The Church I attend has long emphasized being wise financial stewards, avoiding debt, and saving for a time of need. I have seen many members follow this counsel while others tend to do nothing about it. Lately there seems to be a yearning by some members for more investment advice, in addition to basic budgeting, debt avoidance and saving up an emergency fund. My Church responded with four self reliance courses:
- Personal Finance
- Finding a Better Job
- Starting and Growing My Business
- Education for Better Work
How It Works
The ideal group is 8-12 people, often spouses are encouraged to take the course together. There are action partners, commitments, discussions, reading material, educational videos, and opportunities to reflect in silence. The class meets for two hours over the course of 12 weeks. We team up with action partners, apply the lessons and follow up with each other during the week. It is a faith based course and there are scripture references throughout the manual. One person facilitates but is not a teacher, but rather a participant who keeps the lesson on time and keeps things organized. The group shares progress and functions as a council to help everyone progress and learn.
Week 1: Becoming a Wise and Faithful Steward
The lessons are quite good, well thought out and have great questions and discussion points. Here are some of my takeaways from week 1:
- It is important to have faith that there are solutions to our problems.
- Being self reliant means you can provide for yourself and your family, and puts you in a position of strength.
- It is hard to feel peace and be spiritual when the temporal issues preoccupy your mind (when you are worried about money, your next meal, your growing pile of bills, etc).
- All things belong to the Lord, we are simply caretakers of our possessions.
- God cares about our temporal problems just as he does our family and spiritual problems. We can seek His guidance through prayer.
- It is important to track income and expenses to see where improvements can be made.
Conclusion
While I am well versed in how to get to Financial Independence and heading that way in the next decade, I recognize that there is a lot I can learn from others. I was careful not to comment too much but to listen to others. The group is a good mix of those who are successful and knowledgeable, and those who are less savvy. It’s important to recognize that not everyone finds finance so interesting. Many just want to have a bit of knowledge and understanding but won’t take it any further and will live “normal” American lives (as in not FIRE movement style). It was great to gather with fellow members, hear some of their stories and lives and encourage each other throughout the week.
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