A steward is another word for a trustee. A trustee is someone who manages property which belongs to someone else.
If you have been in church and heard the pastor speak about stewardship, the pastor probably uses the word as a synonym for tithing. A tithe is certainly an element of stewardship. But stewardship is a far larger concept which does not get the study it truly deserves.
Stewardship as a concept as actually very central throughout the Bible, even though the word itself is not necessarily used. For example, in Genesis 1:28 at the end of the creation account we read, “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiple, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”
In this one verse, we understand that
we did not create anything; God created and entrusted us with His handiwork;
we are called by God to subdue the earth; God entrusted the management and administration of the earth’s resources to us (like a trustee … or stewardship);
we are called to rule over the created order; God entrusted to us the management of animals, crops and all living things.
How are we doing? In this course, we will review the key elements of stewardship as we find them in the Bible. We will also discuss how we can best fulfill the calling that God gave us to administer and manage His creation.
As you are going through the course, consider this question: Does how we administer and manage the earth impact our life in God? If it does, then shouldn’t we try to understand what God is asking us to do?
This course is designed to qualify for at least a half credit of high school coursework and satisfy the personal finance requirement.
Personal Finance for Homeschoolers is a comprehensive course on basic money management, personal financial planning, and basic business planning. We are not fans of rote learning, memorization for the sake of completing a class, or test-taking skills. The format of the course is primarily case-study. The benefit to a case-study approach is that the student learns to apply the material learned.
The class generally uses the following format:
The student begins the lesson with a non-graded pre-test meant to measure the student’s knowledgeable about the subject in the lesson.
The student (and teacher) then work through the lesson material.
Each lesson is followed by a graded quiz. The quizzes are presented in case-study format meant to help the student apply what they learned in the lesson.
There are also three course assignments. The first is for the student to open a bank account. The second is for the student to complete a financial planning case study. The third is for the student to prepare a business plan. For the two case studies, a sample financial plan and business plan are provided.
In the case studies, we are inviting the student to play the role of a financial planner!
In the pre-tests and quizzes, we have provided commentary to explain why answers are correct and incorrect. We also have downloadable material for the teacher to assist in developing grading rubrics and understanding the material. As an online class, graded quizzes do provide instant quiz results.
Zacchaeus Financial Counseling, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and our primary mission is to serve individual clients through financial planning. In this class, the student is benefitting from our experiences with clients and our professional experience spanning more than 20 years in the field of financial planning and taxation. We also regularly provide mini-classes in our local area based on the material in this course and may offer this class in-person locally from time-to-time.
We encourage you to contact us with questions or to receive insight on topics or areas in which the teacher or student may struggle. We like to hear from you!
Does Jesus care about our money habits? Do our money habits impact our relationship with God? Could the way we handle money affect our spirituality?
Does God provide in times of need even if we are not seeking Him?
Perhaps a better question is will God intervene in our circumstances if we are not looking for Him to work? If we are not seeking after God, we really are not giving Him a reason to intervene. If He does intervene, how would we know He is at work if we are not seeking Him or not leaving room for Him to work?
God often intervenes when He will receive the glory. Would God intervene if He received no glory? He would obviously receive the recognition, gratitude, and glory if we are seeking Him and saw that He is at work.
These questions and more are discussed in this course. The primary object of this course is to integrate faith and money and provide essential financial principles which enhance our relationship with Jesus Christ. The course is presented in Bible study format.
