Know the Condition of Your Flocks: Demystifying Wealth Creation for Pastors

Does the idea of increasing your income ever make you feel uneasy, conflicted, or even guilty? What if, instead, you saw it as an act of faith, stewardship, and obedience to God’s calling?

Today we’re going to demystify wealth creation for pastors by exploring King Solomon’s wisdom to “Know the condition of your flocks,” found in Proverbs 27:23-27.

What does this ancient principle mean for pastors and churches today? We’ll discuss it in this episode of the More Than a Pastor Show. Let's get started.

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Know the Condition of Your Flocks: Demystifying Wealth Creation for Pastors

Have you ever noticed how some Christians—especially pastors—get uneasy when the topic of wealth creation comes up? 

I hear from them from time to time when I talk about how to grow your income here on the show.

Many believe it’s more biblical to be content with what they have rather than pursue financial growth. After all, didn’t the Apostle Paul say, ‘If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these’ (1 Timothy 6:8)? 

And some even go so far as to think the pursuit of wealth itself is evil.

Yet, throughout Scripture, don’t we see clear instructions on stewardship, diligence, and increasing what we’ve been given - not for selfish gain, but so we can provide for our families and be generous in blessing others?

Finding a Balanced Approach to Wealth

Somewhere between the warning against exhausting yourself chasing wealth (Proverbs 23) and the caution against laziness (Proverbs 6), we find a balanced approach to money.

I’ve always found Proverbs 27:23-27 particularly insightful, where Solomon urges us to “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks.”

Today, let’s take a closer look at this passage and explore the insights it offers on wealth creation.

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.
When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.” – Proverbs 27:23-27 (NLT)

What Does Proverbs 27:23-27 Teach Us About Wealth Creation?

At first glance, a passage about flocks and herds might seem irrelevant for most of us who aren’t farmers or ranchers. But Proverbs 27:23-27 is packed with timeless principles about how we steward the resources God entrusts to us.

1. God has given us the potential for wealth

The flocks and herds in this passage represent wealth, but not wealth that’s fully realized yet. They were resources entrusted by God to the farmer and have the potential to generate income, provide clothing, and sustain the farmer’s household—but only if they’re nurtured.

2. Recognizing and cultivating our wealth potential is good stewardship

Wealth creation is a matter of stewardship. Or said another way, the natural result of good stewardship is growth, or increase, or wealth.

We cultivate something with the hope that it multiplies and grows in value. That, at it’s most basic level, is the definition of wealth creation.

What does that mean for us today?

God has placed resources in our lives—our time, preaching, teaching, and writing skills, talents, relationships, finances, and opportunities.

These resources have incredible potential both inside and outside of our current ministry role, but they require effort, investment, and care to produce results.

Wealth creation, at it’s basic level, is recognizing and cultivating the resources God has entrusted to us so they grow and produce an increase.

3. Stewardship Requires Intentional Effort on Our Part

The passage emphasizes knowing the condition of your flocks and giving careful attention to them. Why?

Because the farmer can’t simply buy sheep and forget about them. He has to feed, protect, and nurture them for months before they produce any value.

Similarly, we can’t expect our resources to thrive if we neglect them. Whether it’s our finances, careers, relationships, or spiritual lives, we must actively nurture and invest time, money, and effort to help them flourish.

Stewardship requires intentional effort on our part. And neglect leads to missed opportunities and diminished potential.

4. Resources Lose Value Without Protection and Maintenance

The passage warns that wealth isn’t static or guaranteed. Riches don’t last forever, and predators can destroy the flocks if they aren’t protected.

That’s why we must be diligent in investing and maintaining our resources to ensure they grow. If our assets aren’t increasing, they’re effectively shrinking due to inflation.

Over the past five years, the cost of essentials in the U.S., like food, fuel, household goods, and utilities, has risen 20-25%, with some categories up 50%. The average family now spends $17,080 more per year just to maintain their standard of living from 2021.

If your income hasn’t kept pace, your wealth has actually declined.

