A Christian estate plan is a statement of God’s plan of financial stewardship for one’s life. While it can include charitable giving, it is much more: Financial stewardship is the totality of how we manage and use the financial resources entrusted to us by God for ourselves and for his work here on earth. Scripture teaches that God is the giver of everything we possess (1 Chron. 29:14). Even our ability to produce wealth comes from God (Deut. 8:17-18). When we admit that we are custodians, not owners, we begin to understand that the things we possess have eternal dimensions.
Estate planning questions include what to do about wills, trusts and transfers of property upon death. Lifetime spending, saving, and giving practices obviously play a large part. A well-conceived estate plan always centers on personal and family relationships. Tax and legal issues are also central to wise management and use.
OMF Stewardship Ministries is a resource in estate design services. We minister to our supporters and friends who desire to establish estate plans, or to review and possibly revise existing ones, and who seek trusted guidance - from a distinctively Christian perspective.
In Psalm 1 God promises that if we give ourselves over fully to him and to his ways we will be like fruit-bearing trees along a river whose leaves never wither. Surely, we can trust God for the reality of this truth in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Sometimes the ways of the world will attract us. However, we learn from Psalm 1 that those who scoff at the things of God are like chaff blown by the wind; neither they nor their plans will succeed. Only God’s way will lead to everlasting fulfillment and true happiness.
For information about estate planning guidance OMF Stewardship Ministries offers, see How to Begin . As part of your estate planning process, you may wish to prayerfully consider one or more of the following resources.
Recommended Resources
Alcorn, Randy: Money, Possessions and Eternity, Tyndale House Publishers, 1989
Alcorn, Randy: The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving, Multnomah Publishers, 2001
Blue, Ron: Splitting Heirs: Giving an Inheritance to Your Children Without Ruining Their Lives, Moody Publishers, 2004
Stanley, Charles: Understanding Financial Stewardship (a self study),Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997
Vincent, Mark: A Christian View of Money, Herald Press, 1997