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Ron Blue Center
History
History of Stewardship
Ron Blue is a pioneer in faith-based financial stewardship. After founding one of the nation’s largest CPA firms and a leading Christian financial planning company, Ron dedicated his career to helping others apply biblical wisdom to their financial lives.
Our Mission
The mission of the Ron Blue Center is to equip students to be faithful stewards of God’s resources, glorifying him in all things that we do through sanctification in work that gives them purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in life. Through a process of introspection and intentional effort to transform patterns, behaviors, and habits, our goal is to help students live biblically faithful lives—shepherding their time, talents, and treasures by clearly identifying and segmenting the different areas of their lives.
Ron Blue
Ron Blue is a pioneer in biblical faith based investing. In 1970, Ron founded an Indianapolis-based CPA firm that has grown to be one of the 50 largest CPA firms in the United States. (www.blueandco.com) Leaving the CPA firm in 1977, Ron became Administrative Vice President of Leadership Dynamics International. While with Leadership Dynamics, he was involved in developing and teaching Biblically-based leadership and management seminars in the United States and Africa.
Convinced that Christians would better handle their personal finances if they were counseled objectively with the highest technical expertise and from a Biblical perspective, he founded a financial planning firm in 1979. That firm grew to manage over $2 billion in assets for its more than 5,000 clients nationwide with a staff of over 175 people in 14 regional offices. (www.ronblue.com)
Ron retired from the financial planning firm in 2003 in order to lead Kingdom Advisors (www.kingdomadvisors.org), an international effort to equip and motivate Christian financial professionals to serve the body of Christ by implementing biblical wisdom in their lives and practices, resulting in financial freedom and increased giving by thousands of dollars by thousands of Christians around the world.
Ron is the author of seventeen books on personal finance from a Biblical perspective, including the best-seller, Master Your Money, first published in 1986 and now in its thirtieth printing, Wealth to Last, co-authored with Larry Burkett, and his most recent book, Faith Based Family Finances. He is featured in the popular, six-part Master Your Money video series, produced by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries (www.walkthru.org) and used in over 5,500 churches across the country.
Ron has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including Focus on the Family, Family News in Focus, The 700 Club, Prime Time America, and Moody Radio Open Line. He is a regular contributor to several national Christian magazines. Ron has also testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee.
Ron currently serves on the Board of Directors of Campus Crusade for Christ (www.ccci.org), Crown Financial Ministries (www.crown.org), and The National Christian Foundation (www.nationalchristian.com). He also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Maclellan Foundation (www.maclellan.net) and The Sandra and William B. Johnson Foundation, Inc. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of Family Research Council (www.frc.org), Promise Keepers (www.promisekeepers.org), Insight for Living (www.insight.org), The Medical Institute (www.medinstitute.org), and Walk Thru the Bible Ministries (www.walkthru.org).
In 2002, Ron received the HONORS AWARD from the Georgia Chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). In 2003, he received the honored designation of DISTINGUISHED ENTREPRENEUR from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, his alma mater.
Ron and Judy live in Atlanta. They have five children and 13 grandchildren.
Ron Blue Institute
The Ron Blue Institute, which was established in 1979 by Ron Blue, one of the most respected names in faith-based financial planning globally. The Ron Blue Institute seeks to be a thought leader with great influence committed to changing the way Christians think, act, and communicate about financial stewardship, empowering the church, and changing the world.
The Ron Blue Institute delivers biblically-based financial wisdom to the body of Christ by providing thought leadership and content through church, professional, consumer, and academic channels. At the Ron Blue Institute, we see a tremendous opportunity to use biblical financial wisdom to reveal to a skeptical and unbelieving world that God’s word is relevant at all times for all financial planning and decision making by providing supernatural wisdom for the process, timeless and transcendent principles for the decisions, and contentment at all times under all circumstances.
Our model is teaching principles and processes (how to fish), instead of prescriptions (giving them a fish). We know that the wisdom in the Bible is always right, always relevant, and never going to change.
Objectives
To Develop A Long-Tern Perspective on Money-longer term your perspective, the better your decision To Simplify the Money Conversation Overview To develop a posture of generosity, today, tomorrow, and the rest of life
The Four H Model
The Four H’s of Financial Wisdom present a holistic framework for biblical financial stewardship. Heart focuses on the beliefs and convictions that shape financial behavior, emphasizing stewardship, wisdom, faith, and contentment. Health addresses the overall priorities and structure of a person’s financial life. Habits highlight the consistent practices that lead to long-term stability and wise decision-making. Hope anchors financial choices in a future-oriented confidence rooted in God’s promises.
Heart
Money issues are heart issues. Stewards of God’s resources align their heart to God’s truth in four distinct ways:
A STEWARD knows that God owns it all and trusts God to use money in their life as a tool for their growth, a test to sharpen their faith, and a testimony to the world. They believe that because God owns it all, every spending decision is a spiritual decision. They follow God’s simple financial WISDOM to make their financial decisions. They choose CONTENTMENT, knowing that God cares for them specifically. They rest in His provision, even when they face complicated financial decisions or assignments from Him. They exercise their FAITH by holding their finances with an open hand, allowing God to direct financial decisions as they move into deeper understanding of His goodness and His purposes.
Health
Almost everything in your adult life will involve a financial component or have financial consequences. Understanding the five segments of finances and the way that God’s word informs your decisions within each segment can be tremendously helpful as you begin to navigate the interdependence of your financial life!
Biblical financial wisdom is simple. It is not always easy to implement, but it is not difficult to grasp.
