What You'll Discover in this Episode:
Join Pastor Jeff and Doug Eagle as they discuss Biblical Financial Stewardship for pastors and ministry leaders.
Doug is the co-founder of Pastors Legacy Plan. He serves as an advocate for his clients, protecting their best interests. Pastors Legacy Planning gives me an opportunity to do just that. The Pastors Legacy Plan was created by Doug Eagle & William Wright in an effort to address one of the greatest shortfalls facing Pastors today: protecting their families and providing for the next generation through the proper use of life insurance.
After many years of working with Churches and Pastors we have found this area is often overlooked, and yet it is at the core of loving families beyond our own existence. We are very clear on Why we do what we do, What we do, and How to best serve today’s Pastor.
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We cannot operate in this world without its currency. This demands us to have jobs and earn a living in order to provide for our families. This is made plain especially when paired with this verse:
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Timothy 5:8
Of course, insurance and preparing for the future will come into play as well here. I am so thankful that we have Christian brothers and sisters who specialize in this kind of field and are able to give us biblical counsel when it comes to doing just that.
That is a powerful verse and one that I have unfortunately seem misused as well as used as encouragement as you did. I think that the struggle in any financial planning attempt is to keep the perspective of obedience to God rather than that we somehow can plan for and control our future.
I would say that one of my favorite aspects of biblical counseling is that it shows how truly critical our relationship with the Lord is. Our submission to the Lord will reflect our willingness to obey Him in all things – from our relationship to money to our relationship with bosses. It is in this sense that the Word of God is the authority for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Our spirituality directly influences our physical expression.
This podcast with Doug Eagle about Finances was informative and how we should go back to the basics that everything we have isn’t ours it belongs to the Lord and we should tithe before we do any kind of saving plan. Everything we have is not ours it is given to us from God, and if we trust in him and give him what is his he will provide for our every need. Where we struggle with our finances is more of a heart thing what we desire is it money or what it is and out of our heart is what we desire, that was a true statement.
So true Margaret!
What do we have other than what God has given and provided for us? Nothing! With this mindset, we are better positioned to glorify God with our lives.
I know I have fallen into the wordly thinking of holding onto “my” money as tightly as I can and questioning whether my tithe is really financially the best for me. But that is the wrong mindset. When we give to God, it isn’t about how much but is simply an act of worship and comes from a heart of thankfulness for what He has provided!
I agree. In my own life I know how the switch from the perspective of giving a tithe as a portion to instead of viewing everything as belonging to God changed my view of finances. I would add too that there is no “one size fits all” approach to finances. Like every area of our lives God gives us general principles, but living those out looks very different to each individual. We must be more concerned with obedience to God than to “good” financial decisions. I have seen God work in amazing and powerful ways when people have been obedient to listen to His leading rather than the what the world would say is a smart financial move.
One of the things that I thought of after thinking a bit about your comment that everything belongs to God is that we are all just stewards. The things that we have and own during our short, short time here on Earth all have been given to us to be used for his glory in love towards our creator and in love towards our neighbors.
What I appreciate about this week’s podcast is that although something like tithing can be a simple command from God, our capacity for giving is inextricably linked to our confidence and trust in our God.
I think this podcast brings up an interesting topic and one that churches and missions organizations seem to struggle with. We know quite a few retired missionaries who are struggling without their supporters. They lived on so little for so many years that they never had the opportunity to save. I would love to hear in future podcasts any recommendations for helpful books and materials to use when counseling regarding finances. Are there any books or workbooks that you have found to help as people develop a Godly perspective? The only training I am familiar with is Dave Ramsey.
This was an awesome podcast, very practical.
Financial struggles are very prevalent and can be very stressful. I was reminded that our income should not be looked at as our own, but it is from the Lord. I confess, this is a hard area for me to see that when I am working for money, that it is not mine. I am glad I was able to stop and realize, if it was not for God swinging open the door for work, I wouldn’t even have a morsel.
I was also encouraged that we are to be good stewards of finances. Whether that means budget and plan ahead, or spend less etc. It is not always about just making a quick easy buck, but steadily working hard and planning well.
