4 Reasons FWBC has Been Blessed Financially

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.

3 Things Churches Waste Money On

1. Church Building

Cathedral-style buildings with high ceilings may look impressive, but we can seat just as many people in an office space with basic drop-tile ceilings. To accommodate a congregation of 300 people and have adequate parking, a typical church building in the Phoenix area would cost around two million dollars to purchase. Having a building with bling factor does nothing to further the work of the Lord, and property ownership can end up being a drain on a church’s finances.

Have you noticed all the walls we’ve knocked down lately as we keep expanding? Our landlord paid for that. The property owner maintains and even remodels the property for us, which saves us a ton of money. Renting a space in a “strip mall” also gives us the flexibility to downsize to a smaller unit if attendance were to drop substantially.

2. Christian School

In Acts 6 where it talks about what pastors and church employees are supposed to be spending their time doing, there is no mention of a Christian school. There is no mention of a Christian school anywhere else in the Bible either. It is the job of the parents to raise their children, not the employees of the church. Not only is a church school unbiblical, but in order to keep tuition affordable, the school usually ends up leeching off of the church’s finances. I talked about this in my sermon on “The Christian Fool Movement.”

3. Bogus Missionaries

Instead of organizing their own fruit-bearing ministry, churches tend to throw a lot of money at missionaries. I’m all for supporting missions, but we should also be doing some of the work ourselves. A lot of “missions-minded” churches don’t have much of a soul-winning program, let alone plan their own missions trips. When we do support a missionary, we need to make sure he is a hard worker and not a MOOCHinary.

If you’ve ever struggled to find a good church in your area, then you know how many pastors are wrong on salvation and/or do not go soul-winning. Unfortunately, it’s even harder to find a doctrinally sound, productive missionary. Most missionary letters are vague, so churches often know very little about the day to day activities of the missionaries they support.

There just isn’t enough accountability when a missionary is supported by a hundred different churches that are each sending him 25 dollars a month. When a church takes on a missionary for support, they ought to send him a large enough amount, so that they actually care what he is doing.

We send money to missionaries we know personally who were bona fide soul winners before they headed off to the mission field. Other missionaries, we have gotten to know by visiting the mission field and seeing the work they are doing first hand. At the very least, churches need to make sure the missionaries they support are preaching the right plan of salvation and are regularly publishing quantifiable results.

Here is a sermon on “Bible Principles for Missions.”

Lazy Bums Wanting Money from Our Church

When people come to the church office asking for money, I ask them where they went to church on Sunday. If they name another church, I tell them to go ask that church for money. If you have an account at Bank of America, you don’t walk into Wells Fargo asking to make a withdrawal. The truth is, most of these people don’t go to church anywhere, and there are certain criteria in the Bible about who we are supposed to help.

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Our first priority should be members of our church who have a genuine need, especially the widows and the fatherless. Even the widows have to meet certain criteria as outlined in 1 Timothy Chapter 5.

The Bible does not teach that we should give away free money to every drug addict and whore that shows up on a Tuesday asking for money. These people have despised God’s commandments, despised chastity, and despised the institution of marriage. They are wasting what little money they have on lottery tickets, cigarettes, and worse. They go from church to church asking for money yet lack the character it takes to show up and even sit through one church service.

Recently, I had someone contact me a few hours before a church service asking for financial help. I told her what time church started and that I would talk to her afterward if she attended the service. She showed up for the service, and as soon as I started preaching on sin, she got up and walked out.

These lazy bums don’t want to hear what the Bible says, but they want God’s money. They want to use our church as an ATM machine when they don’t even have an account here. If you can’t stand the Bible and can’t stand preaching, then you should go somewhere else looking for money instead of a church.

With all of the government programs and charities available, people in the United States are not financially destitute. If they were really that hungry, they would be willing to sit through the service. These people need spiritual help more than financial help, but unfortunately, most of them are not interested in hearing the Word of God.

You can take your personal money and help whoever you want, but when I put my money in the offering plate, I don’t want it to go toward buying more drugs for a drug addict. Our church helps people all the time, but the Bible says we are supposed to “consider the cause of the poor,” not just indiscriminately hand out money.

“The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.” Proverbs 29:7

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Contentment vs. Covetousness

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

The Bible talks a lot about contentment versus covetousness because there is a tendency for people to never be satisfied. We really need very little in this world, and we can avoid temptation by living a simpler life and not getting caught up in materialism.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” 2 Timothy 3:1-2

Seeing covetousness on that list reminds us of what a serious sin covetousness is. If we spend time with covetous people, we will start feeling competitive about material things. We should not be like the world where we exalt the rich and look down on the poor. The Bible teaches that God hates pride and that we shouldn’t even want to be rich.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10

When you buy lottery tickets or get involved in get-rich-quick schemes, you are ignoring God’s Word. God often keeps us lean financially because he knows what is best for us. We are happier when we have just what we need in life.

