A new debt advice resource for churches has been prepared by the Money Advice Trust. The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed it, and the need for good advice about money has never been more pressing.
Personal debt in the UK has been described as Britain's 'hidden timebomb', with high consumer spending meaning that more and more people are relying on debt to fund their lifestyles – or just to get by. But what can the Church say about money and how to use it?
1. Don't want what you can't have
Thanks to our immersion in communications media, we're surrounded by images of luxury and bombarded by cunning advertisements all the time. There's a vast industry with deep pockets and huge resources, employing highly intelligent, creative and motivated people whose aim is to make us want things. But desire is a spiritual issue, and it has to be addressed on a spiritual level. Not all desire for consumer goods is wrong. There's a pleasure to be found in buying and owning things that's very human. But the Church needs to teach the values of restraint, self-denial and contentment. Stuff is just stuff: refusing to be bound by what other people say we ought to want is a sign of grace and spiritual maturity. "The love of money is a root of every kind of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
2. Give some of it away
Many churches teach tithing (giving away a tenth of our income) as a sound biblical principle. If that's what you do with your money, I honour you for it. But while it's an attractive teaching for cash-strapped churches, I don't personally think it's a New Testament principle. I believe we should be teaching generosity and responsibility, and if someone's earning just enough to survive, giving away a tenth of it isn't necessarily smart (and arguing that because it's given to God he won't let you suffer the consequences comes under the commandment, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test"). But giving – less than a tenth, or a lot more – isn't just about the value of the money itself. It's a sign that whether we're rich or poor, money doesn't rule over us: we serve a different master.
3. Find good friends
Peer pressure can be huge, especially in the world of social media where people share the very best experiences of where they've been on holiday, their latest gadgets, the fantastic time they had at that party or that spa. The pressure to match up to other people's expectations of what a normal life is can drive us to unrealistic expenditure. Finding people who'll keep our feet on the ground but still make us feel included and loved is a literal godsend.
4. Be disciplined and careful
Too many people get into financial trouble because they don't work out a budget and stick to it. Write down your incomings and your outgoings, and factor in a chunk for emergencies. Ask yourself what would happen if the fridge packed up or the car broke down, and put money aside for it. Don't spend it on an impulse buy.
5. Be understanding and compassionate
Some people get into debt because they haven't been disciplined and careful. Don't judge them: maybe they've just lived chaotic lives and haven't realised how bad things were getting until it was too late. You can't see into their hearts. If you find someone like that, you can be sure they judge themselves more harshly than you do. What they need is help.
Some people get into debt and they can't help it. They don't waste money on non-essentials (though it's worth saying that what's non-essential to one person might be essential to another). But if you're on benefits and the fridge packs up or the car breaks down, you don't have too many options. And then there are the bad life events like losing a job, or a marriage breakdown, or an illness, that you can't really plan for.
6. Be community-minded
One of the problems faced by people without much money is the narrowing of horizons. An attraction might be free, but the bus fare to get there puts it out of reach. What's normal for people who are financially secure – eating out, holidays, going to the theatre or the gym – becomes unthinkable. Impoverishment isn't just about money, it's about what money buys you. So, churches: how are you including people in your congregations who might not be able to take part in your activities? Is there a 'needs-blind' policy about church weekends away or outings? Do you reimburse youth leaders for petrol and pizzas?
And more to the point: how are you making the lives of poorer people in your communities richer, through free community days, films, barbecues, sports and training?
7. Be activists
In the wake of the General Election, this is a controversial thing to say: but Britain is one of the best places in the world to be old, ill, unemployed, low-paid or disabled. That's a fact, but it's something we can only take a limited pride in – because our little country is the sixth largest economy in the world, and if we weren't caring for vulnerable people we should be ashamed of ourselves. But that doesn't mean that we can relax. Church outreach and private charity can only do so much. The state needs to be held to account in how the most needy in our society are treated. They deserve honour, dignity and care. As we face £12 billion in welfare cuts, the Church will need to be asking the hard questions about their effects on the ground.
8. Be informed
Christians Against Poverty works with churches to provide debt counselling. The National Debtline provides free advice. Community Money Advice works with churches and others to help people manage their money. Can your church become part of networks like these?
9. Remember whose money it is
In Psalm 50:10 God says, "Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills" (NIV). In a different context, Paul asks the Corinthians, "What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:10). We're more careful with other people's possessions than we are with our own. So understanding that everything we have is not ultimately our own might just make us better at handling it.
Follow @RevMarkWoods on Twitter.
