Kim Mawhiney is one of the financial coaches serving through The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.

Economic crisis calls
for pastoral, practical,
prophetic responses

By Kami L. Rice

Jonathan Wentworth's cell number offers a clue to his recent past. Though he lives in Nashville, Tenn., his number doesn't have a Tennessee area code. He and his wife joined a family calling plan with their parents during his recent five months of unemployment.

Working again since October, Wentworth credits Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church's community-wide career transition support group  with helping him weather what he calls his "summer of enlightenment" because he discovered he had been finding his sense of worth from his job. Without one, he instead focused on his relationship with God.

"I'm still learning not to define myself by the position I work in and hope and pray I don't go back to doing that," he says. "Times of trouble form moments of clarity of purpose." His "time of trouble" taught him to pray more during stressful experiences.

"For me," he says, "the single greatest challenge besides finding a job was staying positive." The support group helped him do that.

Meeting weekly on Monday nights, the 20-year-old group is part of a safety net Brentwood has had in place for a long time, making it easier to respond to people's increased needs in the current economy. The church is serving people through already-established programs.

Juanita Hobbs, director of missions and outreach at Brentwood, says the church "has seen an escalation in requests [for assistance with rent, utility bills, car payments and more] from people in our own congregation and throughout the community." Jennifer Creager, administrative assistant for prayer and congregational care  at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., has also seen more requests for assistance, including requests for help with COBRA payments as people losing jobs try to keep health insurance.

"We are talking to a lot of people who have never been in this kind of situation before, and they have no idea about things like utility payment plans or asking for a payment plan for medical bills. They also have no idea what sort of government or community programs might be available," says Creager.

Between 150 and 200 people are now attending the weekly career transition program and support group at Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church. Participation has doubled in recent months, say organizers. Photo by Mike DuBose

Like Brentwood and Church of the Resurrection, Prescott (Ariz.) United Methodist Church  helps congregants with financial needs by connecting them to non-church resources, such as social service agencies. Families struggling financially appreciate having someone guide them through the process of finding assistance. These churches also all participate in local church networks, often interdenominational, that pool resources to care for short- and long-term needs of people in their congregations and communities.

Whether the need is for financial assistance or help with the job search, Wentworth's experience is typical. "It was the first time I had been downsized, and I didn't know where to start or what to do. I felt like I was all alone," he says, which is why various versions of support groups and pastoral care are so important.

Varied resources help people know they're not alone. At Asbury United Methodist Church  in Tulsa, Okla., a pastor contacts anyone who loses a job. Stephen Ministers at many churches also provide emotional support and connection to other resources. These lay caregivers at Prescott and Woods Chapel United Methodist Church  in Lees Summit, Mo., are matched with people needing care. The Rev. Carol Mumford, associate pastor at Prescott, says the church's Stephen Ministers are helping more and more people seeking care after losing their jobs.

Buz Davies, one of Prescott's Stephen Ministers, sees Job as a perfect model for encouraging people feeling the stress of hard times. Job's faithfulness to God in spite of great loss is inspiring. Davies' care receiver has been a Christian for a long time but is still struggling with trusting God's judgment over his own. "In the midst of the economic nightmare, the beacon of hope is the church," Davies adds. "The church ought to assure them that God is with them."

Church of the Resurrection is beginning a new group called Job Seekers Support and Prayer Group. Cheryl Greenough, program director for congregational care, says it will emphasize prayer and will provide emotional support for people seeking employment. The group will be a "sacred and confidential space where people can voice what they can't even voice to their spouses."

Participants listen closely to leader Zack Taylor during the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference&s workshop on becoming debt-free. Photo courtesy of Sue Burgess

Greenough's husband was unemployed for two years, so they know first-hand the needs of those without jobs. "I wish we'd had this then," she says. People "need a place where they can come and say, 2I'm scared to death' and lay their emotions on the table."

Many churches are also offering workshops, seminars and classes that teach practical skills to help with money management and stewardship. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University[www.daveramsey.com/fpu, (877) 378-2667], Crown Financial Ministries [www.crown.org, (800) 722-1976] and Good $ense [www.goodsenseministry.com, (800) 572-9812] from Willow Creek Association are popular curricula. Many churches are increasing the number of times these classes are offered annually.

Sue Burgess, Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference  lay leader, organized a late-January seminar entitled "Want To Be Debt Free?" for her conference. It offered a Christian perspective on getting out of debt. Burgess says all churches, even the smaller churches that make up her conference, should offer such seminars. She hopes others will learn that "everything belongs to God. I wasn't taught it as a child, but I've learned it along the way."

Adding to existing financial training and coaching opportunities, Ginghamsburg Church   in Tipp City, Ohio, introduced several new classes, including one called "Saving Money with Coupons & Rebates." Nate Gibson, chief stewardship officer, says this has been the most popular new class. The instructor initiated the idea and created an 80-page recommendation manual.

