Financial Stewardship & "Levers"
August 1, 2024 | by: Roy Heinbach | 0 Comments
Posted in: Guest Writers
Dear Church Family,
Some of you may know that I have the privilege of being a financial leader within an employee-owned lawn and landscape company. Two years ago, we acquired a company in Omaha. I remember standing in front of them the first day welcoming them to our “family” and extolling the advantages of being part of an employee-owned company. I could see the apprehension in their faces as they worried about being part of a larger 500-person company. They had to place their faith and trust in a new company and leadership team. Today I had the privilege of providing them with a positive company financial update as well as distributing their first ever employee stock statements. I was able to show them how their hard work, their dedication, and their teamwork will provide a long-term retirement benefit for them and their families. As I shook the hands of each person, I could see that their fears had been replaced with relief and gratitude, reflected in their smiles and postures of pride.
In a similar way, I would like to give you a quick update of the Oak Hills financial position. At the beginning of the year we introduced pledge cards as a new way to encourage faithful, generous, and cheerful giving at Oak Hills. Through June our giving is close to $129,000, compared to our budget of $149,000. While short of our goal, we are thankful for the improvement compared to this time last year. Last June, our year-to-date giving was $103,000. This year, if we count an unexpected and generous gift of $10,000 (from, Gerie tells us, a non-member) our year-to-date pace has improved by 25%. Praise God! Even if we don't include this gift, our pace is still ahead by 16%, which is a nice increase compared to this time last year. We are thankful and encouraged by however God chooses to provide for us, yet how good it is to see an increase from our thoughtful, faithful givers. This is very encouraging to the Session and we hope it is to you as well!
I feel a weight of responsibility in my company because the financial decisions that I make as a leader can positively or negatively impact the future of our employees. I pray for wisdom and discernment as our leadership team makes decisions, as we have a responsibility to be faithful stewards to what God has entrusted us with. If we don’t hit our budget we have certain “levers” (better marketing, price adjustments, etc.) that we pull to help meet our financial targets so that our employees can continue to benefit from the success of our company.
As an elder and the treasurer at Oak Hills I have monitored the financial health of our Church for many years. For as long as I can remember God has provided just enough to meet or slightly exceed our budget. We have come up short some years, but we’ve had enough in savings to carry us. Praise the Lord! However, in full transparency, in the past, I have worried about how God will provide when we are behind on giving. In most years our December giving can make up to 25% of our overall budgeted giving and it helps close the financial gap. At this time of year I want to be able to pull a “lever” just like I can in the business world. So what “levers” can we pull as a body of believers that call Oak Hills our church home?
The first “lever” is making sure we educate or remind ourselves on what tithing means. Dale has done a wonderful job in prior articles diving into tithing so I am going to keep it high-level. The principle of tithing originates from the Old Testament, where it is established as a fundamental aspect of worship and gratitude. In Genesis 14:19-20, we see Abram giving a tenth of his possessions to Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High, as a sign of honor and acknowledgment of God’s provision. This act set a practice for the faithful practice of tithing.
In the New Testament we see a focus on the spirit of giving rather than a strict legalistic approach. Jesus himself acknowledges the practice of tithing in Matthew 23:23, saying, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." Here, Jesus emphasizes that while tithing is important, it should be accompanied by a generous heart and a commitment to justice and mercy.
Tithing is much more than a financial transaction. It is an act of worship that reflects our relationship with God. In Deuteronomy 14:23, we read, "The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives." This verse underscores that tithing is about prioritizing God in our hearts and lives. When we tithe, we are acknowledging that God is the ultimate provider and that our resources are gifts from Him. Our giving should be joyful and voluntary, reflecting a heart that is aligned with God’s generosity.
The second “lever” is through prayer. We need to thank God for his many blessings in our lives, and ask for His guidance in our giving. In Luke 16:10 it says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” This verse is a reminder that faithful stewardship is not contingent on how much we have. Instead, it’s our trustworthiness in handling what we have been given, whether it is little or much. Fear and doubt can also be a hindrance to giving. We need to ask God to replace our fears with unwavering faith and trust in His unfailing provision.
The third “lever” is through the act of actual giving. As I mentioned previously, we are thankfully ahead of where we were last year. However, it would be awesome if we could close the gap in the next few months so that our larger December amount could be the catalyst for planting another church, increasing the support for our missionaries, or for a new building. It’s exciting to think and dream about these things. Would you prayerfully consider helping close the gap?
Thank you for your faithful support of Oak Hills through prayer and giving. Please continue to pray for the ministry and finances of Oak Hills and how you can contribute during the second half of this year. We know that our God will continue to meet all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)
- Roy Heinbach