A hard exhortation for some, but so God honoring is to Tithe first, since this money is not ours. Be a good steward, but give to the lord what is his.
As believers we are to care for our households, even beyond the here and now , even to plan for your family if you pass away.
Money certainly is something that affects us in so many areas of life. I appreciate the emphasis Doug put on having the right perspective in stewardship. It is all God’s and the foundation is tithing. I know for my husband and me, many years ago when we stepped out in faith as a young couple and trusted God in the area of our finances and began tithing (not just giving what we thought we could afford), the stress of money went away. Not that we didn’t find ourselves stretched financially at times, but the stress went away. We were able to trust the Lord and He was always faithful. When you honor God, He honors you. Planning for the future is certainly something we must all do. I am happy to see Pastor Jeff providing this information through his podcast especially for the benefit of those who are younger in the ministry. We didn’t have much if any, guidance in that area when we transitioned into full-time ministry over 20 years ago.
After Doug Eagle has had much experience in the insurance world, he observed that most everyone’s issues with money begin with the heart. Most of the time, it’s out of a person’s desire to serve his heart that he can get into himself into various financial troubles. I agree with what Doug said that most of the time the issue with money is actually a spiritual issue.
The destructive and deceitful habits of the heart is one of the reasons why I sometimes find myself cringing when I hear wisdom from the world to listen to your heart. So bad… The rest of the discussion had to do with the implication that after addressing the issue of the heart, it is then imperative to add to oneself wisdom.
I agree, and Disney is the worst at that! Encouraging so many young children to follow their hearts, which are deceitful and desperately wicked. This is an opportunity though for us to open up conversations with kids about why it is unwise to follow your heart. It’s also important that kids have an example to follow. They need to see how to do life with God in faith, since there are so many bad examples. We can be open about bad decisions we’ve made in the past, what we’ve learned, and how we’re doing things differently now. That has a huge impact on kids.
It’s pretty amazing how Doug Eagle applied what he experienced int he insurance world and then has helped others in planning and most importantly with their heart issues. I agree with you about the wisdom of the world and listening to your heart. I know when I have listened to my heart, I have found myself getting hurt. It’s important to seek wisdom from God’s Word and a trusted mentor.
Josiah your comment is so true! We tend to lead by our hearts rather than walking in the Spirit. The flesh always wants its own way and that includes what it wants not what God desires. Seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that we do should also include our finances.
First time hearing about this topic of planning for our future retirement most people avoid the issue I find. It’s something I must discuss with my husband. Concerning tithing, we do tithe and I have been personally blessed by tithing, many years ago I was struggling financially and I felt God convict me to tithe from the very little I had and when I did I just saw the little money I had stretched. An example of this was one day I was at the supermarket buying food and I just had so much money and I was sure the items I had in my basket were more than I could afford but the money I had covered my shopping. In that moment I knew God could provide for all my needs, It’s a blessing walking by faith. I just felt a deep peace and that God have made the little I had stretch. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”Philippians 4:19
Hi Anne. I agree with you that people will avoid the issue of planning for their future retirement. I would say it’s even more prevalent now. It seems so far away for people in their 20’s but it’s the perfect time to start planning. I have also witness how the Lord will always provide when we step out in faith. It’s not only an amazing testimony but grows our faith and closeness to the Lord.
This podcast with Doug Eagle was very insightful and encouraging. Knowing that there is a Christian organization who desires to help pastors and there families to navigate through there retirement years is essential. It’s not just retirement that is important but the issue of long term care is something a lot of elderly tend not to think about and this organization factors this necessity into retirement planning. I personally witnessed the hardship of both of my parents who did not plan for there retirement and struggled to make ends meet. As a family we made sure they were taken care of but it would have been easier for them if they would have invested in this area of there life while they were younger.
Great practical example Kathy! Thank you for sharing. This is good for me to know, even before I would consider myself ” old.” I agree with you, that just the principle of preparing for the future is a way to be a good steward, and lighten the burden on others. I want to have a mindset that I can give, so considering the future and long term care is a good way to prepare yourself to give. Worrying is not the way to do this, but making preparations.