In summary:
In the LIVE segment, remember provision, contentment, and enjoyment. In the GIVE segment, remember that giving breaks the power of money and connects our hearts to God’s heart. In the OWE (Debt) segment, remember that debt always mortgages the future. In the OWE (Taxes) segment, remember to account for taxes and that they are symptomatic of God’s provision. In the GROW segment, remember that saving habitually and starting early offers the best path to a secure financial future.
Habits
Five Biblical Principles
- Spend less than you earn because every success in your financial life depends on this habit.
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4 (NIV) - Give generously because giving breaks the power of money
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 - Avoid debt because debt always mortgages the future.
“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7 - Plan for financial margin because the unexpected will occur.
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 - Set long-term goals because there’s always a trade off between the short term and the long term.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
The Habit of Budgeting
Ron Blue stated that biblical wisdom is often very simple, but can be “difficult to work out.”
God knew that financial struggles would be a big deal to people, and He gave us over 2,300 verses in the Bible about money – to encourage, exhort, and equip us. So when you struggle, know that you’re not alone and that the consistent application of biblical financial wisdom is like the application of any good habit: it takes consistency!
Financial consistency is greatly helped by the process of budgeting.
What are some of the greatest challenges for college students when they budget?
“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household”
Proverbs 27:23, 26-27a (ESV)
Think of budgeting as a plan.
We might not have “flocks,” but we do have dollars! Budgeting familiarizes us with the money we have and with where our money goes so that we can plan accordingly and make progress on our financial goals.
A simple formula for budgeting is:
- Know your numbers.
- Categorize your expenses.
- Prioritize your spending. (What’s last will always get the pressure!)
- Create a plan:
Income
– Mandatory expenses (GIVE, OWE, GROW)
= Total remaining for LIVE - Adjust the plan.
- Revisit your budget frequently.
A key takeaway from the budgeting topic is the reminder that scripture teaches a healthy prioritization of money, but culture turns that prioritization upside down, tempting us to leave the most productive uses of money (giving and saving) out of our plan.
The other key takeaway is to use budgeting to reasonably reflect today’s reality.
As a college student, what might budgeting look like for you?
We hope that you realize that budgeting is messy and that it is ok! The point of incorporating habits into our lives is that they help us live well inside of the messy places rather than helping us to entirely escape life’s messy places.
We hope to have students reflect on their own financial habits. We ask, which of the five habits are you strongest in? Perhaps you are a consistent giver or a consistent goal setter. Where are you in need of more self-discipline or consistency? Celebrate your strengths as you also acknowledge the reality of your weaknesses.
Consider this encouraging truth from Proverbs 16:32:
“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Hope
Hope focuses on taking a long-term perspective on money and money management decisions.
Long-term thinking is more than just daydreaming, especially when it comes to making financial choices. In the HOPE section, we will examine a few models to get to the bottom of two things: your long-term goals and the right next steps for you. With goals and next steps in mind, you can anchor your HOPE in wise action, today.
The first model we will share is a model for “faith goal setting.”
The key to moving from where you are to where you want to be is having written goals. The great news about being in God’s family is that He wants to participate in your goal setting with you, leading you and encouraging you toward freedom and truth. Faith goal setting is simply the dynamic process of asking the question, “God, what would you have me do?” and then setting measurable, timely steps to move in that direction. Over time, having a track record of following God’s direction can serve as a powerful motivator and a reminder of His care and concern in hard time.
Remember that faith goals are a process. You begin with actively discerning God’s voice and then move in the direction that you believe He is leading. By setting measurable (detailed in both time and amount) goals and by having an accountability partner, you will be positioned to take consistent steps toward a solid financial future. Because of the uncertainty of tomorrow, goals often change as circumstances shift. This is why we tell people to write their goals in sand, not in concrete.
The Margin Meter
There’s no “magic bullet” to taking care of future financial needs via today’s decisions, but there is a key. Ron shares the one thing that makes the most difference for everyone – no matter their income – in terms of their ability to weather future financial storms.
The “Margin Meter” is a visual device to help you imagine your ability to deal with financial stress. Your financial margin depends on the first wise habit: Spend less than you earn, because every financial success depends on this habit. There is no getting around the fact that financial margin (more money coming in than going out) is the only mechanism by which financial goals can be attained. Margin makes us more nimble in response to God’s direction.
For a college student, building margin to move into the stable and secure range can be difficult. However, starting the habit of saving just a small amount each week or month will position you well for the habit in the long term. Could you save the cost of one out-to-eat meal a week? Could you babysit in your community a few hours a week and commit to saving that money? Could you set aside 10% of your income from your part time job as savings? As we’ve already noted, the long-term power habitually giving and saving is impossible to overstate!
The Treasure Target
Simultaneous competing priorities are a reality of life. We never face just one decision, one pressure, one goal, or one dream at a time. We lead full lives, and we have plenty going on! Part of becoming mature is learning how to balance simultaneous competing priorities in life and in finances.
For you, a college student, it’s helpful to examine yuor own simultaneous competing financial priorities and then choose just one or two action steps that are most important to you right now. A way to think about this is to ask yourself, “What one thing could I do differently for the next 40 days, that could re-shape my future?” Is it saving? Is it writing a budget? It is giving to your church? Is it taking over your car expense management from your parents? Is it getting a part time job?
Connect
Rick Smyth
Director of the Ron Blue Center & Adjunct Professor at the College of Business and Economics
864-221-8664
rsmyth@andersonuniversity.edu