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Ministry FAQs:
Below are frequently
asked questions about the Good $ense ministry.
FAQs pertaining to the Good Sense resources
can be found here.
- What is the foundation of Good $ense?
- What is the Good $ense strategy?
- What are the benefits of a Good $ense Ministry?
- Who does the Good $ense Ministry serve?
- What do I need to launch a Good $ense Ministry?
- What is the Good $ense Ministry implementation
process?
- What do I do if an ongoing Good $ense Ministry
is not currently possible for my church?
- What is a Good $ense Ministry Champion?
- Will people come to a Budget Course?
- How important is the Budget Course?
- Should the church be talking about money?
- Won't talking about money scare seekers
away?
- What are the common barriers to speaking
about money from the pulpit?
- Do small groups have a role within Good
$ense?
- What leaders does a Good $ense Ministry
require?
- What are the qualifications of a Good $ense
counselor?
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1. What is the foundation of Good $ense?
Good $ense is built on a set of financial principles that reflect
what the ministry believes the Bible teaches about managing
money. The overarching and most important of the principles
is the cultivation of a steward's (or trustee's) mindset, i.e.,
a mindset where one views oneself as a trustee, as opposed to
an owner, of all they possess. Additional principles have to
do with the four things you can do with money -- give it, save
it, pay debt with it or spend it. The conviction that lack of
a biblical understanding of, and relationship to, our money
can imperil our relationship to God has motivated the development
of these ministry resources.
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2. What is the Good $ense strategy?
Good $ense uses a threefold strategy. First, it presents courses
that can be used to educate both Christians and non-Christians
about biblical financial principles. Second, the kit offers
training on how these principles can be practically applied
to life. Third, the ministry provides free, biblically based
and confidential budget counseling services to those who need
assistance with their finances.
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3. What are the benefits of a Good $ense Ministry?
A Good $ense Ministry challenges us to "give careful thought
to our ways" (Haggai 1:5-6). Most importantly, a Good $ense
Ministry facilitates spiritual formation by removing money as
a rival god. That leads to reduced stress in the lives of clients
and opens them further to the presence of God. The ministry
also provides practical tools for better management of the resources
God has given us. (A8 – A9) It often results in increased
giving to the church, which brings more opportunities for the
church to fulfill its God-given vision and to impact its community
for Christ.
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4. Who does the Good $ense Ministry serve?
It serves people at all points along the financial continuum,
not just people who are in financial difficulty. People
who are in financial crisis, who are one paycheck from disaster,
who are in good financial shape, or who are handling their
finances in a God-honoring way, but wish to understand more
deeply the biblical basis for doing so, will all benefit from
the Good $ense Ministry.
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5. What do I need to launch a Good $ense Ministry?
The Budget Course is the perfect place to start. The Implementation
Guide provides a step-by-step checklist of starting a Good
$ense Ministry. All tools needed to launch a Good $ense Ministry
are provided. Also, Stewardship leaders can find support from
the Good $ense Movement, which is committed to helping churches
start, establish and sustain Good $ense ministries.
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6. What is the Good $ense Ministry implementation process?
The Good $ense Ministry implementation process consists of four
phases: Commit, Develop, Launch, and Expand. Each of these phases
is broken down into detailed action steps in the
Good $ense Ministry Implementation Guide.
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7. What do I do if the full year around Good $ense Ministry
is not currently possible for my church?
You may opt for a more modest approach, such as teaching just
the Good $ense Budget Course without creating a Good $ense core
team or training Good $ense counselors.
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8. What is a Good $ense Ministry Champion?
The Ministry Champion is one who has a passion to help people
develop God-honoring perspectives and practices on finances
and feels led to initiate a Good $ense Ministry. This is the
point person who leads the core team through the implementation
process.
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9. Will people come to a Budget Course?
Experience has shown that people do attend and that, generally,
attendance grows during the second and third offerings. With
pastoral teaching and advance publicity, attendance is usually
greater than anticipated.
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10. How important is the Budget Course?
The Budget Course is basic to all else that the ministry teaches
and offers. Its applicability cuts across all economic levels
and situations. It lays the foundation for other ministry offerings
and provides a logical entry point for ongoing counseling. It
also is an excellent opportunity to invite those outside the
church to an event that is relevant to their lives.
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11. Should the church be talking about money?
Absolutely. The Bible contains some 2,300 verses about money
and possessions. Fifteen percent of all of Jesus' recorded words
had to do with money. The church cannot neglect a topic that
God considered so important and that exerts such a strong, often
negative, influence on peoples' lives.
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12. Won't talking about money scare seekers away?
No. The Bible speaks to the very money issues that concern many
seekers, and it does so in "seeker friendly" ways.
Much of what turns people off over the church talking about
money is that it we often do so only in the context of a budgetary
crisis or the annual "stewardship drive."
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13. What are the common barriers to speaking about money from
the pulpit?
Money is often the "great silent subject" for pastors.
In many cases, they have not received training or have not personally
studied the second most mentioned topic in all of scripture.
Sometimes talk about money is perceived to be self-serving.
For some, it's hard to preach and teach with integrity when
their own finances are not in order. There may also be a concern
that people may get upset when the subject of money is taught.
The
Implementation Guide addresses these issues and recommends
resources to help teach on the topic effectively. See
Vision
Tools and Recommended
M essage Tapes for further assistance on this topic.
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14. Do small groups have a role within Good $ense?
Because Good $ense Ministry serving opportunities are generally
done "solo" (e.g. counseling), small groups are particularly
vital to the Good $ense Ministry. The ministry presents an opportunity
to create several types of small groups. Small groups could
be formed for:
- The Budget Course can be taught in a small group format
- New counselors who complete counselor training together
- Experienced counselors who would otherwise be unconnected
- Teachers who teach ministry programs
- Budget Course attendees who want deeper study about
specific use of money topics
- People who choose to engage in the counseling process
in a group setting rather than one-on-one.
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15. What leaders does a Good $ense
Ministry require?
The most important roles to fill (after a core team is in
place) are the Good $ense administrator, teachers and counselors.
The Good $ense administrator is needed to set up and oversee
the Good $ense Ministry office (even if it is only a file
cabinet) and procedures so that the infrastructure is in place
for teaching, training and counseling. Teachers are needed
to conduct new and ongoing Counselor Training and Budget Courses.
Counselors are needed to help during the Budget Course and
for follow-up and one-on-one counseling.
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16. What are the qualifications of a Good $ense counselor?
A Good $ense counselor must be a Christian who models the
principles of good stewardship and has completed Good $ense
counselor training. A Good $ense counselor does not have to
be a financial professional. Counselors who are financial
professionals may not benefit in any financial way by virtue
of their involvement in the ministry.
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