How do you talk to your church about money?

You know you need to do it. But you don’t know where to start.

So, where’s the best place to start? Scripture. But, we know, that doesn’t fully answer the question. To really get you off to a strong start, we’ve put together a list of 30 bible verses to help you talk to your church about money. You’ll find bible verses talking about bringing your first fruits to God to verses about generosity to greed to financially planning ahead to everything else in between.

Share these principles and verses with your congregation to help them better understand biblical generosity and to establish stronger financial health in your church.

Honor the Lord with the first of your fruits.

The Lord has entrusted us with everything we have. He has made us stewards “or managers” of our time, talent, and treasures. Because of this, the Lord calls us to honor Him first with our “fruits.” Following this biblical principal, will not only help advance the Kingdom of God but God promises blessing from it.

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine.” –Proverbs 3:9-10

“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” – Deuteronomy 8:18

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” –Malachi 3:10

Give sacrificially.

It’s not always the easiest thing to give every month. Between student loans, a mortgage, and other monthly bills, it’s easy to start thinking about how we could be using our tithes to go towards other things. But the Lord has set a significant example for us in sacrificial giving. He gave us His own Son. And while the Lord is not asking you to sacrifice your only child, He is asking you to give back to Him even when it’s not the easiest thing to do.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16

Give generously.

The Lord calls us to give generously to His church and to His children. This doesn’t have to be only about money. You can also give your time and talents. So volunteer to be part of the worship team at church or watch your coworker’s kids for free while her and her husband have a much needed date night. Whether you’re giving of your time, talent, or treasure, be cheerful when you do.

“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that He has given you.” –Deuteronomy 16:17

” Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” –1 Timothy 6:18

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7

Be content with the wealth you have.

Generally speaking, more money often leads us to more problems. The Lord promises to provide for us. While He does encourage us to be diligent workers, He warns us against working too much in the pursuit of material gain. After all, we can’t take our money and possessions with us when we die. And too often we try to earn more money to build our kingdom instead of building His kingdom.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” – Hebrew 13:5

“For godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” –1 Timothy 6:6-12

Greed

Whether you’re trying to keep up with the Joneses or you have an idea of a certain level of “success” in your head, greed can have a powerful impact on our lives. God warns us about greed in the bible by showing us how it can completely consume our lives and interfere with our relationship with Christ.

“Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.” –Proverbs 15:27

“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.”–Psalm 37:16-17

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” – Revelation 3:17

“So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.” – Proverbs 1:19

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” – Mark 8:36

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”– Ecclesiastes 5:10

Financial Planning

Be wise with your finances. Know exactly what is coming in and out of your accounts each month. Create a budget that you can stick with. The Lord does promise to provide for us but He also wants you to wisely manage what He gives you.

“For which of you, desire to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.'”– Luke 14:28-30

“Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23

“He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.” – Proverbs 14:29

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” – Proverbs 6:6-8

Saving

Emergency funds are a great thing for unexpected car repairs, medical bills, or a job loss. Our savings can help us in times of stress. But even more importantly, our savings are what allow us to keep giving in times of hardship. The Lord urges us to plan ahead for unexpected expenses whether you’re building a new home or you’re preparing for a rainy day. Be attentive to your finances.

“The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” –Proverbs 21:20

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5

“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” – 1 Corinthians 16:2

Debt

Debt can quickly consume you. Credit card balances can easily rack up. The anxiety around paying them off or even meeting the minimum monthly payment can increase rapidly. Between the worry and the extra work shifts to pay off debt, little room is left for God. And the Lord warns us of the impact this can have on our relationship with Him.

“Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” – Romans 13:8

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”– Matthew 6:24

“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” –Proverbs 22:7

Trusting in God’s provision

God never intended for things to be solely up to us. He didn’t just “throw us to the wind” after He stitched us together in our mother’s womb. We are valuable to the Lord. And because of this, He promises to take care of us and provide for us all that we need.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:32

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalms 37:4

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” –Matthew 6:26

 

The Lord has a lot more to say about money than just give 10% of your income to the church. While tithing is important, the Lord also wants us to be generous and wise with all our resources. As a church leader, the Lord has placed a specific and important calling on you to shepherd the flock. Go beyond just telling your church to give the first of their fruits. Share principles straight from scripture and see your congregation begin to understand and live out what the Lord says about money. How do you talk to your church about money?