Experience Your Own Journey to Financial Freedom

New Crown Seminar Offered at Twin Oaks

By Jim Day

Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church (which is located at 1230 Big Bend in Ballwin, MO) will host a one-day Crown Financial Ministries’ Journey to Financial Freedom Seminar beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 19th. Those interested in attending are urged to call Mark Hawkins at (636) 861-1870, email him at mhawkins@twinoakschurch.org, or register on-line at http://crown.org/Events/. The cost to attend this important seminar is only $25, which covers the cost of the needed workbook.

Then, beginning on January 30th, Twin Oaks will host a Crown Biblical Financial Study on Wednesdays starting at 6:30 p.m. for 10 weeks. Those wishing to attend this in-depth study should call Mark Hawkins at (636) 861-1870 or email him at mhawkins@twinoakschurch.org. The cost for this 10-week study course will be $45 to cover the cost of the workbook and materials.

Since Crown Financial Ministries’ earliest days, seminars have been a part of its effort to teach people what the Bible says about money. Last year, the ministry took its teaching effort to yet another level with the introduction of the Journey to Financial Freedom Seminar (JTFF).

In an article printed in Crown’s January 2005 Money Matters magazine, Dave Scobey, Crown’s national seminar liaison who also helped develop the JTFF, explains why there is such a tremendous need for their seminar within the body of Christ.

Through his experiences as a Crown seminar instructor and budget coach and as a teacher and counselor for Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Scobey has talked with hundreds of people about the topic of managing money. “Many people have debt-related issues,” he says, “and many are frustrated by the seeming complexity of it all. But regardless of the issues, the common thread woven through all of poor money management is the lack of a plan.” Without a plan, two things happen: people spend money in areas that are counterproductive, and money is generally not available when it is really needed.

Too often, people’s spending habits are the product of the culture. And one of the teaching points in the JTFF seminar is the conflict of cultures faced by Christians, who are bombarded with advertising that urges them to handle their money in ways that are contrary to God’s financial principles.

Key issues in the culture war are significance, satisfaction, and security, and the culture’s message on those issues is “go faster, take on more debt, and more is better.” As a result, people become captivated by what the world has to offer and are overwhelmed by debt.

Another of the teaching points in the JTFF is God’s nature. “He’s using money in many people’s lives in ways they don’t realize,” Scobey says. “There are many ways in which He provides and shows His faithfulness to meet our needs. And He uses money to show our need for Him.”

As they progress through the JTFF, participants learn how to develop their budget. Then, at the end of the seminar, they have an opportunity for decision and commitment. It’s here, Scobey says, at which they have the opportunity to put God back on the throne of their lives.

The JTFF offers an intensive introduction to the tremendous financial wisdom that God’s Word has to offer. Without an understanding of this wisdom, people are in danger of suffering from four common problems that Scobey has witnessed throughout his teaching and counseling experiences: 1. No financial plan (budget), 2. No tracking of expenses, 3. Spending based on cash on hand rather than a budget, and 4. Excessive spending in some areas not offset by a reduction in spending in others.

“Problems two, three, and four are products of the first,” Scobey says. “When we don’t have a plan to manage money, we lose track of our expenses (problem two). “I’ve talked to people who didn’t want to spend the $1,700 per year on soda, the $1,000 per year on bottled water, or the $2,200 per year on cups of coffee. They didn’t realize they were spending money in this way until someone helped them compute the annual cost of incidental spending at vending machines or the company snack bar.”

Problem number three occurs because people who spend without a plan have a tendency to spend based on their checkbook balances or the money in their pockets. As a result, they almost always overspend, but a budget would give them the framework to make decisions necessary to spend money wisely. And, because individuals who lack a plan don’t know where their money is being spent, they have difficulty recognizing the need to limit spending in some areas to help offset overspending in other areas (problem four).

“These are a few of the reasons Crown developed the JTFF,” Scobey says. “It provides a venue for a trained instructor, who is also a trained budget coach, to present the biblical principles on managing money and the practical steps to implement those principles. “The seminar is designed to provide the tools for God’s people to implement a financial plan to avoid or eliminate debt, create savings, and ultimately achieve true financial freedom. When people experience financial freedom, they become free to serve and honor God with their resources in ways they never imagined.”

For more information regarding Crown Financial Ministries visit their website at www.crown.org.