Ministry, Mission, and Money: The Role of Money and Its Impact on the Church and Her Mission

by

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Research Aims and Objectives2

Significance of the Study3

Research Questions3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Purpose and Mission of the Church5

Wealth and Responsibility5

Situations Peculiar to Church Management6

Financing Religious Bodies8

Powerful Influences and dangers of Money in Missions9

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY10

Research Approach10

Data collection procedure11

Search Technique11

Literature Search12

WORKS CITED13

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

For a number of people, nothing is more valuable than money as a part of human experience. As the main function of money being medium of exchange, it has acquired importance both across and within cultures. The exchange of money and its fair accumulation provide a platform for prosperity for communities, families, individuals and countries. On the contrary, misusing money promotes envy, deception, poverty, greed and corruption. Love of money is the foundation of all sins. As a consequence, nothing has become more arguable and controversial for humans than the expenditure, acquisition and administration of money. It is also true according to Christian missions. The mission movement is not safe from the corruption and financial scandals which has harassed other parts of the society, as well. The abuse, use and misuse of money have become a continuous process which has plagued the Church and its mission since the beginning. It is very interesting to know that the first ever sin identified in the premises of Church was a consequence of the impact of money. The famous sins of Sapphira and Ananias, mentioned in Act 5, is the story depicting deliberate deception in financial terms based on the influence of desire to have money. This also provides an example about their perception of non-accountability, and if their intentions and deception would not have been intervened by God, probably they would have gone unnoticed and unidentified. From this early incident of Church, four universal principles, which are overriding, were instantly evident in terms of handling and accommodation of money:

Money plays a significant role and such is the important resource for promoting God's purposes.

Money is one the most vulnerable thing used to misrepresent and manipulate by people who are dishonest, at times, even believers.

Money is prominent and dominant, therefore, handling money requires highly observable test for condition of people's inner heart before God and other men.

The believers are explicit custodians of money, entrusted by God and misusing which will test the Spirit of the Lord. These foundational principles about money are trans-temporal and trans-cultural.

They comprise of biblical foundation for all the believers, telling them how they should handle and view the money, irrespective of their culture and locations. These principles also provide a baseline, stating the global handling of money in the Christian mission. Therefore, this study will analyze the role of money and its impact on the church and her mission. The study will also provide suggestions for the church to lead an enduring stewardship culture.

Research Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to analyze the role and impact of money on church ...