A Followup Letter to Church Leaders

This year, I had the privilege of traveling to Argentina for my first ever Prosperous Soul® conference. I made many friends and taught on the subject of Financial Healing.

I discovered that Argentines are hungry for revival. I also learned that their financial needs are severe.

We have our struggles in the U.S.A., but in Argentina, economic issues are real. Recently, the country ditched a corporate tax rate of 102%. It also escaped inflation of more than 11,000% over 10 years. That’s painful.

Such figures are the result of a government that lacks godly principles. Thankfully, Argentines have chosen to correct their issues.

Regardless of these positive trends, Argentines still need miracles. God’s protection is required to shield recovering homes and businesses. It’s a daily cry.

I write this letter with Argentina in mind because the country’s pastors and leaders are taking Financial Health seriously.

They’re leaning into biblical stewardship, utilizing educational materials like Prosperous Soul®, and teaching their communities to master finances.

It’s wonderful to see positive change infiltrate these communities.

The Church’s Role

In this season, I believe it’s the church’s role to practice generosity. It’s easy to let programs, events, and campaigns take the front row. But now, giving must take the forefront.

In my first open letter to church leaders, I wrote the following:

Proverbs 19:17 reminds us, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” We are called to support and uplift our family in Christ.

I’m asking churches and charities for a 4x increase in their benevolence budgets. I am asking for a revival in church involvement for welfare, development, and stability programs for community members. Let’s step alongside the important government agencies and do our part in the Gospel story. This commitment will help grow our communities and provide much-needed support. As Galatians 6:2 states, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

As a former CFO, I understand the need to maintain budgets. Nevertheless, I recommend that pastors multiply their benevolence funds.

This request will stretch churches, but not destroy them. I know this because I experienced God’s miraculous provision during my early years at Bethel Church. He is faithful. Paul writes:

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. — 2 Corinthians 9:10-12 (NASB)

I love reading about the generosity of the early church. Can you imagine how much of their budgets were geared toward benevolence? I’m sure it was around 80 or 90%.

Plans for Church Leaders

In this season, I’m not only asking church leaders to increase their giving funds. I’m requesting that they become financially healthy models for their community. As they master money, wisdom will pour out on their congregations and bring generational impact.

Thank you for reading this follow-up letter. Together, let’s see Jesus gain His full reward.

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An Open Letter to Church Leaders

Meet Hope, a regular client at Financial Sozo. She’s poised, articulate, and exudes confidence—qualities that have always stood out in our sessions. But recently, something’s changed.

Despite being highly skilled, intelligent, and well-trained in the medical field, her employers refuse to give her enough hours.

In our most recent meeting, Hope’s smile fades when I ask, “How can I help?”

She begins her heartbreaking story. It’s a tale of desperation that’s become all too familiar in my mentoring sessions.

The Church is Struggling

In the past few years, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: Christians seeking financial help from their churches and receiving nothing in return.

Many church members are facing severe financial struggles, and according to reports, this will only get worse. One study claims that “fewer than half [of Americans] (40%) feel they are in good or great financial shape, and one in four (23%) say they are in poor shape.”

As a retired CPA and CFO, I realize that churches operate under strict budgets. Pastors manage countless demands, but there’s a crucial aspect of stewardship that’s often overlooked: supporting our people.

The Role of Benevolence Programs

Allocating resources to support church members is not only essential; it’s required. By investing in financial education and direct assistance, we can stabilize our flocks. This includes providing funds for groceries, rent, and auto repairs. The body of Christ must lift people out of poverty. Some cannot do this on their own.

Challenges Faced by Church Members

Daily, I receive cries for help. While this isn’t new, the frequency of these calls is alarming. Christians are desperate for financial assistance. People like Hope, unable to cover rent, are turning to their churches for help, but are often met with resistance.

A recent Wells Fargo survey revealed, “almost half [of Americans]… [have] more debt than they feel comfortable with…” and a polling firm, KFF, claims “about half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs…” These statistics highlight a dire need for intervention.

A Call to Action for Church Leaders

Church leaders must ask themselves if they’re genuinely serving those in need. Or are they diverting funds away from those who are truly suffering? Proverbs 19:17 reminds us, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” We are called to support our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Responsibility of Religious Organizations

I urge churches to quadruple their benevolence budgets. I’m calling for a revival in the Body of Christ’s involvement in welfare, development, and stability programs. Let’s partner with government agencies when needed and do our part in the gospel story. Galatians 6:2 states, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

The Body of Christ must provide assistance. James 2:15-16 emphasizes this duty: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

Urgent Need for Support

Those who love Jesus require our help. They can’t wait until their rent is due or their landlords extend grace. Many churches depend on their donors for support. But part of this backing must now return to those who, despite giving small, have given in faith. Let’s meet their faith now, like bread returning after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

Final Appeal and Conclusion

It’s time for church leaders to embrace generous stewardship for their people. As we pray for the Holy Spirit to heal our nation, we must also heal our congregations—not the buildings, but the people. Let’s come together and provide the assistance our flocks need.

