Discipleship of Treasure w/ Rose Hamrick

Cara: Hello friends, and welcome to this episode of GC Podcast. This podcast is devoted to exploring best ministry practices in the context of Grace Communion International churches. I’m your host, Cara Garrity, and today I am so blessed to have Rose Hamrick as our guest with us today. Rose is the Chief Financial Officer for Grace Communion International.

And today we’re going to continue exploring our 2025 theme of Kingdom Culture by discussing our investment of time, talent, and treasure in the kingdom. And we’re going to be today with Rose, focusing on the investment of our treasure in the kingdom. So welcome Rose, and thank you so much for joining us today.

Rose: It’s good to be with you here today, Cara.

Cara: Absolutely. Why don’t we just jump right in. What does our treasure have to do with Kingdom Culture?

[00:01:01] Rose: That’s a good question. I believe essentially everything, and when I say that, we know that treasures are not just material wealth, but it also represents spiritual values and the importance of our relationship with God.

And we know that we give our time, talent, and treasure to those things that we value and prioritize. I believe that we are called to be good stewards of our time, talent, and treasure. And we understand that all of these come from one source, our heavenly Father, right?

He’s so gracious with us, with his time that he gives us always through the presence of his Holy Spirit, never leaving us or forsaking us. It’s one of those many promises to us as his children.

He gives each of us talents for the purpose of serving him and others. He tells us this in Romans 12:6–8, and how gracious is that? He tells us we have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. And again, in 1 Peter 4, he tells us, “Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace.”

So not only is our heavenly Father gracious, but he encourages us to be the same. Then, speaking of our treasure, he is truly our Jehovah Jireh. He’s our provider, our all in all, and through and through. And I say, again, being the source, and he, being the giver of all, expects us to be generous as he is generous to us.

I believe that we’re a blessing to be a blessing to others and for the sake of the kingdom. It reminds me of scripture when he says over in 2 Corinthians 9, where he says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” And again, another scripture in 2 Corinthians talks about “for if the willing is there,” meaning coming from the heart, “the gift is acceptable according to the one who has, not according to what he does not have.”

So, he doesn’t expect us to give what we don’t have. This is clearly seen in the example of the widow’s might and the widow’s offering. It was her heart and attitude that Jesus responded to. She did not have much. But she was with a willing heart, she was willing to give all that she had. In that set of scripture, in that example, the rich gave out of their abundance, but the poor widow gave out of her poverty.

And of course, we will focus on the treasure today. And for the sake of discussion and answering your question I may use treasure interchangeably with finances and resources, if that’s okay.

[00:03:44] Cara: Yes, absolutely.

[00:03:45] Rose: And just to focus on that a little bit more. We give of our treasure the same way that for those things that we value and prioritize and specific in response to our treasure. God is a generous God. He provides generally generously for us as he values and prioritizes us as his children. How we use our treasure and our resources reveals what we value most as well.

In Kingdom Culture, Jesus is who we should value the most — the one who gave his life for us, the one who in his death reconciled us with the Father, the one who’s washed away all of our sins, the one who is our Savior and Redeemer. So, what does our treasure have to do with Kingdom Culture? Everything that truly matters, I would say.

[00:04:42] Cara: Yeah. Thank you for that insight, Rose, and I really appreciate you saying that our treasure as well as our time and our talent, before our focus here today, our treasure follows our priorities.

I think that is really helpful for us to think about, especially when we’re thinking about for us as disciples, how Is our treasure being invested? How is it being discipled? How are we over time shaping what the use of our treasure looks like, our resources? So, yeah, I really appreciate that insight, that our treasure follows our priorities. And so, I’m wondering what has it looked like for you to be discipled in investing your treasures in the kingdom?

[00:05:31] Rose: I think I’d like to answer that in a two-parter. Being discipled to me has been accepting and sharing the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ and being a Jesus follower, essentially. Essentially being not only a hearer of the word, but a doer of his word. So how do I invest in my treasure in the ways that he shares with me to do so. What an epiphany! Just think about it. To consult the one who holds all treasure, the one who gives all treasure … whether it is our finances or our resources; he is the source and it all belongs to him, and he’s so generous to share with us. He gives us the opportunity to participate in all that he is doing. We have the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the opportunity to support the kingdom.

