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Faith/Church/Money: Biblical and Historical Lessons

Faith/Church/Money: Biblical and Historical Lessons. Ross Dickens, PhD Professor of Finance University of South Alabama. What should a Christian do?. Boris I (Bulgaria) – ca. 860s AD Constantinople or Rome?

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Faith/Church/Money: Biblical and Historical Lessons

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  1. Faith/Church/Money:Biblical and Historical Lessons Ross Dickens, PhD Professor of Finance University of South Alabama

  2. What should a Christian do? Boris I (Bulgaria) – ca. 860s AD Constantinople or Rome? 106 Questions to Pope Nicholas I addressing custom/behavior…..not theology.

  3. Belief drives Behavior • Time • Money

  4. Biblical /Historical Guidance • Pre-Law (before 10 commandments) • Law (but before “Christianity”) • Church (resurrection and beyond)

  5. Pre-Law Period • Cain and Abel (Gen 4:2-7) [Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock] • Abraham (Isaac) (Gen 22:1-14) [Take your son, you only son Isaac,….and offer him there as a burnt offering….”

  6. Law • Tent/tabernacle (Moses to David) • Temple (Solomon to Ezra/Nehemiah) • Temple (Jesus’ interaction)

  7. Church • Post-resurrection temple (Acts, Pauline letters) • Post-temple Jerusalem (John(?), Revelation(?)) • Beyond Jerusalem (Alexandria, Rome,…) • Monastery / Middle Ages • Modern Era (Stewardship issues….)

  8. “Tithes and Offerings” • Purpose • Use • Types • Amount

  9. Purpose of Tithes and Offerings • Thanksgiving/Well-being/Peace (Ex 29, Lev 3:1+) • Atonement (Lev 1:1-17, 4:1+) • Faith/Reliance/Test (of God’s provision) Proverbs 22:9, 29:17 Malachi 3:8-12 Luke 6:37-38 • Vow fulfillment Judges 1:3-5, 2:2-17 (Hannah and Samuel) Judges 13:2+ (“wife of Manoah” and Sampson) Luke 1:15 (John the Baptist) Acts 21:17-26 (Paul and Nazirite vow fulfillment)

  10. Use of Tithes and Offerings • “Pleasing odor” (Gen 4:2-7, 1 Kings 3:4 , 1 Kings 18:20+, Eph 5:1-2, Phillipians 4:15-20) • Priest (and family’s) livelihood (Exodus 29, Leviticus 10:12-15, 1 Corinthians 16:1-3) • Giver’s sustenance (Genesis 31:54, Leviticus 3:1+, Romans 12:13) • Widows and orphans (Deut 15:7-11, Ruth 2:1-7, Job 29:11-17, Acts 20:33-35)

  11. Use (continued) • Alms (Psalms 37:25-26, Acts 3:3, Acts 10:4-31) • Mission/care (Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, Acts 11:28-30) • Teaching/healthcare (in institutional form, most directly from middle ages and beyond)

  12. Offering Types (physical form) • Game/herd (Gen 8:20-21, Leviticus (clean and unclean), Luke 2:22-24) • Grain/crops (Gen 23:19, Leviticus 2:4-10, Joel 1:9, 13 and 2:14) • Wine/water (Gen 35:14, 2 Sam 23:16, 2 Timothy 4:6) • Money (salt/gold/booty) (Ex 30:11-15, Numbers 5:9 and 31:28, Micah 4:13, Matthew 17:17-21, 24-25, Mark 12:14-17, Luke 20:22-25)

  13. Offering Types (continued) • Fasting (Neh 9:1, Esther 4:16, Acts 14:23) (Isaiah 58:6-14 and proper fast) • Self (hair, ……,human) (circumcision Gen 17:9-10), (Nazarite vow Num 6:1), (Jephthah’s daughter Judges 11:34-40), (Jonah 1:9), (Jesus gospels and Romans 12:1) • Materials (Ex 25+, 1 Chronicles 28+, Ezra 1:2-11) • Song/dance/music (Ex 15:20-21, 2 Sam 6:13+, Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26)

  14. Amount for Tithes and Offerings • Tithe (10%) (Gen 14:18-21, 2 Chronicles 4-10, Nehemiah 10:38-39 and 12:44-47, Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, Hebrews 7:1-2) • Firstborn (Exodus 13:11-15, Numbers 3:12-13 and 3:41) • “All” (Joshua 1-11, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4, 1 Corinthians 5:7) • “all” as insufficient (Isaiah 1:10-17, Micah 6:6-8)

  15. Why Give? • The Lordship of Jesus Christ • Impossible not to do so

  16. Money => breadcrumbs for path? • Law: tithe / first fruits to God (temple) Impossibility • Grand scale of sacrifice • Temple destruction • 613 commands and prohibitions

  17. Money law-path => good results • Jewish life • Christian life • Economic life

  18. Money always issue in Church • Acts 6:1-3 (distribution of welfare to widows and orphans) most money “came from the diaspora and Gentiles and went to the more orthodox Jews of the Jerusalem community” (Johnson. p35)

  19. Money Dispersion Solution? Form a committee! Why useful? - allow input from multiple “factions” - share information

  20. Correct Money Usage in Church • Minister salary (akin to priests) • Staff expenses (akin to Levites) • Use of giver (programs akin to partaking of offering) • Building upkeep (akin to temple tax) • Charity (widow, orphan, sojourner…) • Mission • Economic benefit

  21. What should be known about church money? Everything!! Budget (broken out) Balance Sheet Cash Flow (weekly, monthly, year-to-date, etc.) Auxiliary activity (Mothers Day Out, sports, ….)

  22. Improve church financial health Bad, but effective (if possible): • Decrease payouts; try to increase collections • Deaths: postpone or benefit from them • Increase superstition • Sell penances/indulgences

  23. Improved financial health (cont) At the crossroads of good and bad: - Provide self-interested / self-serving “ministries” for church users

  24. Improved financial health (cont) Good Methods • Grow membership • Educate about finances personal, ministerial, “salvational” • Be radical poor, widowed, orphaned, sojourner

  25. Financial Facts for Discussion • Alabama-West Florida Conference paid 59% of its apportionment in 2009. (Second lowest UMC conference percentage.) • The conference lost 150+ ministerial positions in last few years (in terms of full-time funding) • Giving rates range from 1.2% (Catholics) to 5% (Assemblies of God) in latest numbers. (UMC at 2.1%.) • IRS backdoor approach: itemizing.

  26. More Financial Factoids • US GDP $15+ trillion in 20011 • 2011 cost of Social Security, WICS, Medicaid, and Medicare: about $1.5 trillion.

  27. What produces cup-overflow? Local Current Concrete Why true?

  28. Recommendations • Educate, educate, educate • Talk (preach!!!) about money • Remember: “money” issues are really “faith” issues • Lead patiently • (Tithe the tithe…..) • Always use basic strategic management steps

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