I would love to hear a discussion about debt included with this information. We all know that going into debt is unbiblical, yet many Christians are struggling under mountains of debt for various reasons. This can be very discouraging and can lead to a sense of confusion about where to begin, and even hopelessness, especially for ministry workers who have few prospects for increasing their income. Even worse, there are so many financial predators out there right now who con innocent people and take advantage of their situations. We all need to educate ourselves, but it’s comforting to know that there are also people out there advocating for, educating, and helping each other. This is a very practical function of the body of Christ.
Athena,
If you are not familiar with Dave Ramsey and the debt snowball check it out at http://www.daveramsey.com We just had a young couple in our church pay off thousands of dollars of debt using the program and then went on to pay off their mortgage. They are a one-income family with six children!
I am also like you, would love to hear a discussion about debt with this information. Debt is easy to get into but hard to get out of and it can lead to hopelessness, doubt and confusion. It’s good to know there are people out there who can educate us on debt so we know we are not alone and there is a way out. Money can be the root of all evil it can make or break a person with the right guidance from others we can help each other to avoid being taken advantage of by predators out there trying to scam people. Helping each other is a good fruit of the Spirit.
I like how they place a priority on the proper biblical perspective and define biblical principles that guide the process and the importance to protect and provide for the families. I like how they are process-driven by providing a structured five-step process that incorporates all required elements for a successfully implemented pastors plan.
I believe we all can learn something from this very effective and impactful long term structured approach; first, we must discover by identifying the vision, second, analyze by reviewing all available options and resources, third, find a solution carefully designed to fulfil the vision, fourth, implement by taking necessary steps to ensure the plans, and finally, monitor your progress by updating and reviewing the evolving vision.
Thanks Josh for your response to this week’s Podcast and I agree with you that we all can learn something from this ‘very effective and impactful long term structured approach’ of starting to invest for retirement and future financial plans and for the unexpected; and for this, I am grateful to Pastors Jeff and Doug.
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
You are exactly correct, Josh. We all have something to learn. While we’re young it doesn’t seem like a priority, and as we get older it can be so overwhelming. It’s very helpful and encouraging to have a step-by-step process to follow. It also helps to remember that we don’t have to do everything perfectly, but each step we take in the right direction is progress made.
The issue of planning for the future is very important. Some pastors opt-out of U.S. Social Security. They can, just see IRS form 4361. It’s a short-sighted move.
A young pastor was working in an independent church. He asked the leadership about savings. They replied, “Trust in the Lord.” Then they encouraged him to opt-out of Social Security, and he did (along with everyone else at the church).
By opting out of Social Security, he also opted-out of Medicare. Decades later, the young pastor was old and without Medicare (or any other health insurance). He had no income from is Social Security opt-out and no retirement savings of his own.
The leadership at that particular church was probably being cheap (not wanting the church to pay its monthly contribution of Social Security). They could have wanted to be “good stewards of God’s resources.” I think it was the former.
The Bible teaches about trusting in the Lord. The Bible also teaches about financial planning. Proverbs speaks a lot about financial planning.
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5
Planning and hard work come first. Then make yourself comfortable. “Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.” Proverbs 24:27
Surround yourself with advisors (even financial advisors). “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22
This is very common, unfortunately. I, too, opted out of U.S. Social Security (bad stewardship in my estimation). The money that I was to put into that account, I invested it in real estate. This was the recommended route that my pastor suggested when I opted out. Glad I did as the equity is now (20 years later) a better revenue flow than what our bankrupt U.S. Social Security will ever offer me. Just saying that not all pastors “Trust in the Lord” the same way. I trusted Him and took a step of faith by investing the amount that was normally going into the gov’t. By the way, I made investment in a 10 acre parcel in Temecula if anyone is interested in buying it. Ready to cash that one out 🙂
Hi John,
The church I use to attend had everyone who worked at the school and church opt out of social security. I worked there for 30 years and now have a great deal of regret trusting in the counsel I was given.
