Due to the global economical crisis that affects Romania more and more, we are aware we have the unique opportunity to reach more and more hearts that were made sensitive, that need to understand and be taught how to apply what the Bible says about finances, with implications both in the personal/familial environment, and in business. Following, Titus Pastean, BIG-Impact-Crown Financial Ministries partnership national coordinator, shares a few insights from this ministry.
Evaluating the ministry God entrusted us with, namely the promoting of the biblical principles about managing goods and finances, I can’t but notice a few things he has done lately. I want to share them with you.
First of all, more and more people that are reached with this message from the Word of God are opening their hearts, wanting to know more.
Although the teaching about biblical financial management is available to all, right in the Bible, as a consequence of failing to systematize and highlight it, many of us have neglected it, or approached it in a superficial way.
This is even more sad as we know that, according to a simple hermeneutics principle, anything that is repeated in the Bible must be important and the Bible emphasizes very clearly the need of developing biblical financial thinking.
As I said, I am glad that the people of God who understand this need to (re)form healthy financial thinking are accepting the challenge and are making steps in the right direction. Through the grace of God, some of the churches in Romania have made a decision to follow-up this very important topic in a systematic way.
Another thing that brings me joy lately is that God is calling people to get involved in promoting these principles, through words and deeds. For example, this Spring we had some local Crown events organized by someone who, from a beneficiary of these principles, became a promoter of them. At Victoria church in Bucharest, we organized a course for financial bible study, held by Olivia Anton (a professional economist and Crown volunteer), a course that was completed by 9 individuals. Olivia held three other sessions on biblical financial topics in a conference for women, in Bucharest, on May 11-12 2012. The main topic of the conference dealt with having hope in a hopeless world.
Aside from the need to train and develop biblical financial thinking, another rising need is that of career orientation. Grasping this real need for many people, Crown Financial Ministries launched (in partnership with WEB) a product called Career Direct, a tool for educational and vocational orientation, which builds from a very simple biblical presupposition: the main value we have been entrusted with by God, that we have to manage, is ourselves. Please pray that this tool would become available in Romanian.