Far More

The Baptist Foundation of Alabama
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Non-Profit

Far More is a conversation about faithful stewardship for the Church — pastors, lay leaders, and believers who want their ministry’s resources and their own to go further for the Kingdom in Biblical and Spirit-led ways. In each episode, we'll talk with pastors, financial leaders, SBC ministry leaders, and the team at The Baptist Foundation of Alabama about the practical side of ministry finance and its Kingdom impact. Generally, our conversations will be framed through our service offerings, such as legacy giving, investments, ministry accounting, generous giving, vision campaigns, church loans, scholarships, and the everyday stewardship decisions that shape the future.   "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..." (Ephesians 3:20)

Episodes

  1. Oct 1 ·  Video

    Why Cooperate? The Cooperative Program — with Jay Stewart and John Ashworth

    It has never been easier for a church to go it alone: start its own ministry, launch its own fund, build its own platform. So why do Alabama Baptists keep choosing to cooperate? For 101 years, Southern Baptist churches have sent a portion of what they receive through the Cooperative Program to fund missions and ministry they may never see firsthand. Jay Stewart directs the Office of Cooperative Program and Church Financial Resources at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. John Ashworth is president of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama, an entity that receives Cooperative Program support and sends gifts back to it. Together they walk through where a CP dollar goes, what it is and isn't, and what cooperation makes possible that no single church could do alone. In this episode: — How a Cooperative Program dollar is divided between Alabama and SBC   ministries — How CP giving differs from the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, and   Myers-Mallory offerings, and from associational giving — How the Foundation stewards its CP allocation and returns gifts to   Kingdom causes — A 1980s estate gift that still helps fund Camp of Champions — Why "two are better than one" is both Biblical and practical — The accountability built into the CP family, in both directions CHAPTERS 00:00  Why cooperate when going it alone is easier? 00:50  Two guests, two seats 01:40  Meet Jay Stewart 04:28  What the Office of Cooperative Program actually does 07:16  The Cooperative Program in a nutshell 09:36  Where a CP dollar actually goes 11:23  CP vs. Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, and Myers-Mallory 13:17  Where your local association fits 14:58  What does the Foundation have to do with CP? 15:47  What the Foundation does with its CP allocation 16:49  Why your church is a stakeholder in the Foundation 17:29  A 1980s gift and Camp of Champions 19:15  Created by Alabama Baptists, for Alabama Baptists 20:17  What Jay sees from the state seat 21:38  "Two are better than one" 24:27  Why Alabama leads in CP giving 27:45  Why Ministry Grants go to CP-giving churches 29:33  What "part of the CP family" tells a church 33:06  Vetted leaders, built-in accountability 34:12  Accountability runs both directions 36:17  What would stop if churches stopped giving 37:47  A church that grew from 20 to 120 39:01  The third strand in the cord 40:21  Closing The Baptist Foundation of Alabama has served Alabama Baptist churches, ministries, and individuals since 1940. More resources for more ministry. Learn more about CP from Alabama's Cooperative program website. alabamacp.org Learn more about the Baptist Foundation of Alabama at tbfa.org Subscribe to Ministry Ledger, our monthly newsletter: tbfa.org/subscribe DISCLAIMER: The information discussed on this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, legal, or tax advice. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Far More is produced by The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. More resources for more ministry.

  2. Sep 3 ·  Video

    Biblically Responsible Investing — with Jason Herbert

    Most churches have money sitting in reserve somewhere. Fewer have ever asked if where that money is invested lines up with what they believe. Jason Herbert serves on the ministry engagement team at The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. He's also an attorney who spent a decade in litigation before the Lord redirected him into ministry work. In this episode, he walks through what biblically responsible investing is, what it screens out, what it looks for, and the questions a church ought to answer before it invests anything at all. Along the way: whether a church should be investing reserves in the first place, whether any of this amounts to gambling, and what Matthew 25 has to say about money that sits buried in the ground. In this episode: — What biblically responsible investing actually means — The categories screened out, and why — The three questions to answer before investing a dollar: purpose, time   horizon, risk — Why reserves are a long-term posture, not a shortcut to fund a building   project — What changes in a congregation when its leaders steward openly CHAPTERS 00:00  Intro 00:18  Welcome to Far More 01:04  Disclaimer 01:32  Meet Jason Herbert 02:37  Leaving the courtroom for ministry 06:10  What biblically responsible investing actually is 07:45  What gets screened out 08:32  What gets invested in 09:53  Two companies behind the positive screens 13:28  Does investing this way cost you return? 15:13  Is this new, or does it have a track record? 16:34  Should a church invest reserves at all? 17:27  Matthew 25 and the servant who buried it 19:55  There is no one investment model for every church 21:25  Why reserves aren't a shortcut to fund a building 23:20  "Isn't this just gambling?" 24:06  Three questions before you invest a dollar 26:30  A church that paid its loan off early 29:43  What changes in a congregation 31:48  Gasoline on the fire 32:43  Closing The Baptist Foundation of Alabama has served Alabama Baptist churches, ministries, and individuals since 1940. More resources for more ministry. Learn more: tbfa.org Subscribe to Ministry Ledger, our newsletter, or other platforms at: tbfa.org/subscribe DISCLAIMER: The information discussed on this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, legal, or tax advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Listeners should consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions. Far More is produced by The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. More resources for more ministry.