Messiah United Methodist Church in Plymouth, Minn., has begun a monthly group called Network 24/7. Covering such topics as self care, interview skills, formal and informal networking systems, and resume writing, speakers from within the church and from the community share insights. The Rev. Dick Ellis, associate pastor, says it's exciting to see group members build relationships and share information. Beginning with the group's organizer, people are seeing the challenges as opportunities and are forming a caring community.

The Rev. Clif Christopher, president and founder of Horizons Stewardship Company, says this economy offers the church tremendous opportunity to teach about something people usually aren't interested in hearing about. Parishioners are more receptive than ever to talking about money because they are seeing that what they have been following hasn't worked. "The whole country is looking for another answer," he explains. "The answer they thought they had just blew up on them."

The Rev. Jim Lenderman, pastor of Wesleyan leadership at Asbury, says the current economy "gives the church great opportunity to speak to the culture in a loving, hope-filled way." People are realizing they've sold out to acquiring more and more things. They're discovering those things are not permanent and are looking for something more trustworthy.

"This is not a financial problem in America," contends Christopher. "This whole thing is a spiritual problem in America. We chose to put our faith in stuff instead of God. We poured our resources into that which is proven to be hollow. The problem is all spiritual, and the solutions are spiritual. Greed won out over faith, and the solution isn't Congress and a stimulus package. It's the church and preachers."

Christopher says many pastors avoid the topic of money, beyond perhaps preaching one sermon a year on it. Pastors haven't been teaching their congregations about this great American sin -- love of material things -- because congregations haven't wanted to hear it, he believes. He exhorts pastors to develop a theology of financial stewardship and teach it to their parishioners.

Many pastors are developing sermon series to help their congregations replace the lie of self-sufficiency with ultimate trust in God. Asbury's senior pastor taught a stewardship series in February, followed by a rollout of Crown Financial groups. The church gave every family a copy of Andy Stanley's book Fields of Gold [Tyndale House, (800) 323-9400, www.tyndale.com], which addresses the fear related to giving and saving.

"The credit crisis serves to point to the inadequacy of any ultimate credo whose object is anything but God. God is our refuge and strength," writes the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection, on www.journeywithjesus.net. "It is crucial that we invite people to put their hope in God and offer them the assurance that comes from faith in Him. ... The Christian must not only offer hope, but also an accurate assessment of the ultimate causes for this present crisis, issuing a call to repentance."

--Kami L. Rice, freelance writer, Nashville, Tenn.

What do I do now?

Strategies for churches and pastors in 2009:

Do not panic. Have confidence in our Sovereign God to lead you and the church through this.

Redouble efforts to tell your people how the church is changing lives and making a difference. People still have and will give money but will become much more discriminating. Use stories to show effective use of what has been given already.

Communicate clearly that you know some people are in fiscal distress and that the church wants to assist. Encourage them to contact a pastor. Prepare a team to help families in need. Make it clear that the church remains focused on giving, not receiving.

Be honest and up-front with your people through e-mail and letters. Tell them the church's exact condition and how those who are able can help.

Preach on money's role in our lives and how wealth is not our God, our refuge or our strength. People are open as never before to hearing sermons on money.

Create a flat or slightly decreased budget for 2009, as the church joins the congregation in being prudent while remaining faithful. Support some cut items with special offerings during the year.

Visit your major donors. Are they OK or in need of help? These people support a huge percentage of your budget. Hearing where they are can help you determine strategy. Don't assume anything. Go see them!

Start or participate in a daily or weekly prayer group that prays for the nation, world, economy, church and leaders. Strongly encourage church leaders to attend. This will ground you and stave off belief that the solution is economic instead of spiritual.

Don't neglect planned giving. Churches with strong endowments are weathering this crisis much better than those who do not.

Do a study series or preaching around Fields of Gold, which deals with fear and faith in giving.

Immediately start or repeat Financial Peace University, Crown Ministries or Good $ense Christian financial planning classes.

--Adapted from an article by the Rev. Clif Christopher,
president and founder, Horizons Stewardship Company

Biblical Steps for Resetting Your Financial Journey

2. Put God first in your living and giving by practicing gratitude and joy (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Application: Begin by daily thanking God for all your blessings.

3. Flee from greed and the love of money (1 Timothy 6:9-12). Begin by paying off credit card debt and eliminating or limiting credit card use.

4. Seek contentment and simplicity and live within your means (Proverbs 30:7-9). Application: Begin by being a wise and thrifty shopper. Live simply so that others can simply live.

5. Practice long-range saving and investing habits (Luke: 14:28). Application: Plan ahead, have an emergency fund, save and invest for three to six months of living expenses.

6. "Earn all you can, save all you can, and give away all you can." --John Wesley

Earn (Colossians 3:23)

Save (Proverbs 6:8 and 21:20)

Give (James 1:17)

Application: Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, for God's glory!

Adapted from Stewardship and Giving Tools produced by The United Methodist Church of The Resurrection [www.cor.org, (913) 897-0120)]