By Jeff Brink, August 13, 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 dive deeper into this concept and why networking 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; by reimagining how we use our personal 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 income of Christians 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 amount of this money and its potential impact are mind-boggling. It is likely that tens-, if not hundreds-, of-billions-of-dollars could be injected into Kingdom growth initiatives.

Amazing things happen when we support fellow Christians in the marketplace (aka. Kingdom economy “investing”). Spurring on fellow believers in our networks will help them to flourish, find work, better-paying jobs, or connect them with business opportunities.  As their income increases, so does their Kingdom giving. The same concept applies to buying goods and services. If we intentionally seek to support Christian and Christian-run businesses, there is a high probability a portion 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.

God wants us to flourish and use the resources we have to cultivate and help His Kingdom flourish as well. When we engage with fellow Christians in the marketplace we help supercharge the Kingdom economy. We can “invest” in-Kingdom flourishing by intentionally directing our everyday spending, while participating more closely in God’s plan.  

To be clear, 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; we get to participate in His Plan. Our money is spent where our hearts are and on things that are important to us. That is why tithing and even Kingdom “investing” activities are important to God. By participating and investing in God’s plan (with our time, talent, and treasure) we are drawn closer to Him.

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”.  The Apostle Paul’s message was not advocating that we discriminate against non-Christians, rather, we are to prioritize supporting those in “the household of faith,” knowing that when Christians flourish, the Kingdom will also flourish.