How Can I Increase My Stewardship Impact?
Stewardship is more than giving. While giving is likely the most impactful stewardship activity, it isn’t the only one. Faith Driven Investor and other organizations argue that our investing and consumption can have a significant impact on solving the world’s challenges. Faith Driven Investor’s home page leads with the sentence, “Every investment makes an impact.” No activity is neutral.
Many of us believe this could be true, but don’t put it into practice. One reason is that we see giving as a great good that solves problems, and investing as something that comes from the world. Yet, many of the world’s problems require capital investment and sustained expert engagement. Investing often does that far better than ministry. Another reason is that much of the advice from these organizations focuses on opportunities for high-net-worth investors. It doesn’t feel like what I do will make much difference.
Both points are valid, and I sympathize with those who hear the grand ideas and would love to implement them if they just had $10 million rather than $10,000 or $1,000 to invest. With those challenges in mind, below are the next steps to take as an investor and consumer (of coffee) based on the following levels of wealth.
1. Struggling Financially: Even though funds are tight, you have a deepening desire to make a difference. You often struggle because you’re trying to make an impact that your finances can’t support.
Investment Next Step: Aggressively pursue financial health and debt reduction. Good stewardship requires a foundation on which to invest. Establishing an emergency fund, paying off consumer debt, and investing through your company retirement plan will position you to help others in the future.
Consumer Next Step: Don’t debate between the expensive fair-trade coffee and the expensive non-fair-trade coffee. Stop buying expensive coffee! Create financial margin to lower your anxiety and move towards health.
2. Solid Financial Health: You are on the right path and need to stick with it. Your investment balances are growing, and your budget looks solid.
Investment Next Step: When possible, consider values-based Exchange Trade Funds and Mutual Funds that emphasize companies doing good and excluding those that engage in practices against your values. Don’t stop investing in your company retirement plan because there aren’t value-based options. Your financial health will have far more impact than screening companies.
Consumer Next Step: The collective consumer impact of those of you in this group will be far larger than that of the other groups. Whether it's buying fair-trade coffee or other issues, start making choices that add love and justice to a hurting world.
3. Affluent: Long-practiced financial wisdom has allowed you to reach the point where your net worth is climbing. It's time to take your financial discipleship to the next level.
Investment Next Step: Invest a portion of your emergency fund in a church extension fund, like Orchard Alliance, that uses the money to advance God’s kingdom through church building or other activities.
Consumer Next Step: Start looking for faith-based or community-enhancing businesses to support with your consumer dollars. Drive the extra distance to the coffee shop whose mission is to make a difference in your community.
4. Wealthy: You’ve been blessed, and it is time to be a blessing to others.
Investment Next Step: Prayerfully seek out investment opportunities that resonate with your heart and are designed to have Kingdom impact. The investments may benefit from the expertise that allowed you to accumulate this money in the first place.
Consumer Next Step: You're drinking more than enough coffee. Cap your consumption level and donate the difference. You are laying up treasure in heaven—and less caffeine will make you more pleasant to be around.
Whatever your wealth level, stewardship begins with faithful financial management and grows through intentional investing and everyday spending aligned with your values. Because every investment makes an impact, each step—whether reducing debt, increasing generosity, choosing values-based funds, or supporting Kingdom-focused initiatives—becomes an opportunity to advance God’s purposes. The question isn’t how much of a difference you can make, but how you will steward what you’ve been given—whether a venti, grande, or a tall.
