The 8 session course
Free. Kingdom stewardship, the six financial steps, and a closing Stewardship Check.
For pastors and church leaders
God didn't call
your people
to just
be at peace
with their money.
He called them to
walk in purpose.
With a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Your people are carrying money pressure they won't say out loud. Financial Purpose Academy is a free biblical finance class your church can run in a day or in small groups, built on Luke 19:13: "Do business with this until I come back."
Pastor, you already know
You've heard it
in the parking lot.
The single mom who needs help with rent again. The couple whose fight was never really about the money. The man who pulls you aside and can barely say the number out loud. You've prayed with all of them. And then you drove home wishing you could do more.
They have questions. They don't know who to trust. And they already come to you for everything else.
What if instead of just praying for people's finances, you actually helped them implement? Keep praying. Don't ever stop. Then let's walk it out with them.
The plan
Three steps.
- 01
Read it
See every session before anyone in your church does.
- 02
Pick a date
One Saturday, or small groups at your pace.
- 03
Hand it to a volunteer
They get the guide, the slides and a code.
The Pastor's Promise
You stay
the shepherd.
You see every page first. Your teaching leads on the tithe. No selling, no recruiting and no business cards in the room. Nobody can see your people's answers or grades. If anything feels off, stop it. You can end it at any time.
Why this is needed
People were never taught this.
And it's costing them sleep.
47%average score on a national personal finance test, the lowest in ten years of tracking
63%of adults say thinking about their finances makes them anxious
37%would not cover a $400 emergency with cash or its equivalent
26%of practicing Christians report high financial flourishing, and 56% report low
92Madults need life insurance or more of it
24%of adults have a will
TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index, June 2026. FINRA Foundation National Financial Capability Study, 2024 data. Federal Reserve, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025, May 2026 (63% would cover it with cash). Barna, survey of June 2024. 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, LIMRA and Life Happens. Caring.com and YouGov, 2025.
The heart of it
This is a stewardship calling,
not a budgeting class.
In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells of a master who gives his servants resources, says "Do business with this until I come back," and then returns and calls them in to account for it (Luke 19:15).
The course is built on that story, and we read all of it, including the hard ending. It's a parable about faithfulness. The reward Jesus names is responsibility, and we will never tell your people that faithfulness produces wealth. We teach that we'll answer for the time and resources God gave us, and we teach it with grace.
What you get
Six real tools,
and exactly what each one costs.
No fine print games. Here's everything that comes with the course.
The print workbook
Free PDF. Every exercise on paper, ready to print. Your church or group prints the copies.
The web app
Free. Walks you through every exercise on your phone, does the math and saves as you go.
Your stewardship grade
Free and private. An honest look at all six steps, and your next faithful step. Nobody else sees it.
Atlas, if you choose to share
Free and optional. It opens only if you ask for a private session and choose to share your worksheets. That licensed professional can then see them.
A strategy session
Complimentary and optional. A private conversation with a licensed professional, only if you ask for one.
Two ways to run it
Same eight sessions.
Your church decides.
One Day Intensive
All eight sessions on one Saturday, 8:30 to 4:00. People walk out with their real number, a private grade and a 90 day plan.
Small Group Sessions
Ninety minutes each, around a table. Most groups meet the same day each week for a series of weeks. A group can also do them all within one week. Your church picks the pace.
The sessions
Eight sessions.
One honest look.
- 01
Session 1: Entrusted
Luke 19 and what God has put in your hands.
- 02
Session 2: Cash Flow
Your real number, without the shame. Proverbs 27:23.
- 03
Session 3: Debt Management
Every debt on one page, and a way out. Proverbs 22:7.
- 04
Session 4: Emergency Fund
How long could you last, and a plan for room to breathe. Proverbs 21:20.
- 05
Session 5: Proper Protection
If the paycheck stopped, who's covered? Proverbs 22:3.
- 06
Session 6: Build Wealth
Where your money sits and your retirement number. Proverbs 13:11.
- 07
Session 7: Preserve Wealth
Your documents, your generosity and what outlives you. 1 Timothy 6:17-19.
- 08
Session 8: The Account
Your Stewardship Check, a 90 day plan and your next faithful step. Luke 19:15.
