Financial Stewardship — What the Bible Says About Money and Giving

Why Churches Talk About Money

There is probably no topic that makes people more uncomfortable in a church setting than money. It can feel manipulative when churches ask for it, suspicious when they explain how they use it, and deeply personal when Scripture addresses our relationship to it.

We want to address that discomfort directly.

At FBC Fenton, we talk about money because Jesus did — a lot. Roughly one in six of His recorded statements touches on wealth, possessions, or generosity. More of His parables involve money than any other single subject. This was not because He was fundraising. It was because He understood that our relationship to money is a reliable indicator of our relationship to God.

*"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."* (Matthew 6:21)

This article is not a pitch for giving to FBC Fenton. It is an honest look at what the Bible says about money — what it is, what it isn't, how to hold it rightly, and why generosity is one of the most spiritually formative practices in the Christian life.

Money Is Not Evil

The Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. It says that *the love of money* is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). The distinction matters enormously.

Money is morally neutral. It is a tool. It can be used to feed the hungry, support missions, fund the proclamation of the Gospel, and demonstrate the love of Christ in tangible ways. Or it can be hoarded, worshipped, and pursued at the expense of everything that actually matters.

What the Bible consistently warns against is not wealth itself but the posture of the heart toward wealth — the temptation to trust in money rather than God, to define your security by your account balance, to sacrifice relationships, integrity, and faith on the altar of financial gain.

Abraham was wealthy. David was wealthy. Lydia was wealthy. None of this disqualified them. What mattered was where their ultimate trust was placed.

Everything Belongs to God

The foundational principle of biblical financial stewardship is ownership. We are not owners of our money. We are managers of it.

Psalm 24:1: *"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."*

Deuteronomy 8:17–18 warns the Israelites against the subtle pride that says "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." God Himself reminds them: it is He who gives the ability to produce wealth.

This perspective changes everything. If you are a manager rather than an owner, the question is not *how much of my money should I give to God?* — as if God were asking for a cut of what is fundamentally yours. The question becomes *how does God want me to use what He has entrusted to me?*

This reframing moves financial stewardship from guilt to responsibility, from obligation to opportunity.

What the Bible Says About Giving

The tithe as a foundation.

The tithe — giving ten percent of your income — is described throughout the Old Testament as a basic act of faithfulness. Malachi 3:10 is one of the few places in the Bible where God actually invites His people to test Him: *"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."*

In the New Testament, Jesus affirms the tithe while pressing for something deeper — the condition of the heart behind it (Matthew 23:23).

Many Christians treat ten percent as the ceiling of generosity. The biblical vision is that ten percent is the floor — a starting point from which Spirit-led generosity grows.

Giving should be intentional.

2 Corinthians 9:7: *"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."*

Giving should be thoughtful and decided — not reactive, not guilt-driven, not impulsive. This verse does not say to give only when you feel like it. "Cheerfulness" in giving is something that grows through practice and is rooted in understanding what God has given us, not in waiting for the right emotional moment.

Giving should be sacrificial.

Jesus commended the widow who gave two small copper coins — not because the amount was large, but because she gave out of her poverty, not her surplus (Mark 12:41–44). The measure of generosity in the kingdom is not the size of the gift but the sacrifice behind it.

**Giving is an act of worship.**

Philippians 4:18 describes the gifts the Philippians sent to Paul as "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Giving to the work of the Gospel — whether to your local church, to missionaries, or to those in need — is described in the language of temple worship. It is an act of devotion.

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## Why We Give to the Local Church

Someone occasionally asks: Why give to the church instead of directly to charities or mission organizations?

It is a fair question. Here is a biblical answer:

The local church is God's primary instrument in the world. It is the community of believers that preaches the Gospel, makes disciples, cares for the vulnerable, sends and supports missionaries, trains the next generation, and embodies the reality of the kingdom in a specific place.

When you give to your local church, you are funding that whole enterprise. You are making the Sunday service possible, the children's programs possible, the counseling ministry possible, the support of missionaries in Pakistan and India and Thailand possible. You are participating in something larger than any individual charity.

We are not saying only give to the church. The New Testament is full of calls to generosity toward individuals in need, toward all who are in the household of faith, and toward the world. But the local church is the home base — the community from which all other giving flows.

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## A Practical Starting Point

If you want to grow in generosity but aren't sure where to start:

**Start somewhere.** If you are not giving anything, start giving something. Not because God needs your money — He doesn't — but because the practice of giving changes you. It loosens the grip that money tends to have on our hearts.

**Work toward the tithe.** If ten percent feels impossible right now, give a smaller percentage intentionally and increase it over time. The goal is not a magic number — it is a directional commitment to growing in generosity.

**Plan it.** Set up automatic giving so that it happens regardless of how you feel on a given Sunday. This is exactly what Paul recommends in 1 Corinthians 16:2 — setting aside an amount regularly, as income comes in, rather than waiting for an emotional moment.

**Hold wealth loosely.** Practice open-handedness — being quick to give, quick to help, quick to share. This is the posture of someone who believes that their security is in God, not in their account balance.

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## Giving at FBC Fenton

You can give to FBC Fenton in several ways:

- **Online:** firstbaptistfenton.org/donate — Secure online giving, including options for recurring gifts

- **In person:** Offering is collected during Sunday morning worship

- **By mail:** First Baptist Church of Fenton, 119 W Caroline Street, Fenton, MI 48430

Every dollar given to FBC Fenton goes toward Gospel ministry in Fenton, Michigan and around the world. We are grateful for every gift, and we steward it with accountability and care.

If you have questions about giving, or if you would like to talk with a pastor about financial stewardship, please reach out at info@firstbaptistfenton.org or (810) 629-5291. We would be glad to have that conversation.