FFS 231
Biblical Foundations of Money & Stewardship
Faith-Based Financial Stewardship CertificateFaith-Based Financial Stewardship Certificate24 contact hours8 sessionsCost: No tuition. All materials are provided.
Certificate Enrollment
This course is part of the Faith-Based Financial Stewardship. One payment of $997 covers all 4 courses in the certificate.
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” — Matthew 6:21
This course builds a biblical theology of money: what Scripture as a whole teaches about who owns wealth, what money is for, and how God's people should earn, save, give, borrow, and deal with others. BTO 103 gave you the practical first steps; this course goes underneath them. You will study the stewardship parables of Jesus, contentment and the love of money, work and wise saving, generosity without pressure, debt and justice, and the money stories each of us carries. You will learn to recognize prosperity-gospel and predatory “seed” teaching, and you will finish by writing your own Stewardship Covenant & Money Story. This course is the foundation for FFS 232–234.
Syllabus
Course Syllabus
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Course | FFS 231 · Biblical Foundations of Money & Stewardship |
| Program | Bridge to Opportunity · Faith-Based Financial Stewardship Certificate |
| Contact Hours | 24 hours · 8 weekly sessions of 3 hours |
| Format | Online to start; in-person once facility clearance is granted |
| Prerequisites | BTO 101–105 Foundations Core (including BTO 103). |
| Cost | No tuition. All materials are provided. |
| Instructor | ________________________ |
| Meeting Time | ________________________ |
Course Description
This course builds a biblical theology of money: what Scripture as a whole teaches about who owns wealth, what money is for, and how God's people should earn, save, give, borrow, and deal with others. BTO 103 gave you the practical first steps; this course goes underneath them. You will study the stewardship parables of Jesus, contentment and the love of money, work and wise saving, generosity without pressure, debt and justice, and the money stories each of us carries. You will learn to recognize prosperity-gospel and predatory “seed” teaching, and you will finish by writing your own Stewardship Covenant & Money Story. This course is the foundation for FFS 232–234.
Faith Integration
Jesus said that where our treasure is, our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Money is never only about numbers; it shows what we trust and whom we serve. In this course we come to Scripture with open Bibles and honest hearts. We will not use God's Word to shame anyone about the past or to pressure anyone into giving. We will let it teach us that God owns everything, that faithfulness matters more than amount, and that His grace reaches every part of our story, including our money story.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain a biblical theology of money rooted in God's ownership (Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8).
- Interpret the stewardship parables of Jesus, including the talents (Matthew 25) and the unjust steward (Luke 16), in their context.
- Distinguish money itself from the love of money and describe learned, biblical contentment.
- Connect Scripture's teaching on work, provision, and planning to wise saving habits.
- Describe biblical generosity, read Malachi 3:10 in context, and recognize prosperity-gospel and predatory “seed” pressure.
- Summarize what Scripture teaches about debt, honest dealing, justice, and care for the poor.
- Identify personal money scripts and replace harmful ones with biblical truth, without shame.
- Write a personal stewardship statement and a Stewardship Covenant & Money Story.
Course Materials
- This student workbook
- A King James Version Bible (provided if needed)
- Pen or pencil
- Printed handouts for each module (no devices are required for this course)
- A private folder or envelope for personal reflections
Weekly Schedule
| Week | Module | Assignment Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | God Owns It All: A Theology of Money | My Theology of Money (First Draft) |
| 2 | Faithful Stewards: The Parables of Jesus | Parable Study Paper |
| 3 | Contentment and the Love of Money | My Enough Statement |
| 4 | Work, Provision, and Wise Saving | A Theology of Work and Saving |
| 5 | Generosity, Giving, and Discerning False Teaching | My Giving Convictions |
| 6 | Debt, Justice, and Honest Dealing | Freedom and Fairness Reflection |
| 7 | Your Money Story: Healing Money Shame | My Money Story (Draft) |
| 8 | My Stewardship Covenant | Final Project Submission |
How You Will Be Graded
| Component | Weight | What It Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Participation | 15% | Being present, prepared, and engaged in discussion and group work (Participation Rubric) |
| Reflection Journal | 15% | Eight weekly entries connecting the lesson to your life and faith (Journal Rubric) |
| Module Assignments | 25% | Eight weekly assignments (Module Assignment Rubric) |
| Module Quizzes | 10% | Eight short quizzes, each given at the start of the next session (Module 8's is given with the final exam) |
| Final Exam | 10% | Given in the last session; covers all eight modules |
| Final Project | 25% | A practical project that brings the whole course together (Final Project Rubric) |
To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.
Classroom Covenant
- We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
- What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
- We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
- We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
- We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
- We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.
Support & Accommodations
If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to the first course of the Faith-Based Financial Stewardship Certificate. Before budgets, credit, and debt plans, this course settles the deeper questions: who owns what we have, what money is for, and how God sees our money story. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide of stewardship principles to keep long after release. Nothing here is meant to shame you. It is meant to set you free.
How to Use This Companion
- Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
- Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
- Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
Course Modules
Final Project, Rubrics & Final Exam
Course Materials
Materials for this course are coming soon.