Safe to recommend
What happens in the room,
and what never does.
| In the room | Never | |
|---|---|---|
| Scripture | The full passage, read in context | Prosperity promises or wealth formulas |
| Money | Education on the six financial steps | Products, companies, quotes or recommendations |
| People | Private work, shared only by choice | Sharing numbers, comparing, or calling anyone out |
| Your pastor | Reviews every session and leads on the tithe | Being overruled on what your church teaches |
| Next steps | One optional invitation, at the very end | Follow-up calls because someone attended |
Your church receives no compensation, and it never sees anyone's answers or grade.
Raise up leaders
Your volunteers
can lead this.
You don't need a finance team. You need people who love people.
A leader guide
Timing, an opening line and the questions for every session, plus what to do when it's more than money.
Slides for every session
Ready to run, so your leader can focus on the people in the room.
An apprentice in every group
Each leader brings someone along, so the next group already has a leader.
For your volunteer
Hand it off
in three steps.
You can hand this page to one person and be done.
- 01
Read the Leader Guide
What to say, how long it takes and what to do when it's more than money.
- 02
Start a group
Go to builduntil.com/fpa/leader. Your church accepts the Host Church Agreement, then your leader gets a code and a QR code for the screen.
- 03
Tap Run This Session
The slides and speaker notes open for that session. Your leader teaches what's written and loves on people.
Review it first
You stay the shepherd.
See all of it.
Read every page before anyone in your church does.
Questions your board will ask
Fair questions.
Straight answers.
What does it cost our church?
Nothing. The course is free to your church and to every person who comes. You provide a room and a screen. Lunch and printing are up to you.
Who makes money from this?
Your church doesn't, and nobody makes money in the room. Jesse Wood is a licensed insurance professional. If someone chooses a private session and later buys an insurance product through a licensed professional, that person may earn a commission. That is the only way money moves. It never happens in the room, it's never required, and your church never receives any of it.
We already run a money class. Why this?
Keep what's working. This one is built on a single parable, Luke 19, and walks through all six areas of a family's money, including protection and legacy documents. It can be the next step for people who finished a budgeting class.
Is the church endorsing a product or a company?
No. No product or company is taught or offered in the room. The private session is each person's own choice, and it's separate from your church.
Who sees our members' information?
Each person's answers and grade are private. Your church and group leaders don't see them. A leader sees a first name, a last initial and which sessions someone has started and finished, and nothing else. Nobody has to join a group, and anyone can leave one. Nothing goes to a licensed professional unless that person says yes, and that yes is recorded.
Will anyone be contacted because they came?
No. Enrolling sends one sign-in code, and that's the only message. No one is called for attending, and nobody is put on a list. There's no recruiting of any kind.
What about the tithe?
Your church's teaching leads. Churches apply Malachi 3:10 in different ways, and we'll never teach giving as a way to get money back.
Do our leaders need financial training?
No. Leaders teach what's written, ask good questions and care for people. They don't give individual advice. When someone needs more, the guide tells them where to send them.
How long do the small group sessions run?
Eight sessions of about 90 minutes each. Most groups meet the same day each week for a series of weeks. A group can also do them all within one week. Your church decides.
What about a member who's in crisis?
The leader guide says it plainly: if it's more than money, stop teaching and bring in the pastor.
What about couples, single parents and people who are far behind?
It's built for all of them. Couples can share one login or use two. A single parent can do it alone on a phone, a little at a time. Someone who is far behind never has to say a number out loud, and passing is always okay in the room.
Who's behind this
Meet
Jesse Wood.
Jesse is a minister, a licensed insurance professional, the author of The Purpose-Driven Business Builder's Blueprint and the host of The Jesse Wood Show, based in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
He'll tell you himself: "I'm honestly a recovering life and financial idiot." He's been the guy hiding from the numbers. Now he wants to serve your church, not sell it anything.
Financial Purpose Academy is part of Build Until, a movement built on one verse: do business with what God gave you until He comes back.
Let's bring this
to your church.
Pick a date and let's go do this together. Take the flyer to your leadership team first, and bring us your hardest questions.