And for most pastors I know, that’s exactly what’s happened—because their churches can’t afford to match inflation with cost of living increases.

5. Faithful Stewardship Results in Increased Wealth

Farmers plant seeds expecting a harvest. Business owners create products or services expecting a profit. God gives us resources expecting us to grow them.

But for many pastors, financial stewardship doesn’t work that way.

Instead of creating a financial increase, pastors rely on others who do - asking for support from people who’ve built wealth through their own work and faithful stewardship.

Maybe that’s why so many pastors struggle with the idea of making money?

Unlike entrepreneurs who invest and expect a return, we are used to managing expenses, not multiplying income.

And since our income comes from donations, not direct sales or services, the idea of actively growing wealth can feel foreign—or even unspiritual

6. Wealth Is a Means Not an End

The flocks in this passage have an important purpose. They are not an end unto themselves. 

They have been fed and nurtured to provide clothing, food, and ongoing financial resources for the farmer and everyone in their household.

In the same way, the resources God entrusts to us are tools for fulfilling His purposes in our lives. When we feed and nurture or cultivate them, they create wealth that allows us to bless others, support our families, and generously contribute to the work of His kingdom.

The Church Needs a Mindset Shift Around Wealth Creation

So why is this discussion important today? Because I believe a mindset shift around wealth creation is crucial for the future of the church.

Are you noticing how the traditional church funding model is becoming increasingly unsustainable for many churches?

Major social, political, and economic shifts - especially the Great Dechurching - are disrupting congregations, shrinking attendance, and reducing financial support from tithes and offerings.

As millions of people disengage from organized religion, many churches are struggling to survive. If your church isn’t already feeling the strain yet, it likely will be soon.

The question isn’t if we need to adapt to this new reality - it’s how.

It's Time for Pastors to Unlock Their Wealth Potential

One crucial change for long-term financial sustainability is for churches to embrace a co-vocational ministry model, where pastors generate a significant portion of their income outside the church, through a job in the marketplace or their own business or side hustle.

The beauty of this model is that pastors don’t have to rely solely on the church for income. By launching a business or side hustle, they have the potential to grow their income while reducing the church’s financial strain.

Pastors, God has already placed the seeds of wealth potential in your life. The key is recognizing and cultivating them as a wise steward, for God's glory.

Your skills, experience, and ministry know-how can translate into sustainable income streams that could supplement or replace your current ministry income, so you can serve God and provide for your family, no matter what.

The good news is that it’s never been easier to start a meaningful business or side hustle.

Wealth isn’t something to fear—it’s simply the increase that comes from wise stewardship. And when we manage it well, it not only blesses us but empowers us to bless others.

It's Time for Churches to Unlock Their Wealth Potential

Pastors, it's time to unlock your church's wealth potential too!

God has already provided your church with amazing resources and assets - your people, property, and programming - that could be cultivated into alternative revenue streams to fund your mission in addition to the tithes and offerings you receive.

The key is to recognize and cultivate these resources to unlock their potential to generate income for your church.

The future of ministry funding is shifting as attendance and giving patterns change - it's no longer about receiving and managing resources but multiplying them. Will you shift with it?

Application and Action

💭 What’s your money mindset? Have you ever thought about wealth creation—not just as a way to provide for your family, but as a tool to bless others and fuel God’s kingdom?

🔥 What skills, talents, or experiences do you have that could generate income outside the church? If you're not sure, make a list of 20 things—things you’re good at, things you love, things people ask you for help with.

🎯 Pick one. Is there something on your list that could be making you money right now if you just took action? A skill, a talent, even something you own? Could you rent it out, sell a service, or turn it into an offer?

🚀 Run the experiment. Think of 10 ways you could make $1,000 with that one thing in the next 90 days—then go for it.

💡 Shift your perspective. Good stewardship isn’t just about managing resources—it’s about multiplying them. And that mindset shift isn’t just important for you as a pastor— I believe it’s critical for the future of the church.

So what do you think? Please feel free to share your questions, comments, or ideas at [email protected].