Finances are talked about in the Bible almost more than any other topic. The way we treat finances is directly connected to our faith. They say you can tell where a person’s heart is by their checkbook. That really hit me so many times, and it is a good inventory for me to do every month. I did a financial class thru Dave Ramsey two years ago, and it really helped me to get on track. The first thing God impressed on my heart was that I was not tithing like I should be. When I made that commitment to trust Him with everything, not only did I have more peace, but when trouble hit, I knew I could trust Him with every situation.
Lovely comment April! I agree by tithing and committing to it, we can learn to trust God in a deeper way which leads to peace and He becomes the rock we lean on when the trouble hits. I must look up Dave Ramsey’s financial classes sounds like it really helped you.
Thank you Anne! His classes did help me an thousands of others! It is all biblically based which is why it worked. He takes us thru pretty much every element of financial instruction. When things really changed for me is when I committed to my tithe. We cannot out give the Lord 🙂
We did the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University several years ago and still live by the principles we learned. We have also viewed tithing as the starting place of our giving. When we honor God, he honors us and blesses us immeasurably. Those blessings are not always or even usually material blessings but often come in the form of the peace of trusting Him for everything.
So true Stacy! People always want financial blessing, which of course is great when we don’t have to be concerned with income. What better gift He gives us are the blessings we don’t expect, like greater faith! That is worth more than gold!
Wow! April, this is a very eye- opening and convicting comment, of which I am very thankful for. It saddens me that I may be more willing to treat myself to coffee rather than giving to Jesus through tithe. And what is already His anyway no less! “Lord I am sorry for thinking this money is mine, when you gave it to me in the first place. Please change my heart on this and help me to give to you , as well as steward in an honoring way to you.”
Thanks April, if you see this, could you send me the link to the Dave Ramsey class. Blessings.
Hi Hannah!
Here is the website: https://www.daveramsey.com Our church, Calvary Monterey, goes thru the course every year. We have seen so many people get free from financial burdens! It truly is a heart change. When I fully realized that it does not belong to me, and nothing I did could earn what I have, I was so convicted that I was misusing what the Lord had provided to me over the years.
Thanks for your sharing your comment, I agree with you April on how that you can see how much faith a person has by how much of your finances you trust to God. It hit me also when they said that part because if you think about how many people actually trust god enough with their finances to tithe. I struggled with that for awhile till one time it was like I heard God saying you trust me with everything but the one thing that I give you your finances and I will always give supply you with what you need and never leave you. So I started tithing and even when I was out of work and only had my husbands income some how we still always had enough to pay our bills, and tithe and do what we needed God always supplied us with everything we needed to get by even with just one income.
Amen April!
I also believe it is so important to be able to trust God with our finances. When we don’t, and just look at the numbers, it’s easy to lose hope when things take a bad turn. Instead, we should first give freely and cheerfully to God as He has abundantly blessed us and put our faith in Him to provide for our needs!
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
I pray we all continue to grow in our faith as we strive to be more like Jesus and bring glory to God.
“Finances can be a spiritual thing because it becomes a heart issue.”- As Doug said, the money issues can simply be results of the internal heart issues, and the state of the heart. Arguments, battles, even divorces are results of placing our focus on what money can buy instead of setting our hearts on God.
This podcast is so timely. I am in the middle of quoting life insurances, and choosing a company to go with. After that my focus is going to be on getting a retirement plan in order. This podcast simply reinforces the things God had already been speaking to me.
Alejandro:
I’m glad that the podcast is timely for you. I am not a financial counselor by a longshot. The speaker Doug Eagle discussed term life insurance. That may (or may not) be the right vehicle for you. Either way, it’s good you are getting quotes. A relative was devastated financially when her husband died suddenly. The husband’s life insurance policy was very small.
I don’t recall Eagle mentioning 529 plans. I will soon have two children in university. For young parents, saving an additional $50 to $100 a month for Junior’s college can be difficult (and mentally difficult if he’s still in diapers). Still, starting a 529 plan with modest contributions can take the bite out of the first year’s tuition payments. At best, it takes the bite out of an entire four-year degree.
