by Carey Nieuwhof: So let me guess, every time you need to talk about money in church, you wince. And so does everybody else.

I know, because I’ve been there.

If you’re going to be effective in ministry, you have to become comfortable talking about money.

Yet few church leaders I know are.

Here’s why.

When you talk about money, it’s like you’re setting yourself up to be shot at. You almost always take bullets when you talk about money, even when you speak about it as earnestly, biblically and honestly as you know how.

As a result, many pastors avoid the subject and only talk about it if there’s a financial crisis looming for the church.

That’s the biggest mistake you can make. Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.

Nobody wins in that scenario: not the church, not your people, and not you as a leader.

But you have to talk about it. Why? Because there’s so much at stake if you don’t.

Pastors who refuse to talk about money can ultimately leave both their churches and their people broke.

The message we continually hear from the culture around us leads people to overextension on things that matter little in the end and can also result in dissolving families (see below).

Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.Click To Tweet

It’s Not Hopeless…Really

I know what it’s like to lead with very meager resources as well as what it’s like to lead with more.

When I began in ministry, three small churches called me to be their pastor.

The annual budget for one of the churches was $4,000. No, I’m not kidding. No, there are no missing zeros. Added together, the budget of all three churches was less than $50,000 for the year. The doors were almost closing.

But seeing resources freed up for ministry has made a big difference. More than 3,500 people now call our church home, and we see over 1,300 of them every weekend. Today our church is vibrant, healthy and alive (and I’m so thankful for that).

What’s even better, though,  is how we’ve seen people who attend our church become financially healthy in their personal life. Far too many people were driving car payments, not cars, buying so much house there was no money left for anything else and no one seemed to be interested in casting a different vision. It’s been a joy to cast vision and help people live with margin and live on mission. And they’re so grateful for having margin in their life.

So how do you get over your innate fear of talking about money?

Here are 7 ways to get the funk out of talking about money at church.

1. Realize people talk about money every single day

Think about it. Do you know a person who doesn’t talk about money in some way every day?

There’s not a family in your church or community that doesn’t have some kind of daily dialogue about money.

People talk about it, argue about it, and try to make their plans around it.

Almost everyone in your church and community thinks about money daily and talks about it daily. They may even struggle with it daily. It’s just that few people step up to help them with it.

And because most church leaders are afraid to talk about, or only ever talk about giving, people talk about money in a theological vacuum because few church leaders will talk about it.

So start talking about it. And when it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.

When it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.Click To Tweet

2. View talking about money as pastoral care

Could it be that your reluctance to talk about money is costing people their marriages?

Reports continue to show that money issues are a top reason families break up.

In a culture of plenty burdened by massive personal debt and a lack of fulfillment around money, families are looking for hope and help.

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?

The scripture is packed with practical advice and missional claim on personal finances that can literally change people’s lives.

Why hold out on people? Who will bring them help or hope if you don’t?

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?Click To Tweet

3. Help people plan their financial future, not just yours

Addressing money in your church shouldn’t just be about your needs in ministry.

Too many leaders only think about their church’s need when it comes to money. Wise leaders think about their congregation’s needs when it comes to money.

If you help people plan their personal financial future, you’ll have a better future as a church.

The tagline we came up with a few years ago is that we want people to live with margin and live on mission.

I started telling people I wanted them to pay cash for their next vacation, to save for their children’s education, to save for retirement, to create an emergency fund and to live generously.

I think people were shocked that a preacher a) wanted them to take a vacation, b) wanted them to pay cash for it,  c) offered a program to help them realize their financial goals and d) didn’t expect all their money to go to the church.

One of the best things we’ve done in the last 5 years has been taking hundreds of adults and students through the Financial Learning Experience. It’s a two-hour forum designed to help people master the basics of financial planning and realize their dreams. There are follow-up small groups and individual coaching you can also offer.

My joy as a leader is to see hundreds of people paying cash for their vacations, saving for their kids’ education, saving for retirement AND giving generously to the Kingdom.

But that only happens if you want something FOR people, not just something FROM them. So help people plan their financial future, not just yours or your church’s.

Church leaders, help people plan THEIR financial future, not just yours or your church’s.Click To Tweet

4. Understand you’re slaying a giant idol

If the world (and church) have an idol, money is a prime candidate.

So know up front you’re going to get push back when you address it. But if you help people with their finances as a ministry and steward the money that’s received appropriately, you will help break the power of an idol in our culture and church.

When you attack an idol, prepare for a counter-attack.

It’s easier not to fall victim to the criticism or internal battles that the attack brings when you realize the attack is coming.

But before you go too far down that road, remember the enemy is not just outside you, it’s within you. The idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours. Really question your motives when you talk about money.

Be honest about how you struggle with money and the love of it. If you don’t struggle with money, you’re probably not human.

Preachers, remember that the idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours.Click To Tweet

5. Tap into the desire most people have to be generous

It’s easy to think most people are stingy. I’m not sure that’s true.

Most people want to be generous. They just don’t know how.

When you can’t make your minimum credit card payments, even a $20 donation to the food bank seems out of reach.

When you help people get their finances in order, generosity can be unleashed. And more people want to be generous than you think. They just need help getting there.

Most people want to be generous. They just need help getting there.Click To Tweet

6. Your vision and stewardship must be worth the sacrifice people make

When people give, you receive a measure of trust from both people and from God.

You need to steward and manage the money well. Things like a third party independent annual audit (which is expensive, but worth it) should be the norm.

And your vision and mission should be compelling, up to the challenge and have life-changing results.

People may give once or twice, but over time, most people don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions.

People don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions. Click To Tweet

7. Unchurched people are more open to conversations about money than you realize

I saved the best for last. Of all the concerns I’ve heard about talking about money at our church over the years, the #1 objection is that unchurched people don’t like the church to talk about money.

And guess what? Most of our growth comes from unchurched people, so it’s a live tension.

Sure, sometimes, that’s true. But most of it’s not. Surprisingly, unchurched people love to talk about money when they realize you’re ready to help them.

If you doubt that people love to talk about money, just ask Dave Ramsey how, for a quarter-century, he’s helped millions of people (churches and unchurched) win with their money.

Ready for a truth bomb? In my experience, the people who object the most about talking about money are the people who give the least.

I can’t prove that statistically, but it resonates with my experience and intuition.

Don’t let the people who never give ruin your ministry to people who love to give and want to give.

The people who object the most to talking about money are the people who give the least.Click To Tweet

Want More?

WANT MORE?

Money is one thing, but it’s not the only topic when it comes to communication and preaching.

Ever wish someone could come alongside you to walk you through the finer points of the art of better preaching?

That’s exactly what my good friend Mark Clark and I do in our course, The Art of Better Preaching. We’ve even got a full unit on how to leave your notes behind the next time you give a talk.

Every week, Mark and I preach to thousands of churched and unchurched people, Mark at Village Church in Vancouver BC, and me at Connexus Church north of Toronto. We have very different styles, which means this course is not a preach-just-like-me approach to preaching.

You can customize it to help you preach better messages, and it draws from the rich tradition of different approaches that actually connect with unchurched people. Plus, we share our best secrets on how to craft the best messages we know how to create.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

The Why and How of Preaching
How to Preach to the Unchurched
How to Give a Talk Without Using Notes
How to Craft a Killer Bottom Line So People Remember Your Talk Years Later
How to Stay Fresh over the Long Haul

And much more.

We’re so excited to help you become the best communicator you can be.

Sunday’s coming. Boost your ability to connect! 

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