Talking about finances can feel too personal – forbidden, even. But what if we could create a space within the church to have vulnerable conversations about money that would also provide real solutions for addressing these financial challenges? 

Join us for a five-episode series featuring pastoral leaders sharing about economic obstacles that they have faced, how these experiences have impacted their faith, and how they approach money differently as a result. This podcast is part honest dialogue and part how-to, with the goal of enabling pastoral leaders, church organizational leaders, and lay leaders of congregations to feel supported and empowered in their personal and communal financial journeys.

Meet the Hosts

Fr. David Harris, retired from the Archdiocese of Louisville, is currently engaged in sacramental work and spiritual direction for multiple parishes. He shares how he entered pastoral life with a mindset of living simply, yet has been faced with unexpected health concerns that made life more complex and his budget more constrained, at a moment when he was facing the new financial implications of retirement. Fr. Harris discusses how asking for help has freed him from financial anxiety.

Pastor Jason Roberts left a career in broadcast TV to serve in ministry. He felt pressure to avoid talking about money to his Free Methodist congregation because of the stigma around tithing, and the frequent assumption that “churches are always trying to get your money.” Jason highlights how initiative grantee the National Association of Evangelicals helped ease these conversations by providing practical curricula that helped him engage helpfully with his board and congregational leaders, reframing ideas about generosity.

Rev. Michelle Brown, a full-time pastor, reflects on how she changed her views on personal finances after participating in a financial planning program through the Christian Church in Indiana (Disciples of Christ). Despite a full scholarship to seminary, she struggled to make ends meet. A financial planning program helped her reframe her relationship with money and direct her money towards paying off debt and even tithing to the church.

Rev. Dr. Marlene Fuller, a bivocational Baptist pastor and single mom, faced the challenge of going through a divorce as a young mother while in seminary. She talks about how pastoral life seemed woven with caregiving – often leaving her mental and emotional “tank” on empty. She shares how she addressed her traumas around personal finance through the cohort experience and financial planning services offered by , including theological insights and practical habits that have helped her thrive.

Pastor Ramón Rivera left his full-time job to move across the country and pursue God’s call to serve in ministry in the Church of God. With limited financial resources, he started a second job to make ends meet. Church of God Ministries’ C.A.R.E. program helped him make a plan to organize his finances, addressing his student loan debt, and setting up his pension. Today he equips other pastors with training that shows how they can both rely on God and also utilize financial resources and tools.