True Alejandro, as Pastor Doug said, the money issues can simply be results of the internal heart issues, and the state of the heart manifesting arguments, battles, even divorces are results of placing our focus on what money can buy instead of setting our hearts on God.
It is said in my locality that ‘the anointing upon a minster of God becomes annoyance because of poorly managed finances.‘.
May we be wise in handling our financial resources in Jesus Name, Amen.
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Timely Podcast for every minister of the Gospel by Pastor Jeff and Pastor Doug Eagle on ‘Pastors Legacy Planning and Counsel’ with specific attention on investing in our retirement and future financial plans or the unexpected, especially as ministers.
Luke 14:28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?
As a retiree, I appreciate every bit of Pastor Doug Eagle’s teaching as I now practicalize Luke 14:28 in most areas of my endeavors and I always experience God’s faithfulness in the activities of life.
We must trust God to be faithful stewards, especially with the resources God has richly endowed us with.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
My question to Doug is that my husband and I are in our sixties. I do not have any life insurance, and my husband has one at his work. Our concern is that the older he gets, his job is becoming more unstable. If they were to let him go, he would not have any life insurance. What is a good life insurance plan to invest in at my age? Also, my husband’s health is not the greatest. How can we invest in and through our retirement years? Is it too late to plan for us since we are in our sixties?
My questions for Doug would be about teaching our children how to understand money and how to tithe/save/spend. We have one child who spends all his money (13yo) and the other one who saves everything but doesn’t tithe or having a giving heart (17yo). Our daughter is a good balance of giving/saving but she would love to spend it all if she could. Thank you!
We use the Dave Ramsey material here: https://www.daveramsey.com/store/youth
Your question is quite on point because teaching our children to understand how to manage their God-given resources should be of great concern to us, knowing that they are our future, the next generation.
It’s our prayer that God will help them manage financial issues while their hearts are truly focused on the Lord (Colossians 3:1-3).
I hope to duly explore/ utilize the link Pastor Jeff already provided for us (https://www.daveramsey.com/store/youth).
This is an important message and many of us need to start investing in our retirement and future financial plans or the unexpected. I appreciate Doug Eagle sharing how the Lord moved in his life with joining the San Diego Police force and the changes that they needed to make for his family. It is important that we view the money we earn as the Lord’s as we are working onto the Lord and it’s his blessing. When this idea was shared with me, it changed my viewpoint many years ago. As Doug shared, money is the eternal battle and shows where our battle is in our heart. This is something that make me think about how I handle money and the way we budget our money each month. I appreciate the way the Lord has provided for our family and the verse noted in the podcast in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” This is an important reminder to be good stewards of the money we are provided from the Lord.
Thanks Autumn for your response to this timely Podcast and I agree with you that it’s an important message on investing in our retirement and future financial plans or the unexpected and for this I am deeply grateful to Pastors Jeff and Doug Eagle. I am currently practicing some of these lessons of today’s message/ Podcast even it’s not an easy task. Trusting God in all that we do/ being diligent/ disciplined/ discreet / prudent are keys that can help us succeed in planning for retirement and living a fruitful life of retirement.
Psalms 92:12-14 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.
The verse you quote from 1 Tim 5:8 is so important. So many times we will be counseling people who are having trouble at home, but are hero’s at work or in the ministry. When the focus of peoples lives are misplaced, moving their eyes from serving their family first to something else, then they will be in need of marriage counseling, family counseling, and more. Our heart as biblical counselors ought to be to refocus people to their first ministries and their first priorities.
Autumn:
1 Timothy 5:8 is an important verse that some fathers sadly neglect.
Proverbs 17:6 tells us about getting old (which I am) and having grandchildren (I am not there yet): “Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. ”
There is a related Proverb about being good stewards that Eagle did not mention directly:
“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” Proverbs 13:22a.
Ya it is true Autumn I do agree with your statement “This is an important message and many of us need to start investing in our retirement and future financial plans or the unexpected.” We do need to plan ahead, sometimes we are so busy in ministry that we actually forget to look after our families and their futures!