About Faithonomics

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To challenge poverty through the holistic financial formation of faith leaders and their communities.

A world of financially literate faith leaders who aid in the pursuit of economic justice and communal flourishing for all people.

We are a faith-inspired social venture. From our initial launch to future growth, we are committed to placing the following values at the core of our enterprise.

• Affirmation: We believe that God can call anyone to ministry. We are committed to making space at the table for all people to engage in this holy dialogue regardless of their faith, race, gender, or sexual identities.
• Community: We believe that formation happens in community. We are committed to cultivating a community where faith leaders can honestly and holistically explore their relationship with money without shame or guilt.
• Education: We believe that the best investment is education. Benjamin Franklin famously said, "an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Our mission is centered on the financial education of faith leaders and we intend to be exceptional at it. 
• Equity: We believe that honest conversations around money involve acknowledging the inequities and injustices that plague the financial systems that govern our lives and communities. 
• Faith: We believe that we are called to this work. We are a faith-inspired social venture where our understanding of God and God's unwavering love for each of us leads us to do what we do with passion and compassion. 
• Rest: We believe that rest is sacred and necessary to do good work. Ministry is an industry known for burnout. We seek to combat that burnout through the active practice of Sabbath. 
• Stewardship: We believe stewardship extends past finances. From the wellbeing of our employees and clients to caring for the community we call home, we are committed to using our brand, our resources, and our influence to cultivate healthy cultures of belonging.
• Storytelling: We believe in the power of storytelling. From what divides us to what makes us unique, each of us have a story that is worthy to be told and worthy to be heard. 
• Sustainability: We believe in a commitment to sustainability. From how we engage and care for God's creation through sustainable business practices to how we ensure Faithonomics' long-term success, we are committed to practices that make a better tomorrow.

At our founding, we envisioned a digital space where Christian faith leaders could have honest and formative conversations around faith, money, and vocation. We wanted this space to provide quality financial education and access to resources that could help our faith leaders flourish in their call. We are proud to witness this vision come to life through our signature Faithonomics [+] platform. Free to join, this platform grounds our approach to holistic financial literacy education in community allowing faith leaders of different identities, affiliations, and beliefs to come together to elevate the conversation around economic justice and equity. 

In 2015, research released by the National Association of Evangelicals prompted a national recognition of the unhealthy state of Pastors in the United States. Here are a few of their original findings:

• 29% of Pastors reported having $0 in personal savings.
• 31% of Pastors had to work a second job in order to make ends meet. 
• 33% of Pastors reported having less than $10,000 in retirement funds. This is more alarming when we recognize that the average age of a U.S. Pastor is 54. 
• 76% of Pastors know other Pastors who left ministry due to financial hardships. 

Let that sink in for a moment. People God has called into ministry are leaving ministry due to financial hardships. Prior to this study, steps had been taken to reduce student debt among clergy, but little had been done to teach clergy the basic principles of financial literacy. Since this study, financial literacy has become 'popular' among clergy, especially Evangelicals (think about the rise of Dave Ramsey), but their approach remained singular and, for many, unhealthy--both theologically and financially.

The services Faithonomics will provide are holistic and formative. While providing financial literacy education we will also tackle the toxic theologies and shame we hold around money. We will recognize and fight the systems of oppression and injustice that play into the financial realities of our society's marginalized. And, lastly, we will help churches and faith-based organizations to become the primary examples of what economically just institutions in our society could look like.