  3. Aug 6 ·  Video

    Church Financial Health — with John Ashworth

    This is a session on church finances that seminary probably didn't provide. John Ashworth, President of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama, joins host Mitchell Bruce for the first episode of Far More. John has spent years sitting with Alabama churches of every size, and he walks through what financial health actually looks like for a church, the blind spots he sees most often, and the one change he would ask every church to make this year. In this episode: - Where to start if your church has never reviewed its financial health - The estate-planning gap in most congregations, and what it costs the church - How a legacy ministry works, and why the church has to own it - Reserves: what to consider — what that money should be doing - Financial controls most churches assume they have and don't - Ministerial payroll, bookkeeping, and the retiring volunteer problem - The stewardship principle underneath and the model it provides Chapters: 00:20 Welcome to Far More 01:51 Meet John Ashworth 04:52 TBFA Professionals 05:48 Disclaimer 07:18 Where to start a financial review 09:19 The biggest blind spot: estate planning/legacy ministry 12:00 What a legacy ministry looks like in practice 13:22 Why the church has to own it 14:11 Profile of a church positioned for what's next 16:00 The reserves tension: hold back or put it to work 18:25 Church money vs. personal money 19:29 The Consistent Mistake: Fraud controls and bookkeeping 21:25 Ministry Accounting: what it actually does 23:50 One thing to change this year 26:00 The stewardship principle underneath all of it 28:29 Closing Have a question about your church's situation? Use the 'Connect with Us' button at tbfa.org The Baptist Foundation of Alabama is a Cooperative Program ministry of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, serving Alabama Baptist churches, ministries, and individuals since 1940. The information discussed on this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, legal, or tax advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Listeners should consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions. Far More is produced by The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. More resources for more ministry.

  4. Jul 22

    Welcome to Far More

    Far More is a podcast from The Baptist Foundation of Alabama (TBFA) for everyone who embraces the call to stewardship that God gives, especially those who carry the weight of leading a church in stewardship. Each episode, host Mitchell Bruce, Director of Marketing and Communications for TBFA, sits down with pastors, ministry leaders, TBFA staff, and others doing that work across Alabama for genuine conversations about crucial elements of things like church finance, generosity, legacy, and what it looks like to be faithful with what you've been trusted with. This short trailer introduces the show and where it's headed. Follow us to stay tuned and updated when episodes go live. Special features will be posted in between regular episodes as well. Listen, then go deeper: •   Learn more about the Baptist Foundation of Alabama: www.tbfa.org/the-foundation •   Podcast hub: farmore.buzzsprout.com •   A question or a guest idea? tbfa@tbfa.org Far More is produced by The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. More resources for more ministry.

  • 4 Episodes

About

Far More is a conversation about faithful stewardship for the Church — pastors, lay leaders, and believers who want their ministry’s resources and their own to go further for the Kingdom in Biblical and Spirit-led ways. In each episode, we'll talk with pastors, financial leaders, SBC ministry leaders, and the team at The Baptist Foundation of Alabama about the practical side of ministry finance and its Kingdom impact. Generally, our conversations will be framed through our service offerings, such as legacy giving, investments, ministry accounting, generous giving, vision campaigns, church loans, scholarships, and the everyday stewardship decisions that shape the future.   "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..." (Ephesians 3:20)

Information

  • Creator
    The Baptist Foundation of Alabama
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Far More
  • Show Website
    Far More