Also, think about the fact — it reminds me in scripture in Matthew 6 where he tells us we should not store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves can break in, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Basically, earthly treasures are temporal and can be lost or destroyed while heavenly treasures are eternal and secure. It reminds me of another scripture in Matthew 6:21 where it talks about, “for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also.”

And when you talk about those things, you talk about generosity in our giving. It talks about how each of us should give what we decide in our hearts to give, not reluctantly or in the compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. He never tells us what to give, but with what heart — an attitude to give.

And one of my favorite scriptures that I hadn’t read in a long time, to be honest, was in Acts 4:32. And it talks about the believers sharing their possessions and how God’s grace was so powerfully at work in this group of people, in his people, that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles’ feet, and then it was distributed to anyone who had need. I think that’s just a beautiful scripture. That’s how we take care of each other.

[00:08:05] Cara: Yes. Oh, I just, as you were sharing that, that last scripture out of Acts, Rose, it just felt so beautiful to me because when you think about investing our treasure in the kingdom, that’s what a beautiful picture of the kingdom that no one had, that everyone was cared for. Just that reflection of the desire of our God for us to be whole, in his presence and with one another, or that we get to participate in that. Yeah, I love that. I love that.

[00:08:39] Rose: It’s just a true reflection of the love that Jesus has for us and how we should outwardly love one another and how our heavenly Father takes care of us and how we should take care of one another. There’s just so many things that you think about. I was talking about, first of all being discipled, and then the second part of how that, when you look at it, how investing our treasure in the kingdom, being discipled and investing in the kingdom.

[00:09:11] Cara: Yes. Rose, if I can ask you another question, as Chief Financial Officer for GCI, what is something that you’ve learned about the stewardship of our treasures, because you have been entrusted with the stewardship of many people’s investment of their treasure in the kingdom through GCI’s expression of the church and Jesus’ ministry. So, what’s maybe one of the most important or meaningful things that you’ve learned in this role as CFO.

[00:09:46] Rose: I believe the one thing I would say is how faithful our treasurers are, how faithful our members are in their giving. It’s obvious that they see their giving as an expression of worship because they so generously give and we don’t take that for granted.

We certainly invest in the ways that we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us to invest in, for kingdom purposes in sharing the things that of the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ. And he’s blessed us in that way to be able to do that. And we do take it seriously, first giving it to him in prayer and then following the lead of the Holy Spirit as to where to best invest. And I’m grateful and thankful for our members, our treasurers who invest their time and talent in each one of their local congregations and all that all are doing towards the kingdom. So, I appreciate that.

[00:11:06] Cara: Yeah. And so, as you were saying, Rose, is just one way we can participate in how God loves us and cares for us and it’s a reflection of that.

So, I’m wondering for our listeners, what is just one practice we can start with to practice this discipleship and investment of our treasure in the kingdom, to use the treasures that God has given us to invest in his kingdom, to be like he is.

[00:11:42] Rose: I think the first thing that comes to mind, Cara, when you ask that question for me was prayer. It may seem an odd response, but prayer, thanking God for the resources he has given us. Then praying about how he would have us use those treasures, and then pray that once he reveals to us how we would use our resources, that we’re faithful in our stewardship, we’re consistent, committed, and faithful.

After all, think about it. To give us those resources, he has to put trust in us and then to give back those resources for kingdom purposes, we show who our trust is in. Our trust is in him to be able to, and he’s just really allowing us to participate in what he’s doing in the advancement of the kingdom. And I think that’s a beautiful thing, so that we’re not only hearers of the word, but doers of the word.

[00:12:33] Cara: Yes. And as you say that it really even brings me back to one of the first things that you said is that our treasure follows our priorities. And so, I think prayer even has its role in shaping our priorities and shaping our desires as we grow and are transformed into Christlike ministry.

So, as you pray, I can imagine too, like our desires to use our treasures in his kingdom, and the ways that we are drawn to do that, shift and are transformed as well. It might feel like at first one of those answers like, oh, of course, prayer. But it’s actually very powerful.

[00:13:16] Rose: It is.

[00:13:17] Cara: Our formation in so many ways starts with prayer and our relationship and our walking with God.

