Financial Well-Being as a Ministry Discipline: Why Saving Grace …. for United Methodist Pastors

The call to pastoral ministry is rooted in trust—trust in God, trust in our connectional community and trust that the church will help pastors flourish in ministry. Even though financial well-being is increasingly correlated with holistic well-being and flourishing, many United Methodist pastors find conversations about personal finances uncomfortable, overwhelming, or quietly stressful. Student loans, housing transitions, family responsibilities, and the unique realities of itinerant ministry too often make financial well-being feel just out of reach.

Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being disrupts that discomfort by increasing courage and confidence to address the topics of saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt in a Wesleyan culture. Biblically grounded, Saving Grace offers practical strategies and tools for achieving a sustainable financial life. United Methodists are invited to join the movement to improve financial well-being by using this valuable resource developed by Wespath’s Clergy Financial Well-Being Initiative in partnership with the United Methodist Publishing House. Are you ready to join agency, conference and local church leaders and staff becoming “money smart stewards” and masters of our finances?

What makes Saving Grace especially meaningful is its holistic faith grounded approach to managing money. The course invites pastors to reflect on their relationship with money through a spiritual lens—acknowledging how calling, generosity, scarcity, and trust all shape financial decisions. At the same time, it offers clear, accessible guidance on budgeting, debt, saving, insurance, and planning for the future. The language is plain, the tone is compassionate, and the focus is on progress rather than perfection.

Saving Grace is not about achieving some idealized version of financial success. Instead, this thoughtfully designed resource, which includes clergy and lay workbooks, devotions, leaders guide and free worksheets plus content created specifically for United Methodist clergy, is grounded in the realities of ministry and financially healthy practices. It approaches money not as a source of shame or anxiety, but as an area where faith, stewardship, and practical wisdom meet.

For pastors, financial health is not just a personal matter—it directly affects ministry. Financial stress can quietly erode energy, clarity, and joy. By contrast, greater financial stability can free pastors to lead with confidence, creativity, and presence. Saving Grace recognizes this connection and treats financial well-being as part of faithful discipleship, not a distraction from it. 

Another strength of Saving Grace is its flexibility. Pastors can engage the material individually, with a spouse, or in a group setting with colleagues. Many clergy find that walking through the course alongside others reduces isolation and opens honest, supportive conversations that are rarely given space in ministry settings.

In a church that asks much of its clergy, Saving Grace is a reminder that caring for pastors is itself an act of stewardship. It affirms that tending to financial well-being is not self-indulgent—it is responsible, faithful, and deeply aligned with the long-term health of both pastors and congregations.

For United Methodist pastors seeking a realistic, grace-filled path toward financial health, Saving Grace offers more than information. It offers encouragement, clarity, and a reminder that God’s provision can be approached thoughtfully, faithfully, and fearlessly.  Your people need your leadership and investment in your own well-being.

Buy your own personal copy of Saving Grace here.

Do you have questions about the UMC's clergy financial wellness initiative? Email Brandy Bivens at bbivens@gcfa.org with any questions.