to saving. Offering a 401(k) program with a certain amount of matching can encourage retirement savings. Tuition assistance (especially in the case of seminary) can help relieve the burden of college education. And offering the assistance of a certified financial planner can help staff to set long-term saving goals based on their retirement needs.
All of this highlights the need for a realistic Spending Plan. Saving is the one area that – even more than giving – will tend to be neglected because it’s not thought of as being urgent. A Spending Plan that includes saving as part of its financial priorities can help staff stay on track and create the margin they need.
The Cautious Debtor
When saving isn’t a priority, debt tends to result. Appliances or cars break down, or an unanticipated medical need arises. The believer who hasn’t established sufficient savings will go into debt to meet these needs.
Scripture envisions debt as a consequence of poverty (see, for example, Deuteronomy 15:1-11). In the modern Western world, however, debt often results not from poverty but from materialism and easy availability of credit. While there are some valid reasons and uses for debt, much debt is simply the result of satisfying desires without having saved in advance. And while Scripture does not forbid debt, God warns us consistently of the dangers of debt.
Cautious debtors avoid entering debt, are careful and strategic when incurring debt, and always repay debt. They see debt as potentially dangerous, but not as inherently evil. They understand that all debt is a form of bondage to the lender and they realize that debt naturally presumes on the future. When considering taking on a loan, they take these truths into account.
Proverbs 22:7; James 4:14
Cautious debtors are patient, content, and intentional. They’re not given to impulse buying (which is the direct cause of so much consumer debt). Their decisions are driven not by culture, marketing, or materialism but rather by a holistic understanding and practice of stewardship.
Cautious debtors are careful and balanced about incurring debt. They make every effort to avoid debt on depreciating assets but consider carefully loans on appreciating items (such as a house). They avoid debt that requires a change in circumstances in order to pay it off (for example, a hoped-for raise or bonus). At the same time, they look for opportunities to leverage debt to create positive results (such as a business or education loan).
Cautious debtors tend to also be wise savers. Because they are patient and content, they’re able to wait to purchase items until they’ve saved for them. And because they place a high value on saving, they’re prepared for circumstances and events that occur. They meet these needs with savings, rather than going into debt.
Equipping Cautious Debtors
Churches need their staff to be cautious debtors for several reasons. First, consumer debt fosters envy, greed, and selfishness; these are not the characteristics of a growing disciple of Jesus. Second, debt limits the resources available for generosity and for saving. Third, consumer debt is a major trigger of financial hardship, creating bondage and stress. Staff members in this position are rarely able to prioritize spiritual growth and kingdom impact. Debt becomes an obstacle both to being disciples and making disciples, and a distraction from ministry priorities.
Debt repayment is actually a form of savings, as both have the result of increasing one’s net worth. As a result, debt repayment should be considered along with saving when creating the Spending Plan. Staff members with significant debt should consider allocating more than 10% to debt/saving and dialing back on spending until the debt is managed.
Youth Pastor Pete is a good case study here. He has significant debt and isn’t sure he can make ends meet. Here’s a recommended outline for Pete to follow:
- Pay off enough debt to create some margin in the Spending Plan. This may take some time, but creating this margin is the key to getting started.
- Simultaneously, begin an Emergency Savings fund. It may not be possible to contribute significantly to this until some margin has been achieved (in the first step above), but establishing the discipline of saving is important.
- Fund Emergency Savings to 2% of annual gross income. This will be enough to cover most crises (eg, appliance breaks down or car needs repairs) without going into additional debt.
- Once a bit of margin is established through paying down consumer debt, prioritize retirement saving if an employer match is provided. The dual benefit of reduced taxes and employer funding makes this a wise move even while continuing to retire consumer debt. Prioritize this saving up to the maximum employer match.
- Pay off remaining consumer debt while continuing to build the Emergency Savings Fund up to at least 3 months’ income. The exact balance here will depend on individual circumstances, but generally a higher priority should be placed on retiring consumer debt.
As Pete follows the above steps, he’ll begin to establish some margin and make progress on debt repayment. The key, though, is a Spending Plan that prioritizes debt retirement and saving over lifestyle spending. A heart of contentment will enable Pete to pursue these priorities.
Tools Revisited
These stewardship “Big Ideas” apply to all financial situations. And faithful stewards use the Spending Record and Spending Plan to guide them on a stewardship journey that incorporates all of these elements.
When Youth Pastor Pete creates his first Spending Plan, it’s not likely to work. Not only is he just managing to make ends meet now, but he’s facing additional expenses when he starts paying off his school loans. When Pete begins tracking his spending, he’ll gain some key insight that will help him in all the areas of stewardship.
First, Pete may discover that given his current debt and upcoming student loan payments, he simply doesn’t make enough money to make ends meet. This discovery may lead him to take a part-time job for a time to increase his earning. Or it may lead him to rethink his living situation and consider some less expensive options, such as taking a roommate or living with parents for a time. And he’ll certainly need to make his wedding plans with his financial state squarely in mind.
Pete is probably not where he wants to be with giving. Most likely, he wants to tithe, but just can’t see a way to get there. The thing is, he’ll never see a way to get there without a prioritized Spending Plan based on solid information from his Spending Record. He probably needs to start small but systematically, incorporating giving into his Spending Plan and looking for opportunities to increase this over time.
Similarly, saving is the furthest thing from Pete’s mind. After all, he has a mountain of debt! And he needs to make all the adjustments – to earning and to spending – required to get to a positive cash flow before he can realistically begin saving. But establishing an Emergency Saving fund is a key early goal for Pete. He needs the margin – especially in his situation – to cover unexpected expenses without going further into debt.
A realistic Spending Plan, based on an accurate Spending Record, can guide Pete toward financial stability. Without the map of a Spending Plan, he has no idea how to get to his desired financial destination. And without the GPS of a Spending Record, he won’t know if he’s actually following the map.
Debbie and her husband will likely find some surprises when they start tracking their income and expenses. They may discover that they’re spending more on children’s activities than they realized, and this is impacting their ability to save and to give. Or they may find that their entertainment cost, including vacations, is a more significant part of their spending than they thought. Their Spending Record may reveal occasional costs – like vacations, children’s sports teams, or Christmas expenses – that they didn’t consider when creating their monthly Spending Plan.
By tracking their expenses carefully with a Spending Record, Debbie and her husband will gain clarity about their spending. They may find that some of their spending is really medicating an unmet emotional need. They may discover that they’re wasting money on subscriptions and memberships they don’t use. They’ll learn where their money is going and why they’re not making more headway financially.
As they bring these expenses under control with a Spending Plan, they’ll begin to prioritize key areas of stewardship such as giving and saving. They’ll gain the clarity they need to make spending decisions based on their priorities. And they’ll develop appreciation for all that God is providing.
Elizabeth and her husband will probably find some things they already knew – they’re saving well and they’re giving at or above the tithe. As they gain an understanding of their surplus, God may lead them into areas of greater generosity with a specific kingdom vision or maybe a Generosity Fund. Or he may lead them to leverage cautious debt to start a business and provide needed jobs. Perhaps he will direct them to dial back on earning in order to spend more time with family or volunteering. They’ll have some options – but without a Plan based on accurate information, they won’t recognize and avail themselves of these options.
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