November 12, 2008
The Right Decisions in a Downturn
Mark A. Taylor urges churches not to retreat during economic downturns, but to see hard times as an opportunity for mission, benevolence, and faithful stewardship.
Stewardship & Generosity
Stewardship & Generosity gathers Christian Standard articles focused on honoring God with the resources he has entrusted to us—time, money, abilities, and influence. Here you’ll find biblical teaching and practical wisdom on giving, generosity, contentment, budgeting, debt, church finances, fundraising, and supporting ministry and missions. These articles encourage faithful management, joyful generosity, and a gospel-shaped view of possessions that serves others and advances God’s work.
August 17, 2008
How Much Is Much?
Mandy Smith challenges Christians in the developed world to see wealth as a trust from God, calling readers toward gratitude, generosity, and responsibility.
August 6, 2008
Simply Challenging
Mark A. Taylor reflects on a gift-shop slogan, the cost of “living simply,” and the biblical call to stewardship, contentment, and freedom from the love of money.
Small Things
Joy Canning shares how six Brooklyn children learned generosity by raising money through art and reading to provide 54 flocks of chicks through Heifer International.
June 1, 2008
Learning the ABC”s
Brad Dupray explores how churches used The ABC's of Financial Freedom to teach biblical stewardship, address debt, encourage tithing, and help members experience practical financial change.
May 21, 2008
From Guilt to Joy
Mark A. Taylor reflects on guilt, comparison, time, and money, showing how Christians can serve others generously while using everything they have for God’s glory.
Second Thoughts About Mission Giving
Sam E. Stone calls churches to rethink missionary support with consistency, fairness, and care for both foreign evangelism and the ministries that sustain Christian service.
December 12, 2007
What About a Happy Christmas?
As Christmas spending slows, what happens to both the economy and our spiritual priorities? Mark A. Taylor reflects on wealth, happiness, and whether Christian joy depends on circumstances—or points beyond them.
October 14, 2007
TRIED & TRUE: Faith-Promise
First Christian Church in Fairfield, Illinois, has used faith-promise giving for decades to support missions. Learn the keys that sustained the vision, protected the fund, and kept missions engagement growing across generations.
September 2, 2007
“˜Does God Want You to Be Rich?”
Barbara Rendel reflects on what it means to be “rich,” weighing Scripture-based arguments about prosperity and calling readers to generous, outward-focused giving that serves others and reaches both the poor and the affluent.
August 15, 2007
Interview with Mike Prior
Mike Prior of Financial Planning Ministry explains living trusts, probate, and why many families delay estate planning. He also shares how planned giving through estate gifts can strengthen local churches and ministry partners.
August 15, 2007
Interview with Mike Prior: posted 8/15/2007
Mike Prior of Financial Planning Ministry explains wills, living trusts, and probate in plain English—and why estate planning can become a meaningful stewardship opportunity that strengthens local churches and ministry work over time.
March 25, 2007
Teaching a Touchy Subject
Bob Russell explains how churches can preach on stewardship without sounding self-serving. Learn why timing matters, why total stewardship beats fundraising, and how mission-focused motivation can grow generosity.
March 25, 2007
Five Ways to Prepare Your People for a Stewardship Sermon
Bob Russell shares five practical tips for preaching about money with confidence—building leadership support, weaving stewardship into regular sermons, emphasizing integrity, and framing messages to help people understand money and giving.
March 25, 2007
Biblical Stewardship in the Local Church
Church stewardship shouldn’t feel like a game of chance. Tom Jones outlines 10 practical principles—vision, leader modeling, clear communication, and creative fundraising—to help congregations build a healthy financial base for mission.
It’s Faith Raising, Not Just Fund Raising
Capital campaigns can strain a congregation—or strengthen it. Alan Ahlgrim shares hard-won lessons on vision, broad involvement, wise counsel, sustained follow-through, and confident faith that God is at work.
First Things First
A call for “compromise on compromise”: before churches fund new construction or renovation, the author proposes giving the first 51 percent of capital dollars to missions or benevolence—linking spending to belief while seeking unity.
Everybody”s Challenge
Mark A. Taylor reflects on serving a fellowship of churches ranging from rural “mini churches” to megachurches, and why stewardship questions—especially how we spend and give—matter for every congregation.
January 29, 2006
TESTIMONY FROM AFRICA: Dancing for Joy!
A mission trip to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, revealed “bundles of joy”—believers dancing forward to give sacrificially in the midst of hardship. Their generosity and hope offer a lasting lesson in joyful giving.
January 29, 2006
TESTIMONY FROM AFRICA: ‘You Have Been Stealing from God’
Bafundi Mpofu describes how a Zimbabwe congregation moved from dependency to self-support through tithing—fully funding pastors, planting new churches, and renewing mission purpose during economic collapse.