[00:13:24] Rose: Absolutely. The one who created us, he knows how we are, how we’re so wonderfully made, how he’s made us, and to go to him about I would say the little things, the big things and everything in between, but in, especially in investment in his kingdom, in whatever way that is, to consult with him first. He is the king of the kingdom to consult with.

How do you want us to participate? How will you have us participate? And it’s all based out of our love that we have for Jesus. And just being focused on the things that are of him, of heavenly things and not earthly things so much.

[00:14:16] Cara: What final words or thoughts or insights, pieces of advice would you have for our listeners as we wrap up our conversation today about investing our treasures in the kingdom?

[00:14:30] Rose: I would say to be good stewards of the treasure God has given you. To be able to be a blessing to others and use it for the advancement of his kingdom.

Whatever he’s given us is for the purpose of being able to share with others. He allows us to be able to take care of ourselves, to be able to share with others, and to be able to give back toward kingdom purposes, to be able to share, because as we share our treasure, we are taking the time to say, “Hey, we know who Jesus is in our lives. We know who he has been to us and what the future holds because of him. And this is just wonderful. We just can’t, they’re too wonderful for words that we can’t just hold it to ourselves. We want to be able to invest in others so that they too can come to know Jesus in the way that we do. And to know him as their Lord and Savior, know him as the one who loved us first.”

And so, in sharing our treasure, we are participating in such a special way. And I believe it is a gift from God to be able to do so. So, to know that when he gives us these gifts, these treasures, to be able to use it for his purpose, it is a blessing. It’s not only a blessing to the one who received it, which is us, but as we give and so, I think that’s what I would like to leave you with today.

[00:16:18] Cara: Yeah, so we’re so thankful for you, Rose, and all that you do to serve God, to serve GCI, to serve his kingdom through your role as CFO and helping to support us as we invest our treasures in this way — our earthly treasures. So, thank you so much, Rose, for all that you do for GCI in that way.

And thank you for just being you and for taking your time to join us today. It is our practice with GC podcasts to end the show with prayer. And so, would you be willing to pray for our churches, pastors, ministry leaders, treasurers, members all across GCI for us today?

[00:16:57] Rose: Absolutely. Absolutely. Let us pray.

Gracious, heavenly Father, we come to you today just thanking you so very much for who you are and who you’ve allowed us to be in you. We thank you that you’ve allowed us to participate in growing and building and moving towards the kingdom, Father. We thank you for all of our members. We thank you for our treasurers who are so faithful and committed to their local congregations, and they support their pastors and facilitators and their congregations in a way that’s immeasurable, Father. We thank you for their faithfulness and their commitment.

We thank you for our pastors who have been called to preach and teach, Father, and their commitment to do so in such a special way, and the gifts that you’ve given them, to be able to use those gifts to share with your people, to share the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ, Father. We thank you for our ministry leaders as well, Father, that they lead graciously in a committed and faithful way, with integrity, Father. We just thank you that they are of great support to our pastors, to our local congregations. I want to thank you, Father, also for our Home Office staff, Father, who support our international organization here at GCI, Father.

We’re but a small part of the Body of Christ, Father. But we are so grateful and we’re so thankful to be a part, and we’re grateful that you use us in the way that you do, to be able to share more of you with others, more of Jesus with others, Father. So, we just thank you for all of those that support in the different parts of the Body, the gifts that you’ve given us, the talents that you’ve given us, the resources that you’ve given all of us, Father, to be able to support in the way that you would have us to do to support you, to support the work in Jesus, support each other, Father.

We just thank you. We are so grateful, being careful to give you all the glory, honor, and praise that you so deserve in Jesus. In the matchless name of Jesus. Father, we thank you.

[00:19:11] Cara: Amen. Thank you so much, Rose. And until next time you guys keep on living and sharing the gospel.

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Thank you for listening to the GCPodcast. We hope this episode inspired and equipped you to lead with health and purpose. We would love to hear from you. If you have a suggestion on a topic or if there’s someone who you think we should interview, please email us at info@gci.org. And remember, healthy churches grow from hearts grounded in Christ. As you invest in yourself and your leaders, keep your eyes on Jesus, our faithful guide and sustaining hope.