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NASHVILLE, Tenn.?Ashley Clayton, associate vice president for stewardship at the SBC Executive Committee, says the time is ripe in our debt-driven culture to preach and teach biblical stewardship and financial freedom from the pulpit.
Two years ago the SBC Executive Committee assumed the responsibility for Southern Baptist stewardship education (previously held by LifeWay Christian Resources). In an alliance with Crown Financial Ministries, the Executive Committee has gathered a suite of resources to facilitate that task.
Through the “It’s a New Day” initiative, Clayton helps state conventions, associations, and churches discover what can happen when God’s people use biblical principles to manage their finances.
Clayton told the TEXAN: “We determined early on that the greatest need under the umbrella of stewardship was in the area of personal finances. Americans spend $1.20 for every dollar earned. The conditions inside the church aren’t much different from those outside. The people in the pews are no different?struggling to pay bills, to pay their taxes, to give.”
“Particularly for Southern Baptists it isn’t a matter of not wanting to give. They can’t give. The stranglehold of debt on all families prevents them from being able to give,” he added.
So the Executive Committee determined to generate awareness of the problem of debt.
“Not a hard thing to do,” Clayton said. “Walk into a room of pastors and ask them, ‘Would you agree people are struggling financially?’ Every pastor in the room will nod his head.”
And, Clayton noted, pastors are not immune to the problem. For that reason, the “It’s a New Day” initiative begins with pastors in a one-day pastor’s conference.
“We give them an opportunity to begin their own personal journey to financial freedom, and then equip them to be a catalyst for change in their church and community,” Clayton said.
To date, 45 conferences have taken place nationwide with about 1,000 attendees. Pastors and their wives may attend for $20 per couple. Clayton stated that he hopes the SBTC will bring the conference to Texas in the future.
For use in Southern Baptist churches, Crown Financial Ministries has published its 10-week biblical financial study under the “It’s a New Day” banner and made it available at a reduced rate. Crown is wellknown for its study that teaches individuals how to apply more than 2,000 verses of Scripture that talk about money. The usual cost for the Crown study is $55 per couple, but the cost per couple for Southern Baptists is $35 through “It’s a New Day.”
Other teaching tools for the congregation include a Holman Christian Standard “It’s a New Day” New Testament containing 30 devotions, and a one-day seminar called “Journey to True Financial Freedom” taught in churches by a trained seminar instructor. Clayton said the seminar has been effective as a community outreach event.
Though it is still early in the initiative, some churches have provided data showing positive outcomes from implementing “It’s a New Day.” Clayton recounted, “Hoyt Savage, senior pastor at Foothills Baptist Church in Las Vegas, has engaged everything we’ve provided. Their empirical data have shown that families are getting out of debt and giving is increasing.
“Larry Wynn at Hebron Baptist in Dacula, Ga., advertised on billboards, ‘If you want to get out of debt, come to Hebron Baptist Church.’ They too have reported families getting out of debt, new members coming into the church, and increased receipts in giving.”
Clayton noted that our debt-driven society is hungry for help with their finances. For that reason, “talking about money from the pulpit might be the best cultural bridge we can build today,” he said.
Pastors can find help for addressing financial matters from the pulpit in a resource kit that contains four sermons, plus advertising and promotional materials and ideas for conducting a stewardship emphasis in their church.
Clayton encouraged pastors: “I will tell you this?it used to be that a minister on a church staff could not bear the stigma of being in debt. That was tantamount to a moral failure. Now, it’s OK for a pastor to say we’re all going to get on a journey to personal freedom and your pastor will lead the way.
There’s never been a better time to get a handle on your finances than today.”