Hop on to our live coaching session

We’re meeting live today at 3:30 PM (CA time). Bring in any questions. Download my free handout here. I’ll see you soon!

Where does America go from here?

To say a lot has happened over the past few days is a massive understatement. For the sake of brevity, I won’t rehash the details.

Here’s the bottom line: we need a move of God, and we need it now.

We’re facing a Red Sea moment. Pharaoh’s army is pressing us against the water. It’s not time to panic or surrender. It’s time to cry out to the Lord for His mercy.

Thankfully, God is a deliverer by nature. He will deliver us. But we need to pray. Join me now:

“I ask right now that You, Lord, would deliver our nation from any unseen forces of evil. I pray that You would send Your angels to part the Red Sea and allow us to safely cross. Then, I ask You, Lord, to close the waters on evil.”

I’ll leave you with this passage. It’s long, but I believe it’s where we’re at prophetically as a nation. If you live in another country, receive this for yourself as well:

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemenand troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. – Exodus 14:5-31 NIV

I pray for God’s hand of protection to be over all of us in the coming months. I declare wisdom and guidance for our leaders. And I pray for a new century of prosperity and abundance in America. I ask this all in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Signs of a Prosperous Church

In America, there’s this unspoken belief that wealth is bad and poverty is good. The less you have, the closer you are to the Lord. But these ideas reek of a poverty mindset. There’s a big difference between being “poor in spirit” and believing you’re a powerless victim.

Scripture says, “it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” but that doesn’t mean we should retreat from Heaven’s blessings (see Matthew 19:23 NLT).

God wants us to thrive financially, spiritually, and emotionally. 

Personally, I see success in these 3 areas as signs of a Prosperous Church. But what does thriving in these areas look like? Is it possible to have all 3 and still maintain integrity? I think so.

Painting of a dove flying

1. Spiritual Prosperity

Spiritual prosperity for church members is a strong desire. Yet, so many congregations feel spiritually empty. Why? 

A lot of churches have no real connection to the Holy Spirit. 

Some leaders are too afraid to get their people connected to God’s presence. Members who “flow in the spirit” act weird. Services run long. Congregants get offended. 

But this experience of God’s power is so needed. It’s a sign of spiritual prosperity.

When Bill Johnson first arrived at Bethel Church, he preached a message of “revival at all costs.” He encouraged everyone to seek God with ferocity. 

At first, Bill’s message was met with resistance. Over half the church left within a few months. 

Today, Bethel is a massive, international movement dedicated to hosting God’s presence.

That’s what a Prosperous Church is: a community of believers who pursue the Lord wholeheartedly and experience His presence on a personal level.

2. Emotional Prosperity

Everyone in a Prosperous Church, leaders and members alike, should work to become healthier people. 

This is why inner healing and deliverance ministries like Bethel Sozo are so beneficial. They allow people to meet with God in a safe environment and receive healing from deep personal issues.

I remember when my wife and I ran into an acquaintance from a previous church. Dawna had just started the Bethel Sozo ministry and experienced radical transformation. The acquaintance was so stunned with Dawna’s change. She said, “Wow, you used to be so bitter!” 

It was a hilarious moment that caused everyone to laugh. Dawna confessed, “Yes, I definitely had some anger issues.” Point is, inner healing can lead to extreme breakthrough, even to the point of making people unrecognizable (in a good way). 

Members of a Prosperous Church seek to heal their issues so that they can become healthier people.

3. Financial Prosperity

Picture of the inside of a cathedral

Finally, members of a Prosperous Church grow financially. Congregants aren’t afraid to examine their finances and make changes if needed. They see wealth as a tool, and grow it for God’s glory. This mission is demonstrated in Matthew 25:20-22:

“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much…’”

God not only encourages us to earn wealth, He expects an increase in whatever He gives us. Prosperous Church members recognize that money is an opportunity for growth, and they work hard to steward it.

Conclusion

The church has an incredible opportunity to demonstrate spiritual, emotional, and financial success. We don’t need to look to important figures in culture, politics, or business to be inspired. We can be the inspiration ourselves!

I call this an evangelism of jealousy: where people come to the Bride of Christ because they see us thriving. 

If you feel called to build a Prosperous Church or are inspired to join one, ask God how you can increase your health in these 3 areas: spiritual, emotional, and financial. Pray this prayer:

“Lord, help me to steward the riches you’ve given me. Empower me to get healthy on the inside so I can carry the blessings You provide. Teach me how to connect with You on a deeper level, so I can move closer to You and reflect success in every area of my being. I pray this all in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

P.S: For insight on how to develop your strength in these 3 areas, check out my ecourse: Prosperous Soul Online: Foundations.