Browsing Money
The Budgeting/Happiness Connection
Budgeting may not only improve one’s financial condition but also one’s happiness. Good budgeting is also connected to smarter spending. Check out this article and see how you can adjust your spending habits to yield more satisfaction with life. (Photo: taxcredits.net, Creative Commons)
Make Useful Gifts for Giving!
Tired of giving and getting yet another tie, fruitcake, or dust-catching gift? Try making some of these easy and useful gifts! There’s something for all ages and ability levels. (Photo: Muffett, Creative Commons)
Why are Christians so Miserable at Charity?
When it comes to giving to the poor, why are Christians so miserable at it? The short answer is human nature, but the long answer has to do with one’s experiences with money. Generally , the more money people have, the less generous they are. Those who have experienced poverty are more likely to help. Here is an exploration, as well as some tips for developing your own generosity. (Photo: Steven Depolo, Creative Commons)
Cultivate Gratitude in the Church
Scientists and church folk alike know that living a life of gratitude reaps benefits spiritually, mentally and physically. “Thankfulness releases us from anger and from materialism,” says Doris Whitaker, University of Mississippi Medical Center chaplain. “It helps us acknowledge that there’s something greater than us.†Here, with links to lots of other resources, are some ways to cultivate generosity.
Here’s an Asset to Fund Ministry: Your Land
Churches need money for ministry, but the needs of congregations today outpace the will of people to give, especially given the generational differences between “the great generation†and baby boomers, and then between baby boomers and millennials. As traditional funding sources are maxed out, There is one asset that nearly all churches possess—land. Why not look into a land-use policy that can help finance ministry? (Photo: Alejandro Rdguez, Creative Commons)
Does Your Congregation Celebrate Generosity as a Way of Life?
Author Tim Shapiro suggests six measures for whether your congregation is celebrating and cultivating generosity as a way of life. How is your congregation stewarding the call to help people develop lives of deep faith and generosity? (Photo: taxcredits.net, Creative Commons)
More than Giving Money
“Stewardship is another way of talking about ministry, and it would revolutionize ministry if people could think of it in terms of stewardship—that we are accountable to God for what we do and with what he has trusted to us,” says R. Paul Stevens in this Christianity Today interview. (Photo: Keoni Cabral, Creative Commons)
Talk About Money (when not asking for it)
There is a deep hunger in our culture for honest talk about money and faith. The best wayis to talk about money whenever you can — and not ask for it, argues stewardship writer Grace Duddy Pomroy. From the Center for Stewardship Leaders.
Create a Culture of Giving in Your Church
In the competitive world of nonprofit funding, church leaders have an advantage capturing the hearts and minds of people to support ministry. Why? Because we often see them face-to-face. How are we doing at creating a culture of giving when our people are present? Here are tips from the Mennonite Church USA. (Photo: ThrasherDave, Creative […]
The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity
One of Christian theology’s most prophetic voices offers a challenging biblical analysis of the role of money in our culture. Wealth in America, Brueggemann says, acts as a narcotic, numbing us. “The great contradiction is that we have more and more money and less and less generosity — less and less public money for the needy, less charity for the neighbor.” (Photo: Prisoner 5413, Creative Commons)