Investing the Church Trust Fund

At first it may seem like a blessing when someone leaves a sizable inheritance to the church. The roof can get fixed and the boiler replaced. It can also be anything but. It is far too easy to slip into complacency. Offerings may decline. The focus may shift from evangelism and disciple making to operation. Let us assume you have found a way to deal with these challenges and want to be good stewards of the funds with which you have been entrusted.

The Parable of the Three Servants
In the parable of the three servants (Matt. 25:14-30), the master rewards the two servants who both had multiplied his money the same way (v21 and 23). Remember, they had received unequal amounts, but according to their abilities so they both got the same praise. God wants us to grow what we have been given. We can do that when we honor God; when we love Him.

But what about the third servant? He paints a different picture of this master, one who is harsh and abusive. He reaps where he does not sow (v24). When we live in fear, our focus shifts not only from God, but also from our neighbors and unto ourselves. Remember, we are supposed to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Socially Responsible Investment
What this parable tells us is that it does matter how we use funds that have been bequeathed to the church. Yes, we are supposed to be good and faithful servants and grow the funds and to use them to make more disciples, but we are not to do so in a way that does not honor God or takes advantage of other people. It is with this in mind that a need for socially responsible investment options has developed and investment managers have responded. So what constitutes a socially responsible investment?

Investment Criteria
Different investment managers have responded in different ways picking stocks that meet certain criteria. Some have been successful. Others maybe not so much. Among the criteria most often cited are:

1. Environmental concerns
2. Social concerns
3. Governance concerns

Therefore, the acronym often used is ESG investing. To make things really simple, there is now even an ESG index, the FTSE4Good Index. All you have to do is find out if the stocks contained in the index are aligned with your own values and buy a mutual fund tracking that index.

Of course it is possible to pick your own stocks if your values are really important to you, but few have the resources to do that. If that is your reality and you really aren't satisfied with the options the professional managers give you, it might be helpful to think of it as a journey instead of a destination. You have an ideal goal you want to reach, but you can't just now. Wouldn't it be perfectly OK to invest the funds the best you know how at the moment and then begin to take small steps towards your ideal?

Christians in an Age of Wealth: A Biblical Theology of Stewardship (Biblical Theology for Life) (I may earn a commission on purchases made via this link)

Biblical stewardship is taking care of something that belongs to someone else, God, including His wealth.