For too long, the issue of personal stewardship has been neglected in many churches, and the results have been detrimental in a consumer-driven society where Americans are pressured to spend, often more than they earn, Ashley Clayton, associate vice president for stewardship at the Executive Committee, said.
“Easy money, credit card debt and consumer debt have become a big problem not just in American culture, but, frankly, in Southern Baptist culture,” Clayton told Baptist Press. “What we’re finding is that the conditions inside the church are not much different than they are outside the church. Christians are overspending and are in as much trouble as non-Christians.”
Church leaders, including pastors and staff, are not immune to the problem, he added, so the Executive Committee has entered an alliance with Crown Financial Ministries to help Southern Baptists grasp crucial knowledge they need to implement God’s perspective on managing their money.
“Crown Financial Ministries is the leading producer of biblically centered personal money management resources,” according to Russell Patterson, stewardship development director, South Carolina Baptist Convention. “Crown produces phenomenal resources for use in the church and by individuals. Crown is one of the first recommendations from me when I am assisting a church.”
Two upcoming events will be especially helpful to South Carolina Baptists.
First, Crown Financial has organized a pastor’s luncheon on Jan. 30 to introduce its 10-week study and describe other resources and services. Pastors and lay leaders are invited to the Poinsett Club, located about a block from The Baptist Courier’s office building in Greenville. The first 50 pastors to register will get a full refund of their $15 registration fee when they attend the luncheon. To register, contact Stephen Bryant at (864) 958-1769.
Second, two of the two-day “It’s a New Day” conferences are relatively convenient – in Orlando on March 22-23 and in Atlanta on April 12-13.
Speakers will include Morris Chapman, Howard Dayton, Ed Stetzer, Jay Strack and Tom Mullins, as well as pastors who have seen significant changes in their personal lives or their churches as a result of good stewardship practices.
Russell PattersonThe SCBC stewardship development office is promoting and encouraging pastors and ministers to attend the Atlanta conference. “It would be wonderful to have 300 South Carolina pastors and ministers represented at this conference. This will be a tremendous time of learning, fellowship and building relationships with others,” said Patterson.
“What we intend to happen at these conferences is to expose the pastor to some great resources and to create an awareness of the dilemma that families are facing,” Clayton said. “What we believe is that the lack of financial stewardship is what is causing churches to stumble in a lot of areas.
“For example, it’s not that people don’t want to witness and tell people about Christ,” he said. “You can motivate a crowd on Sunday morning about sharing their faith and they’re ready to go. What happens is that Monday morning comes around and these people are in debt and have absolutely nothing before them except the fact that they can’t pay their bills.”
At the conferences, pastors will be introduced to three main resources produced by Crown Financial Ministries. One is the “10 Week Biblical Financial Study Set” for use in small groups, which is available to Southern Baptist churches at a 40 percent discounted rate through the fall of 2007 by calling 1-866-902-6578.
“This study is designed for all individuals, regardless of their personal finances. It will be reaffirming for some and new for others,” said Patterson. “One of the most important aspects of this study is the understanding that we are in this together with God. God has a part and we have a part. It all belongs to God, and he allows us to manage it for him,” he added. ” I learn new aspects every time I lead this study. It is such a help for individuals and families.”
Another resource is the “Road to Financial Freedom” four-week church stewardship emphasis. The Road to Financial Freedom kit will include four sermon outlines, four weeks of age-graded Sunday school materials, PowerPoint slides and related materials.
“That’s going to be available in the spring for all SBC churches,” Clayton said.
The Road to Financial Freedom was piloted by Larry Wynn, pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, Ga. The campaign proved successful and resulted in numerous families starting their personal journey for financial freedom through the 10-week small group studies which followed the campaign. Also, the church marketed the campaign heavily to their community, which resulted in a number of new families coming to Hebron.
A third resource is the “Crown Money Map,” setting forth seven destinations for individuals and families to reach in their journey to financial freedom.
“We want pastors to be aware of what’s going on, and then we want to put some user-friendly resources in their hands, including materials to help people get out of debt,” Clayton told BP. “What we’re going to ask pastors to do at these conferences is to go home and be a catalyst for change in their churches.
“The way we believe a pastor does that is to not tip his hat to it; it’s where he says, ‘Will you join my wife and me? We’ll be going through some personal money management materials, and we want you to go with us.’ It will be good for the pastors, and it will certainly be good for the church.”
Clayton’s role in the stewardship emphasis is to work with Baptist state conventions, associations and churches to implement It’s a New Day strategies. He is also promoting a book by Ken Hemphill titled “Making Change,” which is a 30-day journey into biblical stewardship, personal money management and cooperative giving for the purposes of world missions and theological education.
One of Clayton’s goals is to make the material covered at the It’s a New Day conferences transportable and accessible to pastors in every state convention.
“Pastors and churches have a window of opportunity to give leadership to this pressing need in their church and community. Churches who respond quickly, helping individuals and families to get out of debt, will position their churches as relevant and authentic in their community,” Clayton said.
To register for the It’s a New Day conferences, visit www.sbc.net/newday.