As a Midwestern guy, entering a New York subway feels like a fun experience to me, until someone starts raving incoherently — to nobody in particular — about a Mexican general named Santa Anna. Incoherence always promotes confusion.

In the life of a spiritual leader, coherence delivers benefits, while incoherence delivers pain. Proverbs 12:11 addresses this: “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

An unclear vision of a preferred financial future may not feel like a financial integrity issue, but it should.

Coherence About Personal Financial Goals

Proverbs 10:4 says, “Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth. Make hay while the sun shines — that’s smart; go fishing during harvest — that’s stupid” (The Message).

That may sound harsh, but it’s certainly accurate. Despite inspiration of the Spirit — and numerous examples of those who ignored such admonishments — this idea receives eye contact, then commonly drops from our consciousness.

In a 2015-16 General Council of the Assemblies of God survey, the startling fact emerged that 73 percent of AG credential holders do not have an adequately funded retirement plan. That reflects a concerning level of financial incoherence.

One approach to retirement is this: Simply don’t retire. Unfortunately, illness and cultural resistance to aging leaders often truncates that option. The Numbers 8:24-26 example provides the preferable option. God expected priests to reduce their ministry involvement after many years of active service. That approach provides a worthy target.

However, without setting aside something in our earlier years, we will find ourselves unprepared for our later years. Yes, the Lord provides, but perhaps our younger self needs to embrace a disciplined plan today as part of the Lord’s provision tomorrow.

I recently interacted with employees at a local office — mostly millennials. They indicated how much money they realistically want available at retirement. When I asked about their efforts to build that sum, most were not investing toward their goals.

Dreaming about creating a financial support system versus disciplining oneself to make it happen represents the difference between personal financial coherence and incoherence. Most ministry leaders would never dream of stealing from anyone. However, without a clear financial plan and practice, our current self consistently steals from our future self.

We honor our Creator and model a worthy example when we embrace financial coherence.

I recently read The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge. The authors pointed out that while Scrooge lived as he thought proper, he was blind to the destructiveness of his behavior. Mr. Scrooge didn’t know his true condition until he received a visit from three apparitions. Perhaps we bear little resemblance to that humbug character.

Nevertheless, we probably share some of the human propensities with which Dickens endowed Scrooge. Like Scrooge, money affects our sense of security and well-being — and can dominate our attention and priorities. Money receives much of our waking (and sometimes our sleeping) attention.

We might agree with Scrooge that others should live responsibly and fend for themselves instead of taking the hard-earned money from our pockets. But like Scrooge, most of us need to shift from our current financial plan to a productive process that ultimately garners a preferred future. This improvement requires at least three steps.

1. We must decide to change. Not all change equals improvement, but all improvement equals change.

2. We must discover what we need to do — and then, by God’s power, do it. AG Financial Solutions will gladly serve you in this regard.

3. Do it, despite inconvenience. In 1775, British theologian Richard Hooper wrote, “Change is not made without inconvenience.”

Applying the principle of sowing and reaping works. Sowing to the flesh may be convenient, but at the most inopportune moment, we reap an unwanted harvest. Sowing to the Spirit may be inconvenient, but at the most opportune moment, we will reap a convenient harvest.

Financial coherence and integrity, in the earliest stages, are often inconvenient, but they return significant convenience in the later stages.

Financial Integrity With Other People’s Money

Between Jan. 1, 2015, and Nov. 30, 2017, the General Council Credentials Committee dismissed 35 credentialed ministers, for reasons ranging from spiritual thievery (not paying God’s tithe) to civic thievery, such as embezzlement and the intentional use of a church credit card for personal benefit.

The apostle Paul instructed all believers, but especially Kingdom leaders, to live above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2). King Solomon spoke truth when he said little foxes “ruin the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15). Ministers do not suffer the trauma and embarrassment of dismissal for a first infraction or honest mistake.

In my experience of working with leaders caught in financial compromise, they had developed an immunity to the voice of their conscience. Most had already received leniency from a board or pastoral employer. Then, the ministers thoughtlessly (incoherently) returned to their behaviors until someone caught them again. The ministers' refusal to manage God’s money and ministry money brought significant scandal to their churches and needless heartache on family members.

I appreciate the simplicity of Jesus’ guidance in Luke 16:10-11: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

The Lord wants every leader to live with financial integrity toward themselves and others. We honor our Creator and model a worthy example when we embrace financial coherence.