“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:” Proverbs 30:8

We can avoid a lot of problems by not coveting after material wealth. Learn to be grateful for what God has given you: your health, a warm bed, food, shelter, and the opportunity to lay up treasures in heaven. Stop worrying about impressing other people, and just be thankful for the Lord’s provision.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

Here is a sermon: Not Satisfied With Abundance.

When Church Gets Expensive

At Faithful Word Baptist Church, we don’t charge for anything. We give away Bibles, CDs and DVDs, and all church activities are free of charge. The reason we don’t charge for these things is found in John Chapter Two. Not only is it wrong to make God’s house a house of merchandise, but people don’t like being put on the spot and asked to spend money. Unfortunately, attending some churches can get expensive.

Youth Ministry or Youth Industry?

In one large independent fundamental Baptist church I heard about, teenagers in a Sunday School class were asked to give five dollars each to help pay for a “staff gift.” The youth leader harangued the class, telling the kids they probably spent their money on the weekends at a local amusement park. Many teens do not even have jobs, and if they did, there would be nothing wrong with them having fun with their own money. That same church hosts a large annual youth conference, which serves mainly as a live infomercial for their Bible college as well as for books and CDs brought in by the guest speakers.

Buy this Commentary

At another church in the same circle, women were pressured to buy a book on dress standards, so they would know what they were expected to wear. Most of the ladies in the church bought the book, but a woman I spoke with who went there felt that if they wanted her to read it so badly, they should have given it to her for free. 

Multi-Level Marketing

It’s not just the leadership asking for money, either. In churches that sell merchandise on the back table, people will often assume it is okay to market their own wares. Don’t walk in with your Mary Kay catalogue or whatever else you happen to be peddling, and we won’t ask you to buy anything either. There is a time and a place for making money, and it’s not at church.

Sunday Morning Soda

Soda machines at church also irritate people, because it can cause their children to ask for money every service—not to mention the obvious health concerns.

If you attend a church that has a book store or soda machines, you should refrain from buying anything. Not only did Jesus teach us not to make God’s house a house of merchandise, but we can see from reading the story, that it makes him extremely angry:

“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.” - John 2:13-16

Here is a sermon called "Houses of Merchandise"

Tips for Managing Money

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Avoiding financial problems will help give you the peace of mind to focus on the more important things in life. Different budgeting methods work for different people, but it is important to have some kind of system. The following tips will help you to become more financially responsible.

Make a Budget

The first thing you’ll need to do is write out a monthly master budget. List all expenses including your tithe, bills, groceries, gas, savings, etc. Don’t be a perfectionist during this step, or you might end up not writing down a budget at all. It’s okay to estimate in categories you aren’t sure about because you can update the amounts as you receive your bills. If you find that you are spending more than you make, you either need to cut back on spending or find a way to make more money.

Plan for Every Payday

Using your monthly master budget as a guide, write down a specific plan before each payday. Every month is different. Perhaps someone has a birthday or the car needs an oil change. Check the due dates on all of your bills to determine which ones need to be paid this payday, and pay those bills as soon as you get paid. Do not spend the remaining money, especially if you get paid more than once a month. Only spend the amount that your monthly master budget allows since some of this check might be needed to help pay a future bill. This may seem obvious, but people tend to be short sighted.

Keep Track of Due Dates

When it comes to writing down your master monthly budget and payday-specific budgets, you can either do this on paper, a computer spreadsheet or on the notepad app of your phone. Even if you don’t write checks or have a checkbook register per say, having some kind of record of when you paid each bill will help you keep track of approximate due dates in case a statement gets misplaced. This register could be right below your budget in your notepad app or spreadsheet since it’s best to keep everything all in one place.

Remember that Something’s Got to Give

If you go outside of your budget in one area, you will need to make that up in another area. For example, if you have to pay a speeding ticket this month, perhaps you can plan meals around whatever food is already in the pantry or spend less on gas by staying home more. Budgeting is about making choices because you can’t have everything.

Savings

Having at least a few hundred dollars in your savings account is important and will help prevent you from borrowing money. Build up this emergency fund even before trying to pay down credit cards. If you use money from your savings account, make yourself payments to build it back up as soon as possible.

Debt

Pay off credit card bills by paying the minimum payment on everything except for the one you are focusing on paying off. Some experts say to pay off smaller balances first for a sense of accomplishment, while others recommend starting with the one with the highest interest rate. Just be sure that you are making a larger payment on one of your bills. Once you pay off that first bill, use the extra money to make an even larger monthly payment on the next bill you want to pay off. In this way, you will build momentum, and your debt will decrease more quickly.

$200 is the New Zero

When it comes to your checking account, avoid letting the balance get too low. If you make a mistake, you don’t want to end up in a vicious cycle of paying overdraft fees. If you only have $200 in your checking account, then that should mean that you have no money left to spend. Keeping some kind of cushion is especially important if you are like me and don’t write down every purchase.

By taking a few minutes to look over your finances every day or every week, you will remember to pay your bills on time and avoid spending more than you can afford. There will likely be times that you don’t have all of your financial ducks in a row, but a little bit of planning will help you to be a good steward and decrease the frequency of financial problems.

“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.” Proverbs 27:23

Here's a sermon to go with this article