By Jeff Brink, March 5, 2024

In a previous blog Networking to Supercharge the Kingdom Economy we discussed how Christians contribute to the “Kingdom Economy”, and the impact we can have beyond tithing and ministry-directed giving, simply by using our networks differently. Today, we will delve deeper into this concept and why it is important to God.

As a refresher, the term “Kingdom economy” is often used to describe monies that flow into churches, missions, and ministries for kingdom work – advancing either the Great Commandment or the Great Commission. Historically, kingdom work has been funded through tithing and directly supporting specific ministries. Abraham first practiced tithing (Genesis 14:18–20) and is an act of worship expressing gratitude, trust, and obedience to God. Tithing critically contributes to the kingdom’s economy along with other ministry-directed giving.

A tremendous opportunity exists (here comes the business side of me) to fuel the kingdom’s economy beyond traditional giving methods by simply reimagining how we use our networks and being mindful of who we buy from. For financial context around this opportunity, according to an article on biblicalstewardship.net (source was World Christian Trends AD 30-AD 2000), the combined Christian income in the United States is $5.2 trillion annually. That’s a trillion with a ‘T’! Although the exact portion of the $5.2 trillion used as discretionary spending is unknown (for most people it’s around 30%), it is also unknown precisely how much of that discretionary spend could be directed within the kingdom economy. Still, the numbers and potential impact are mind-boggling. It is likely that tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars could be injected into kingdom growth initiatives.

Many amazing things happen when we support fellow Christians in the marketplace (aka. kingdom economy “investing”). When we spur on fellow believers in our networks to flourish, help them find work or better-paying jobs, or connect them with business opportunities, their income increases – and so does their kingdom giving. The same holds true with buying goods and services. If we intentionally seek to use our networks to work with / support Christian and Christian-run businesses, there is a high probability that some of those monies will end up in the kingdom economy. The impact may seem somewhat intangible and invisible at the time, but it is very real and profound.

We all spend money contributing to the world’s economy, so why not direct those monies to impact the kingdom economy. It doesn’t require an additional financial sacrifice, we are simply making kingdom-oriented choices (stewarding) of where our dollars are spent, and with whom. An aspirational goal for FaithNet is to eventually create an online Kingdom Marketplace to better facilitate this type of “investing” in the kingdom.

I often cite Galatians 6:10: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith”. I don’t believe the Apostle Paul’s message was to discriminate against non-Christians but rather to prioritize supporting those in “the household of faith,” knowing that when Christians flourish, the kingdom will flourish.

To be clear, though, God doesn’t “need” our money for His Kingdom to grow and succeed. His will will be done with or without any of us. What He wants is our hearts and our participation in His Plan. Our money tends to be spent where our hearts are and on things that are important to us. That is why tithing and even kingdom economy “investing” activities are important to God. By participating in and investing in God’s plan (with our time, talent and treasure) we are drawn closer to Him.

God wants us to flourish and use those resources to cultivate and flourish His Kingdom. One cultivation method is to engage with fellow Christians in the marketplace and help supercharge the kingdom economy. Think of how many ways you can “invest” in kingdom flourishing through your everyday spending decisions, while participating more in God’s plan.