Review: Charting your Legacy by Compass
There is not one book, one teaching, one study that will fully disciple people in finances. Financial discipleship is a journey of a lifetime going ever deeper into learning and applying God's principles of managing money and wealth. That's why it takes different types of teaching and curriculum to move people along the journey.
Charting Your Legacy Small Group Study was developed by Compass, a financial discipleship ministry. This in-depth review will provide an overview of the content, the process, benefits, things to consider before taking or offering this study, and our honest assessment and recommendation.
Charting Your Legacy Small Group Study
What it is: Financial Discipleship Curriculum
Image taken from Compass website. View study here.
6-week study.
2-hour group meetings per week.
Groups of 6-10 people.
Study book available in hardcover and digital formats.
For couples, each person must use their own book and answer separately.
The 5 Step Process
Homework Questions: 15 minutes per day with space in the workbook to answer each question. Additional 30 minutes of reading at the end of each week's chapter.
Scripture Memory: Memorize and recite a new Scripture verse(s) each week. It helps to understand and instill essential principles.
Let's Get Practical: Provides a guided process for developing and refining your plan for leaving a legacy.
A Story: Video of someone's application of what you're learning. They are intended to encourage and challenge your thinking.
Prayer: Each participant will record the participants' prayer needs in the book and pray for each participant throughout the week.
Content Specifics:
Week 1: Starting Well
Starting well is about understanding how money impacts our lives practically and spiritually. It introduces the Biblical perspective of ownership and stewardship and defines the division of responsibilities between God and us. Having a clear understanding of God's part and our part is foundational to living as a faithful steward and experiencing an intimate relationship with God.
Week 2: Perspective
Perspective introduces God's view of wealth and the danger of pursuing riches instead of Christ. In this section, the participant is challenged to consider how pride and a lack of contentment may impact their commitment to Christ and their ability to be fruitful. As a practical action step, it provides a guided process for determining a lifestyle that is pleasing to the Lord.
Week 3: Crisis & Eternity
This chapter addresses the link between crisis, something all believers face at some point in this life, and eternity, the ultimate destination for all believers. It reveals God's purpose and role in crises and how we should prepare and react to them in light of eternity. The practical exercise is to determine "How much is enough?" and consider how intentionally one lives for eternity rather than for this life.
Week 4: Generosity
Knowing how much and where to give can be a challenge. This chapter starts with the critical role attitude plays in giving. It reveals the advantages of giving to the believer and the Biblical guideline for how much and where to give. It also addresses giving to the poor and how Jesus responds to this type of giving. As a practical action step, the participant is led into creating an intentional plan for giving.
Week 5: Family & Wealth Transfer
This chapter defines the parent's role in teaching their children the Biblical perspective on money. It reveals the benefits and dangers of transferring wealth through inheritance and challenges the participant to consider how their wealth should fund God's work now and through their estate plan after they are gone. The practical action steps guide the participant through not only the transfer of wealth but also the transfer of the family's vision, mission, and values.
Week 6: Finishing Well
Finishing well is about assessing how we are living today and how that will impact our eternal life. It addresses potential barriers to faithfully serving the Lord and finishing well. Among them are a distorted view of retirement, debt, dishonesty, marital dysfunction, and a lack of growth in our relationship with Christ. It challenges the participant to identify and pursue his/her calling and faithfully practice spiritual disciplines to finish well, which is incorporated in the practical action step.
Benefits:
1. Discipleship - one-on-one/group engagement allows for interactive learning, revelation, and transformation.
2. Biblical Foundation - Scripture is extensively used to clarify the topics discussed, and the interactive time allows for diverse views and perspectives as to the application.
3. Practical - Actions steps provided to facilitate change where needed.
Things to consider:
1. Deep dive - not a beginner program.
2. Significant time commitment - About 4 hours per week (2 hours for homework and reading and 2 hours for discussion).
3. Couples will benefit by attending together.
Who is this curriculum for?
Although this study would benefit anyone, it is better suited for the following:
Seasoned to mature believers who have had some financial discipleship teachings previously.
Wealth builders and people of higher net-worth.
Spiritual Leaders - pastors, financial counselors and advisors, and stewardship champions who have opportunities to teach these principles to others.
Ministry Assessment:
This curriculum is best utilized for people in the second half of life and those looking to move from success to significance. Higher net-worth people stand to benefit the most as they wrestle with setting a reasonable lifestyle, increase generosity, and look to leave a legacy of finishing well.
The groups that will have a difficult time with the study format are Gen Y (25-39 years old) and older Gen Z (16-24 years old). Although effective for Gen X and older, the structured format doesn't work as well for younger groups who prefer a more open-style discussion and less scripted questions.
Recommendation:
The Charting Your Legacy Study is an excellent resource built on biblically sound principles. It provides an interactive learning experience on the critical topic of wealth and our relationship to it. It will challenge even the most mature believer to consider their calling and commitment to the work of Christ. We highly recommend this study!
What studies do you like to use in your stewardship ministry? Let us know in the comments below!
For Further Reading:
3 Steps to Create a Culture of Transformational Stewardship
How to Teach the Next Generation About Money & Stewardship
Should Your Church Have a Planned Giving Ministry?
The Future of the Church and Giving: A Millennial’s Perspective
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