Battling Materialism in the Church

Are you battling materialism?

The hidden financial problem in the church is not how people behave with money; it’s what they believe about money. Church leaders who focus exclusively on the financial condition of their congregation can miss the financial lies causing that condition. Unless you start with the heart, you run the danger of creating what Randy Alcorn calls “faithful materialists.” Although there’s greater wealth among believers today than ever before, he says Christians rarely ask each other, “Are you winning the battle against materialism?” Or “How are you doing with your giving?” We must all examine how we’re handling the wealth that God’s entrusted to us. Mark 8:36 asks, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Now that’s as applicable today as it was two thousand years ago!

A lot of financial teaching focuses on helping people get on a budget, reduce their debt, and increase savings. Some address the benefits of giving, and those are important topics, but too often the emphasis is on financial success rather than financial faithfulness, and that raises an important question. If all we do is teach people to live debt-free so that they can pay cash for whatever they want, are we fulfilling Christ’s command to make disciples? Have we helped the people struggling with finances surrender fully to His Lordship? Have we really advanced God’s Kingdom? People must learn the value of submitting everything to Christ’s Lordship. Only then can they trust Him fully for their spiritual growth, life, career, and finances.

Now, if you can’t make ends meet because of materialism, our budget coaching program can put you on the road to financial freedom. Go to crown.org. Click the “Get Help Now” tab. You can start today at crown.org.