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1. All money comes from God. It is his provision for us as individuals and as the Church.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17 (NIV)
"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Romans 11:36 (NIV)
2. For churches, this money often comes from the generous giving of members, who trust churches and church leaders to use that money well.
God cares about what we do with this provision and calls us to use and steward it well, for the good of both people and the planet. This is one of the reasons we care so much about this money being used 'safely and sustainably'.
"Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
"Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
Proverbs 3: 9-10 (NIV)
"The LORD God took the human and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
"The LORD God took the human and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
3. Banks used by churches make loans and investments that allow businesses to run and ventures to be undertaken.
Money is a tool that can be used for good or evil. As such, we should be concerned about what the banks we use do with our money (Matthew 25:14-30 - The Parable of the Bags of Gold).
Giving our custom to banks that invest in fossil fuels means more fossil fuels are burned.
In fact, most of the UK's big high-street banks invest heavily in companies that contribute directly to climate change through fossil fuels and other harmful industries. Since 2015, the world's 60 largest banks have provided $6.9 trillion in financing the fossil fuel industry.¹ The UK's 4 largest banks, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest have all been among the world's biggest financiers of fossil fuels.² We think this is a problem.
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
4. Poorer communities are often hit hardest by climate change. The World Economic Forum reports climate change may cause an additional 14.5 million deaths by 2050.³
God hates the effects of climate change for both people and planet - for the whole of creation.
Many in the world's poorest countries are already affected directly by climate change, and it is our responsibility in the UK to mitigate against this. Switching banks is an incredibly powerful and practical step showing Christlike compassion for our global neighbours.
There are many ethical banks that make the conscious decision to invest their funds for good, such as The Co-Operative Bank, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Reliance and Unity Trust.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."
Matthew 25:34-36 (NLT)
5. As the people of God, we are called to care for those most in need. Switching banks is one simple and easy action we can take to do this!
5. As the people of God, we are called to care for those most in need. Switching banks is one simple and easy action we can take to do this!
Funding climate change is not good stewardship of the money God has given us. It is not loving to people and the planet. We, the Church, can do better!
Together, all the churches in the UK have a lot of money in banks.⁴ If enough churches switch bank and talk about why they have done this, both to their old banks and to the public, we can put pressure on the banks to change their financing and make a meaningful impact in the fight against climate change.
Changing your bank is an amazing way for your church to steward its resources well and do good with the money God has provided. It's an easy, practical step that will have great impact in the world.
References
https://good-with-money.com/2024/06/26/top-5-least-ethical-banks-and-where-to-move-for-good/
https://www.weforum.org/press/2024/01/wef24-climate-crisis-health/; https://www.who.int/health-topics/climate-change
See, for example, Church of England parishes alone had a total income of £1.055bn in 2022.
Photos: Copyright to Just Love UK
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