Money Talks: Week 1 Discussion Guide

CoreGroup Guide | Money Talks - Week One
Written by Denee Bowers and Chris Burford


Welcome

Money is a part of all of our lives, but many of us were taught to never talk about it. It is a huge part of our day to day, but it can often feel like we are on our own when it comes to decision making around our finances. While many churches only talk about it when they are asking you to give, money and material possessions were some of Jesus’ favorite topics to teach about. During this series we hope you can open yourself up to talking about money, sharing what you’ve learned, listening to the perspectives of your group members, and discovering what God wants for our financial lives. 

Opening Prayer

God, as we continue to grow in following you we invite you into every part of our lives. Help us to open up our hearts, budgets, and bank accounts to your guidance. Give us the courage to share where we are struggling, and the humility to try new approaches to managing our money. We pray that our conversation will bring about a unified desire to use our resources to serve and glorify you. Amen. 

Ice Breaker

It can be hard to hear this sermon title without “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays running through your head. Or maybe you’re more of a Pink Floyd person and you immediately think of the jingling coins at the start of “Money.”

What songs, movies, or tv shows come to mind when you think about money? 

The Head

Jesus had a lot to say about money and material possessions. He spoke directly to extremely rich people and to people with very few possessions, and in both cases challenged them to consider what their habits around money said about their true desires.

Matthew 6:24 –
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Luke 12:15
Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.”

• Why do you think Jesus says serving God and serving money are in direct conflict?
• How would you describe what it looks like to serve money as your master? 
• What are some things you can do to “guard against greed”? 
• Jesus says “one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions.” If this is true, what do you think one’s life is defined by? 

The Heart

To establish a healthy financial life you have to spend some time thinking about money, but most of us have very little experience talking about money. Use this time to practice sharing how you think and feel about money. You don’t have to talk dollars and cents. Instead reflect on the big ideas, guidelines, and motivations that impact your finances.

• What feelings came up for you when you learned we would be doing an entire sermon series on money? 
• How much of your energy do you spend thinking about money? Is most of your focus on making more money, spending, debt, or something else?
• What are your goals for your finances? Has God had an impact on how you plan for your money? 

The Hands

It is no accident that we are talking about money right after our Clean Slate sermon series. What tools from the last series could you use to help you create lasting change in your finances?

• Essentialize, focus on the most important things
• Start small
• Create, track, reward, and share a new habit
• Look for areas of margin

• What tools do you use to manage your finances that might be helpful for other members of your group?

Closing Prayer

God of grace, be with us as we go. Over the next week we ask for eyes to see your love all around us. We might struggle to change, experience setbacks, and feel discouraged, but we trust that you are the God of fresh starts. Help us to cheer each other on in the long, slow work of aligning our desires more closely with yours. Amen.


CoreGroup Announcements


Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-being

Is financial stress something that weighs on you? Do you want to gain a better understanding of your financial situation, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you feel pretty good about your finances, but you want to be more intentional with how you use your money…then this group is for you! Over the course of 6 weeks, we will focus on strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life discussing specific topics such as saving, eliminating debt, creating budgets, and adjusting spending habits. The group will utilize the curriculum “Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-being” and be taught by a trained facilitator. 

To get the most out of the group, participants should expect to do about 1 hour of work related to their personal finances between group sessions. Participants are asked to contribute $15 toward the cost of the participant workbook. (We do not want the cost to be prohibitive, so please contact Ashley Pondoff, ashley.pondoff@gatheringnow.org if you need assistance.)  

If you are feeling the nudge to focus on your financial health, we hope you will join us! Let’s work on this together!

Register at: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/8383115