In the 11 years of Faithful Word Baptist Church’s existence, we have never had any debt. The church has always paid its bills on time, and we’ve always had an abundance of materials to give out. We’ve never asked people to dig deep and give more than their usual tithes and offerings, yet we haven’t had the financial problems that seem to plague so many churches. I believe that the following four principles will make God more likely to bless a church financially.
1. Sell nothing.
“And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.”
This is probably the angriest we have ever seen Jesus during his earthly ministry, and I believe this story was included in the Bible as a guideline for us. The problem was not the selling of animals because people did need to buy them for the sacrifices. The word “hence” means "from here." “Take these things hence” means take them away from here. The problem was that they needed to conduct their business elsewhere.
We do not sell anything in God’s house. Churches nowadays will sell books and CDs on the back table, and some will even go as far as to have a church bookstore and coffee shop. Not only should churches refrain from selling anything, but people should not peddle their own wares in God’s house either. For example, it would be wrong to hand out Mary Kay catalogues or try to sell someone a life insurance policy AT CHURCH.
2. Be Generous.
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
Like other churches, we also have preaching CDs, Bibles, and other materials available, except we give those items away for free as opposed to charging people for them. Faithful Word Baptist Church gives away more free stuff than any church I’ve ever seen, and I believe we’ve been rewarded for that. The Lord provides plenty of extra Bibles and other supplies, so that the work can continue at full speed. Last year we gave out over 65,000 preaching CDs, DVDs, and USBs, and many thousands of Bibles in addition to that.
3. Get the gospel to as many people as possible.
“And the gospel must first be published among all nations.” Mark 13:10
Sermon CDs, DVDs and flash drives, advertising, soul-winning marathons, and missions trips are among some of the things we spend money on to extend our reach. We save money by renting instead of buying a building, so we are able to spend more on the important things.
The documentary “After the Tribulation” has not only debunked the pre-trib rapture for millions of people, but thousands have gotten saved after watching the Gospel presentation at the end of the film. Different topics interest different people, so we plan to continue to distribute a variety of audio and video materials to help get more people interested in biblical preaching.
4. We don’t hoard money; we spend every penny.
Before the end of each year we spend all of the money that has come in that year. Some would call that irresponsible, but I think going into debt on a building is irresponsible. I’d rather our church have zero dollars than go below zero. We don’t need a rainy-day fund because we are living by faith.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Here is a sermon on the financial philosophy of FWBC.
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