Fall brings change. Change from a more laid-back, less regimented season to one of more routine. Vacations are over, the kids are back in school, and rhythms of life are being re-established.

This is a great time for a financial check-in. Summer expenses like vacations have impacted our spending plan. Maybe a physical move has led to a different financial picture. Looking ahead, back-to-school expenses like clothes and children's activities may pose some additional challenges for our spending plan.

Podcast host James Lenhoff leads us through a three-step process for a fall financial check-in:

1. Review the summer and compare it financially to the spending plan.
2. Project expenses for the fall.
3. Make adjustments now!

This is a particularly crucial check-in because we all know what's coming - the holiday season. Gifts, travel, events, and other potential expenses. Reviewing our financial status now helps us plan well for the remainder of the year and avoid those last-minute crunches!

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of some of our podcast episodes on our YouTube channel.

In our last episode, we saw the importance of having those congregation-level conversations about money. Of teaching Biblical principles and helping our people understand the concepts of God's ownership and our stewardship. And of separating that conversation from the one we usually have about funding church programs. We need to teach our congregations the "why" and the "what" of stewardship.

But when it comes to the "how", a different kind of conversation is required. Because the "how" varies according to a person's individual circumstances - it's not a one-size-fits-all conversation. The person who has no income, for example, gains nothing from a sermon about tithing.

The conversation about the "how" of stewardship, especially for those who are struggling financially, happens best in the context of a one-on-one coaching relationship. A relationship between a couple or an individual and a trained financial coach. These conversations can be intense. They're much more personal than a sermon to the congregation. And that's the strength of these discussions - they can be applied to an individual situation.

A well-rounded stewardship ministry includes both - the congregation-level conversations through pulpit teaching, and the one-on-one conversations through financial coaching. Join host James Lenhoff as he walks through the coaching relationship, highlighting best practices and potential pitfalls.

If you'd like help training financial coaches for your church, check out our Coaches Training curriculum. And see the blog articles below for more information about financial coaching.

Equipping Financial Coaches for Your Stewardship Ministry

Training Good Sense Coaches

Identifying Coaching Clients

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of some of our podcast episodes on our YouTube channel.

If you're a stewardship leader or a teaching pastor, you know that talking about money to the congregation is hard. It's not comfortable - for you or for the congregation. People get defensive when they feel that you're prescribing rules that don't make sense to them in their situation.

Part of the problem is that over time, we've conflated the concept of stewardship with giving. Stewardship is about managing resources in a God-honoring way, recognizing that He is the owner. But when we run "stewardship campaigns", we're not teaching people about how to manage money in a God-honoring way. Instead, we're focused on raising money for the church. So people come to equate stewardship with giving to the church. Good stewardship means giving more; poor stewardship means not giving enough.

Another part of the problem is that people in our congregations are in all different kinds of financial situations. So inevitably, when we prescribe rules, people respond with "You don't understand my situation." When we dive into the details of giving and tithing and treat these as one-size-fits-all topics, we miss out on opportunities to truly disciple our congregations in real stewardship.

Join us as host James Lenhoff encourages and equips pastors and stewardship leaders to teach the "why" and "what" of stewardship. Learn how important stewardship teaching is in the context of overall discipleship and how to approach the topic Biblically with confidence. And come back for our next podcast episode, in which we'll take a look at the one-on-one conversations needed to teach the "how".

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of some of our podcast episodes on our YouTube channel.