Why Pastors Fear Talking Too Much About Money

Why are so many pastors reticent to preach or teach stewardship? Here is my list of reasons:

1. Many pastors are uncomfortable with anything money related. Too many, I fear, misinterpret the Scriptures, and think that money is evil. The Bible says, “The love of money is evil.” It does not say that money is evil. The reality is that many pastors are simply uncomfortable around money. Why?
2. Most pastors come from humble backgrounds. I think that much of what causes us discomfort is our humble backgrounds. Very few ministers come from wealth. Most are from lower-class or middle-class backgrounds. Most find it hard to relate to money matters whatsoever. The average church budget is of a size that seems far beyond their grasp of finances from their humble backgrounds.
3. Many do not feel adequately trained. Our Christian learning institutions have done a disservice to our leaders by not training them in this crucial field. Nearly everything a minister learns about stewardship they learned outside of the classroom. I will not operate in that area if I do not feel properly trained. If it weren’t for John Maxwell’s Injoy Life Club tapes, I would never have received any help in stewardship preaching.
4. Some pastors are not convinced it is biblically their role. We have been so conditioned by laypeople that we ministers are not supposed to know anything about the church’s finances. We have incorrectly assumed that it is biblical. You can search the Scriptures, but you will not find a verse prohibiting the leaders from taking an active role in stewardship. Christian ministries that have leaders active in stewardship raise more funds and, in the end, do more for the Kingdom.
5. Some pastors do not see the necessity of stewardship involvement. Despite numerous studies that show the importance of the leader being involved in stewardship, many do not think it is necessary. As a result, their ministry struggles to achieve the dreams they have been given or, more likely, don’t have any vision for the future at all.
6. It’s unpopular, and we like to be liked. No preacher wants to hear, “All you ever talk about at church is money.” The bottom line is that we like being liked and don’t want to do anything that will cause the above statement to be reinforced. So, we go out of our way, not to mention money. Could it be that people do not like us to talk about money because they have such a problem managing it correctly? By not talking about money, we are giving them a pass on an area of disobedience in their lives.
7. It often makes the leader uncomfortable. Much like the above point, many don’t like to talk about stewardship because it makes them uncomfortable. They struggle to deal with difficult topics, knowing it will rub some the wrong way. They find that they cannot, with boldness, take a stand, so they ignore the issue altogether. It is easier to teach about the love of God rather than some subject many find hard to listen to.

Does any of the above hinder you? To combat all the above, we must develop the right attitude. A few years ago, I came up with this statement about the right attitude.

The Right Attitude – My mission, to impact my world for Jesus, is given to me by God. We are changing the world one life at a time. Since all this is true, why would a Christian NOT want to give money to support that mission? Pastor, you are not asking for you. You’re asking for support for the vision God has burned in your heart.