Rethinking Financial Training

When we talk about teaching godly finances, many immediately think of off-the-shelf programs—budget templates, debt-reduction plans, emergency-fund trackers, and so on. These tools have helped many in our congregations develop healthier habits around money.

But is habit formation enough?

What if our objective runs deeper than balancing checkbooks? We don’t merely teach prayer, love, worship, forgiveness, or parenting as standalone habits. Each is rooted in our mandate to make disciples. Shouldn’t our approach to godly finances be just as intentional?

Based on the number of times Jesus spoke about money, shouldn’t we teach it more as a vital component of discipleship?

By shifting our focus from “fixing finances” to “forming disciples,” our financial teaching will move hearts as well as balance sheets. Equipping our congregations to live out stewardship, generosity, and trust—rooted in the Spirit and grounded in Scripture, will result in money habits becoming expressions of worship, not just exercises in willpower.

Resources That Equip Financial Discipleship

To support this deeper approach, MB Foundation offers a group study based on the book Trusted, which emphasizes the formation of disciples in stewardship. It equips parents to instill essential biblical financial perspectives and practices in their children—preparing them for a lifetime of God-honoring money management.

A group from an MB church recently used the study in their Sunday school class and found both the book and their discussion time to be inspiring and thoughtful. One participant summed it up this way:

“Going through the Trusted study provided an opportunity for us to really consider what values are driving our money habits and also set some financial goals connected to our parenting. It has helped us think about how we talk about finances with our kids. No matter what, we are passing along values and ideas to our children when it comes to money; which is why it is so important to be intentional and discerning about what those values are.”

If you are looking for ways to encourage financial discipleship within your church, start a Trusted small group, or use the Wise Steward curriculum in your children’s department. Resources available at www.mbfoundation.com/trusted.