Can we invest in a way that honours God?

“When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being, and placed you in this world, he placed you here not as a proprietor, but a steward” – John Wesley

While conversations about money and wealth can be taboo, the word of God is full of over 2,000 scriptures relating to money, tithing and possession including 16 out of 38 of Jesus’ parables which directly address money and possessions.

A mandate for faithful stewards

At Stewardship, our vision is a thriving Kingdom economy where all of God’s people steward resources wisely and generously to advance the Gospel. We are called to be faithful stewards in accordance with the mandate God has given His people.

The mandate given to the people of God can be summarised in four points:

1. To love God with all our heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37)
2. To love our neighbour (Matthew 22:38)
3. To go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)
4. To cultivate creation and be fruitful for human flourishing (Genesis 1:28)

This mandate is for our entire lives - in Romans 6, the apostle Paul reminds us that “[we] have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”. In other words, we no longer live for ourselves – we resist the temptation to be self-serving but instead surrender our very being to the LORD and his mandate for our lives as found in the word of God.

What does this mean for our investing?

Christian’s ought to invest in-line with the mandate that God has given us. To do this, many Christians consider investments which Act to avoid harm, Benefit stakeholders and/or Contribution to solutions (the ABC framework), which leads to the consideration of ESG, responsible, sustainable or impact investments.

However, there has been significant scrutiny on funds labelled in one way, with underlying assets and holdings reflecting another. The FCA’s recently introduced Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) aim to address this by improving trust and transparency, providing helpful investment labels for funds, which we can use to understand different types of impact a fund aims to achieve:

1. Sustainability Focus - invest in assets that are environmentally or socially sustainable determined by a robust, evidence-based standard of sustainability
2. Sustainability Improvers - invest in assets that have the potential become more sustainable over time, determined by their potential to meet a robust, evidence-based standard of sustainability over time
3. Sustainability Impact - achieve a predefined, positive, measurable environmental and/or social impact

Keeping our God-given mandate in mind, I would like to propose a few ways in which SDR can serve as a valuable tool to guide our investing:

1. Action: If we are to invest in companies which provide goods and services for human flourishing, then let us do so boldly and without shame – Sustainability Focus
2. Action: If we are to invest in companies to catalyse positive change in business practices, then let us dedicate ourselves to bold, long term active engagement – Sustainability Improvers
3. Action: If we are to invest to care for the poor, seek justice and defend the oppressed then let us face non-standard financial returns with courage and joyful hearts, resting in the assurance of God's provision – Sustainability Impact.

Most importantly, if we are to invest at all, let us invest faithfully as stewards, in accordance with the word of God.

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. — Psalm 127: 1

Can I apply these principles to my Stewardship account?

For our Donor Advised Fund and Philanthropy Fund accounts, we offer three sustainable investment portfolios managed by external asset managers who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and aim to generate capital growth over the long term. All the Stewardship Investment Portfolios are managed in line with Stewardship’s Investment Policy.

For our Philanthropy Fund accounts only, there is an option to nominate your own bespoke investment opportunity. This may be comprised of social impact investments, listed securities, investment funds or by way of a discretionary mandate with your investment manager. 

Disclaimers:
All investment decisions in relation to the balance of your Stewardship account are made at the discretion of Stewardship’s Trustees, and any investment made from the balance of your Stewardship account is made by Stewardship as principal.

Please note Stewardship is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not offer investment, tax or legal advice, nor recommendations in relation to investments. Please read our Investment Disclaimer for further details.