the pastoral family and money (part2)

getting out of debt

The average American has more than 3 credit cards and is over $16,000 in debt! Sadly, Christians and pastoral families are often in the same boat with everyone else.

Just a few decades ago, if you wanted a car, you saved until you could buy one. If you wanted a house, you saved up for a big downpayment. If you wanted a new pair of shoes, you had to have cash in hand.

Now, if we let him, my 7-month old son could open a credit card and go on a spending spree.

Debt is bondage. Solomon knew that way back when he wrote "...the borrower is a slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7) The bible urges us over and over to be debt-free, and to live within our means. That can be a real challenge - especially when pastors don't usually make a lot of money.

About 5 years ago, my PH and I decided to get out of debt. We had the average American credit card balance, plus a car payment, school loans and a mortgage. We got on board with one of the great bible-based money management programs out there called "Total Money Makeover" and changed how we looked at spending money.

Since then, we lived on beans and rice for a while, and paid off our credit cards, cars, and so on. We're selling our house (since we moved to a new church district anyway), and put a big dent in the school loans. It's tough at the moment, because I'm not earning a paycheck since our little guy came along last year, but having a cash-only mindset made the transition to living on one salary MUCH easier!

We've cultivated habits of watching for sales, clipping coupons, buying in bulk, and skipping pricey indulgences - and it has made a huge difference!

What about you?
Have you decided to go biblical and be debt-free?
How did you do it?
How does your family model biblical money management as spiritual leaders?

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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the pastoral family and money (part1)

living the high life... (or not!)

My PH likes to spoil me. 

It's one of the (many) reasons I love him so much. That, and the fact that he's truly a great preacher - so I don't have to listen to boring sermons every weekend just because I'm married to the pastor and can't go anywhere else!

And this week was a big one in our family. On Sunday we celebrated my very first Mother's Day. Yesterday was our 7th wedding anniversary. Two very good occasions for spoiling, if I say so myself! 

And like the wonderful and generous man he is, he got me an iPad. Not ridiculously bank-breaking extravagant, but definitely a nice gift. Something I'd been drooling over for a while now, but didn't think we could afford - so I hadn't bothered to ask.

The thing is, I'd really like to show off my fabulous new gadget - but I'm not sure I should. You know how it goes...

People start to wonder how the pastor will wisely manage the church's money if it looks like his family is too well off. Nobody wants to trust a man who's wife appears spendthrift. 

You can drive a brand new Honda and nobody will blink. But if you decide to save a lot of money and pay cash for an $8,000 BMW - the congregation will think you're high-maintenance. (And yes, we drive Hondas - but we buy them used!)

Maybe in some churches, money isn't an issue. But the majority of pastoral families I know tend to be on the lower end of broke. Ministry just isn't a career for making money. And that's fine with me. I'm the queen of bargain shopping. I love finding an outfit on the $14.99 clearance rack at TJ Maxx that looks like it cost a lot more.

So when my hunny takes our unexpected tax return and uses it to make me happy, I don't feel guilty. I do, however, feel obligated somehow to let people know that it wasn't a wasteful purchase. Because I know that plenty of members gauge their trust in God's church by their observation of God's ministers. But honestly, it gets exhausting to explain over and over again.

I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave it home and delight over it in private. 

How about you? How do you handle inquiries or observations from your members about money? 

Next Friday: "the pastoral family and money (part2) - getting out of debt"

 

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

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