This is a guest post by Michael Kostelnik, a pastor and financial planner at Family Life Financial Planning, where he enables people to keep faith and family first by helping them with their finances.

 

2010.

 

The year things got serious.

 

The plan was for my wife, Jessica, to work full-time while I worked part-time and completed seminary. I had resigned from my job as an associate pastor of a great church and was eager to return to my studies. Things would be tight, but we knew we could make the finances work.

 

And then she told me she was pregnant.

 

And I began to question everything.

 

Between calls and with a newborn, our original plan just wouldn’t cut it anymore. Insurance was the biggest of our problems. I had the better career, so I always carried the insurance and made more. When my pastoral position ended on December 31, 2010, so did the insurance. What could we do?

 

Church Planting While Working Full-Time

At that point, we both entered a period where we struggled to know what to do next. It was the first time in our lives we were not active in ministry and took a toll on both of us.

 

That didn’t last long, though. Soon, we got the call to plant a church. It was a young church, comprised of college students. We were the old ones at the ripe old age of 30.

 

While planting the church, I was working full-time in financial planning to pay the bills and Jessica was a stay-at-home mom to our growing family of three little boys. During those 5 years, from 2011 to 2016, I had two full-time jobs. One as a church planter with little to no salary and one in financial planning.

 

Both jobs require 40+ hours a week to be successful. Add to this three little boys, and there was not enough time to go around. Something had to give. Often, it was growing my business, which was the financial backbone of the family. There were many nights I needed to work late, but didn’t, simply to be at home or to visit the local college campus.

 

We Are Not Called To Poverty

As pastors, it is very easy for us to sacrifice our finances for our ministry. However, I do not believe this is biblical. While we are not to be greedy (and greed is a very large concern, just as Paul warns us in1 Timothy 3:3), we are not called to a life of poverty.

 

Proverbs is littered with the command to be wise with our money. It also teaches to be diligent and hard working. This is where you may struggle to follow me. In America, it is hard to be both in poverty and diligent.  Please note, I am not talking wealthy, but financially stable.

 

Diligent means “having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.” Showing care and conscientiousness would include working hard for your boss, but also for yourself. In other words, improving your career. Getting a better job, a raise, or a promotion.

 

Pastors do not make a lot of money. No one is going to dispute that. Also, college is expensive. Those two can be a dangerous combination. The double-edged sword of low income and high debt is going to keep some of the best candidates out of the pastorate.

 

In fact, most churches are small and struggle to pay their pastor. Sometimes the best way you can love your church is by taking a pay cut or going part-time. How are you going to do that?

 

While unbelievers may not feel comfortable going to a church where the pastor has a new BMW every year, do you think they respect the pastor that is broke? Especially, when it comes time to teach on work/life balance or the plethora of financial commands in the Bible?

 

Personal Responsibility Is For Pastors, Too

I absolutely believe that God delivers and that we are to have faith, but the Bible also teaches personal responsibility. When Jesus tells the parable of the talents, it is obvious that we are to be studious with what is given to us, but most pastors allegorize this passage saying, “Be diligent in the things God gives you. The small ministry you have now. The wife you have. One day, God will give you a bigger ministry and children.” It is hard to tell people to take care of their money when you do not.

 

But, I firmly believe this passage is about money. If we do not handle the money we are given wisely, we face the same judgment as the man who received one talent. What we have will be taken away.

 

How To Fix Your Money Problems

While it is easy to agree that you shouldn’t be struggling with money, it can be harder to know what to do. Here is what I recommend:

 

Budget Your Time

The biggest problem I faced was balancing time between family, church, and work. Once you get a true balance in these three categories, you can move onto the next step.

 

Determine Your Problem

Dave Ramsey says it best. There are only two money problems; not enough income or too much spending. This is true, but it is not an either/or question. There is a spectrum. Where do you fall on that spectrum?

 

Take Action

If your problem is too little income, you need to improve that. There are plenty of ways to do this. Get a part-time job, start a blog/youtube channel, or start a side business. If you are already working, look for a promotion or new job.

 

If your problem is spending, you need to cut your spending. Shred the credit cards, pay off the car. Do everything Dave Ramsey recommends. Maybe even take on more work until your debt is gone.

 

Serve The People

One of my favorite passages is 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. You are going through the struggles that you are so that one day you can help others in the same situation. Be open and honest so that one day you can be there to help someone else.

 

Seek Help

If you’ve done all you can on your own and it just isn’t working, it might be time for you to get professional help. This article offers tips on how to find a financial advisor that will work in your best interest. I would also be happy to try to help you and answer any questions you may have. You can email me at Michael@saveforyourfamily.com or visit my website at http://www.saveforyourfamily.com. I even do pro-bono work from time to time, so reach out even if you don’t think you can afford to work with a professional.

 

Remember, you do not have to sacrifice your finances for your ministry. The call to ministry is not a call to poverty.