Philosophy of Money - All Things Belong to God

In our Philosophy of Money, we start with the acknowledgment that all that we have and all that we are belongs to God and has been given to us as a gift to use to His glory and the benefit of others and the world. When we recognize this, we are free from all that makes us afraid or greedy and sets us free to view all that we have in terms of celebration, thanksgiving, and sharing. It also sets the tone for how we give and how we use our gifts. It is the Church’s responsibility to model this, and to teach it as a part of spiritual growth. We give sacrificially, as Jesus gave, but we also give joyfully, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

As we give money to the church, the Church becomes the steward of our gifts and it is our responsibility to ensure those gifts are used in ways worthy of the nature of the gift, but also used in the spirit described in the above paragraph. Financial policy-making, and following the policies, may seem like a dry and un-spiritual activity, but policies are developed that to enable the church to be a good steward. They also enable the church to act without having to spend precious time making each financial decision from scratch. Acting out of a comprehensive policy gives focus and strength as the church uses it resources. First Church has policies related to receiving, distributing, and handling money.

The Mission and Ministry Plan is a narrative describing how gifts of money will be used to further the mission of the church. It is prepared by all of the lay teams, written by team leaders and staff working together, and adopted by the Church Administrative Board. Approximately 91% of the financial support for the Mission and Ministry Plan comes from identified giving. The results of the Stewardship of Gifts Quarter commitments made on Covenant Sunday tell the staff and lay leadership how much of their vision they will be able to fund in the coming year. If you haven't seen the Mission and Ministry Plan, you can find it on the First Church web site.