Money and Mission—A Discernment Guide for Congregations

​Money is often a touchy subject. It is certainly one that everyone cares deeply about. Perhaps Jesus talked about money more than any other issue because he knew our use of money and our attitudes toward money reflect our values. When he warned people that they could have only one master, it was not Satan who was the competing choice, it was money. The love of money is the ultimate confusion of ends with means.

The power of money over our lives is related to our desire for control and, especially in North America, to our strong bent toward individual autonomy. These temptations are not absent in the church, and we assume that they are at our own peril. It is because we recognize these personal temptations and know that our culture influences our financial behavior that we make an effort as God’s people to understand how best to use what God has given us. When we talk about money and share counsel and discernment about its use, it begins to lose its power over us. This booklet is an attempt to engage that conversation as it relates to the mission ministries of the church, particularly those of the newly formed Mennonite Church USA.