In our extensive travels around the country visiting with pastors and Christian school leaders, we frequently encounter programs that stand-out as premier examples of ministries that are "getting it right."  When leadership strikes a proper balance between wise stewardship of current resources, vision for the future, and a passion for quality improvement, God's blessings become evident is a remarkable way.

Has the modern Christian education movement lost the message?  With enrollment numbers shrinking across the country, Christian schools are beginning to realize the consequences of failing to educate parents and church members as to why a Christian school education is so important. 

"The fundamentals of the economy are strong."  Ooops; maybe they're not!  The Government (or should we say the taxpayer) is bailing out failing financial institutions.  Investment banks are going the way of the dinosaurs.  Foreign banks are buying the assets of domestic banks and investment houses.  What is going on?  Isn't it incredible how financial issues impact our theology?  Sad how the turbulent times expose the weakness in our faith.

How much trust are we really putting in our uncertain riches?  The anxiety we experience over the turbulent times is the barometer that will measure our trust.  Its reading is undeniably accurate!  There is hope! The Bible counsels Christians to keep our trust in the living God, not their stuff.  This article acknowledges the difficulties of turbulent financial times, but provides practical suggestions for every Christian to honor the Lord by practicing Biblical stewardship.

Our goal in stewardship training is not to have some people give more; rather it is to have all the people give faithfully.  By faithfully we mean:  guided by God's Word and led by the Holy Spirit of God.  How could this happen?

As an evangelist, I have been an objective observer in hundreds of churches, and this is what I constructively suggest for changing what has been a routinely missed opportunity into a pro-active and positive reinforcement of your church's Biblical stewardship ministry:  Before you pass the collection plates, have someone teach from a verse of Scripture a truth or principle regarding Biblical stewardship, giving, and worship-and then take the offering.  

"I want our church people to give more!  Can you help me accomplish this goal?"  As a pastor you would probably never say this, but you do think about saying it, right? Almost every ministry has unmet needs, and it is true that having more money on hand would help to meet those needs.   

But ministry leaders must be careful not to let these burdens cause them to resort to man-centered tactics.  A simple shift in mindset may be needed.  Instead of having a goal for "the people to give more," the more appropriate goal is for "all the people to give faithfully."  After all, the requirement of stewardship is faithfulness, not more.  This goal is right, and it may challenge our motives.

In this article, Dr. Mike Duffy articulates how this simple shift in philosophy can help ministry leaders fashion a more Biblical approach to stewardship training in the local church and other ministries.

Theological drift is one of the biggest dangers facing Bible-based ministries today.  While ministry leaders may be strongly opposed to the outward attacks of sin and the world today, over time these deadly influences begin to seep in through less obvious means.  Through turnover in ministry leadership and the gradual moral degradation of our society, churches and other ministries can find themselves theologically adrift.

In the article that follows, Dr. George G. Houghton examines the principle of theological drift and lays out some practical Biblical steps for ministry leaders to follow in preventing this dangerous threat.  As you will see, preventing drift requires strategic planning and a significant institutional commitment.

While the summer months can provide a much needed and well-deserved opportunity for relaxation for school staff, you as the administrator must stay busy preparing for the coming school year.  How else, after all, can you justify your monstrous executive salary?  Summer “vacation” provides educators with a unique professional opportunity to strategically review some key areas of the ministry for possible improvement—a luxury few other professions are granted!

Taking a strategic approach to leadership means making the most of your down-time.  Busy administrators rarely have the time during the school year to think proactively about school policies, and when they do, it is usually in response to a pending crisis.   The old lawyer adage that “bad facts make bad law” could be restated for school administrators to say “crisis reactions make bad policy” (and sometimes lead to lawsuits.)  Take time this summer to address these strategic issues to improve your ministry’s next school year.

Treasure Builders^TM is a professionally produced pastoral tool to extend Eternal Vision's teaching ministry in the area of Biblical financial stewardship. The content is fundamental in doctrine, dispensational in hermeneutic and supportive of your local church ministry. You can creatively integrate the Treasure Builders material into your adult teaching program, discipleship classes, newcomer packets or community outreach events. Each lesson provides Biblical insight, builds conviction, and challenges believers in the areas of personal and corporate stewardship responsibility. Expect measurable results from your Treasure Builders participation with increased offerings, a greater sensitivity toward stewardship responsibilities and healthy questions about practicing Biblical stewardship.

• Is your church in need of continuous exposure to God's principles of Biblical financial management?
• Do you need a trustworthy tool to encourage your ministry in stewardship growth?
• Can you envision the value of this investment in the families of your ministry?

We believe the Treasure Builders publication will enhance your ministry's teaching in the area of Biblical stewardship.

The central intent of any Christian education is expressed by Christ Himself; “that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) In today’s world of humanism and materialism, a Biblical ethos must drive and direct the education of our children. Realizing that ultimately our children belong to God, the substance of their educational diet must meet with His approval. The scriptures must become the core of education, excellence the creed, and virtue the result. Thus the culmination of a truly Christian education should be an accurate understanding of God Himself.

Because Eternal Vision works with ministries who have need for continued support, our process is designed to provide a perpetual cash stream to meet those ongoing needs.

Ministries like Christian schools often promote the benefit of small student to teacher ratio as a positive reason to enroll students; and it certainly is. However, this positive creates a problem on the revenue side of the picture. By limiting the number of students, we are imposing a greater per student burden to provide for the teacher. Can all of the provision for the teacher come from tuition? Or would this cause us to charge a tuition that was beyond the reach of many families; especially if they had multiple children in the school?

Another challenge exists for para-church ministries like missions boards, Christian camps, and Christian colleges. These ministries lack a direct constituency or membership to reach out to for the financial needs of the ministry. It can be very difficult to raise funds to adequately compensate the faculty and staff and the necessary administration of the ministry.

In many such ministries, this inherent tension is often relieved by asking the staff to settle for much less compensation in order to make the ministry affordable for the participants. One person bears most of the burden. An endowment can remedy the problem.

In most Christian schools, a dangerous condition exists. Because we intentionally maintain low teacher-student ratios, the ministry is "labor intensive" but not "revenue intensive!"

Our extensive work with the pilot schools in our program has revealed that the condition of tuition dependence exists universally in Christian education. On average, the pilot schools in our program generate more than 86% of the schools' total income through tuition and fees. While most school ministries are supported by some limited fundraising efforts, a modest church contribution, and other miscellaneous income sources, the conclusion is undeniable that tuition provides the crucial measure of support for the ongoing operations of the ministry.

Now consider where those dollars are going. Right at 90% of our pilot schools' operating budgets are devoted to paying personnel expenses!

The inevitable conclusion is that cut-backs must be made, and most likely those cut-backs will take the form of lay-offs of school staff where the bulk of the money is being spent.

The good news is, there is a solution to the problem of tuition dependency!