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What Does the Bible Say About..Churches Investing?

I know the Bible speaks out against financial institutions charging high interest rates on money loaned, but is it wrong for a church to put money in a bank/financial institution and gain interest off of it. Also, is it wrong for a church to invest in CD's or the stock market?

Answer

The Law of Moses did forbid the Jews to take interest on a loan from another Jew. The Bible says nothing of how, or if, a church should invest its treasury. There are some who argue that the money given to the church is for the purpose of doing God’s work with it, and it would be wrong for the church to save it for the future. Others say that churches should put aside some for unexpected events, so why not draw interest off of it. Sometimes a church may be putting some aside for a specific work (building a new meeting place, a particular upcoming gift to a specific cause) and the safest place to keep the money is a bank, which pays interest.

“And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:9-12)

Is it wrong to invest in CDs or the stock market? I think that a church must consider the risks. This is money given back to God for his use. If a church enters a risky venture that would result in a loss of their treasury, or that would cause them to be ridiculed by those who would oppose God, then it would probably be wrong. If it is a long term venture with a penalty for taking it out early it may be something that would prevent the church from using the money when a need arose, and that could be wrong. But if it is being set aside for a specific reason that will not require the funds until a future date, there might be cases when it would be wise to invest in a CD.