Fairhaven Church wanted to help their people with money.
But they’d seen how these things usually go: People leave feeling like all the church wants is their wallet. The ones already struggling feel worse. And everyone braces for impact when they hear a passage about money from stage.
And that’s because money is SO personal.
Most churches have learned (sometimes the hard way) that bringing up finances from stage can easily backfire.
So when Fairhaven decided to run a church-wide stewardship campaign with our True Financial Freedom class, they weren’t sure what to expect.
Here’s what actually happened…
The need is obvious. The approach isn’t.
Ryan Adams, Director of Operations at Fairhaven, knew the need was real (like most pastors do). Financial stress shows up in counseling sessions, in marriages falling apart, in people too burdened to serve or give.
But knowing there’s a need and knowing how to address it are two different things.
The danger with money conversations in church is adding guilt to an already heavy load.
People come in stressed and leave feeling worse, like they’ve failed at one more thing.
And that’s not discipleship; it’s discouragement.
So when Fairhaven partnered with us to run True Financial Freedom, they were hopeful but watching closely.
People opened up instead of shutting down
The first thing Ryan noticed was the energy in the room.
“From the initial conversations to the launch of the class, their enthusiasm for God’s Church, and specifically Fairhaven, was encouraging and inspiring,” he told us.
“They worked with us to make this a huge win for our church family.“
But the bigger surprise was how people responded to the material.
“Bob and Linda are such a great combo throughout the course and help put everyone at ease regardless of their financial background.“
That’s the part that’s hard to engineer:
You can have great content and solid theology, but if people feel judged, they shut down.
What Fairhaven experienced was the opposite.
People opened up, engaged, and actually applied what they were learning.
Fresh, Biblical, Practical (and Shame-Free)
Ryan pointed to a few reasons for the transformation they saw at Fairhaven:
It felt fresh. “The content is a fresh take on a topic that has traditionally had some prominent voices in the space.“
Not the same approaches people had already tried and bounced off of.
It was biblical and practical. “Each week the material has a good foundation of scriptural principles with very practical application for stewarding your resources in a 21st century world.“
Principles alone leave people stuck. Tactics alone miss the heart. Fairhaven’s people got both.
It was grace-based. No shame, no guilt. Just clarity, encouragement, and real steps forward.
“I have had such great feedback from those that went through the course,” Ryan said, “and look forward to the opportunity for more families to experience the life-changing impact of applying the principles from this course.“
It doesn’t have to be complicated
Fairhaven didn’t do anything complicated.
They approached financial discipleship with care, good teaching, and an eye toward long-term transformation rather than a quick fix.
If talking about money with your people has felt risky, you’re not alone.
But the answer isn’t to avoid it. It’s to do it differently.
