Here’s a question most of us have never been asked in church: What companies do you own?
Not what you give to. Not what you buy. What you own.
If you have a 401(k), an IRA, or even a small brokerage account, the honest answer for most people is “I have no idea.” That’s understandable. We pick a target-date fund when we start a new job, maybe glance at the balance when the statement shows up and move on with our lives. Investing feels like a math problem, not a spiritual one.
But I’d like to push back on that a little. Christians already believe their faith should shape how they spend, give, work, and treat people. It’s worth asking why the money sitting in our retirement accounts gets a pass.
As a career investment professional and a lifelong Southern Baptist, I hadn’t even considered this idea until a little over a decade ago. Most investors just think about picking a good fund, and I was no different. That habit quietly disconnects you from what you’re actually doing, which is owning shares of real companies. Once I paused and discovered a different way to do things, I never looked back.
Start with Who Owns It
Before we talk about stocks and funds, we need to settle something more basic. Whose money is this?
Psalm 24:1 leaves little room for debate: “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.” That includes the house, the paycheck, and yes, the retirement account. We’re managers, not owners. God has put certain resources in our hands for a while, and He cares how we handle them.
I’ll admit that’s easier said than done. Our culture talks about “my money” and “my portfolio” constantly, and some of that is just practical language. But the mindset behind it can creep in without our noticing.
Jesus makes the same point in Luke 16. If we can’t be trusted with ordinary money, He asks, who will trust us with true riches (Luke 16:11)? That’s a sobering thought. The way we handle something as ordinary as a mutual fund says something about our hearts.
Once you see yourself as a steward, two questions follow pretty naturally. Am I handling this wisely? And am I handling it in a way the Owner would be pleased with?
Most financial advice only deals with the first one.
Being Careful Isn’t the Same as Being Faithful
Remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 25? Three servants each get a sum of money. Two of them go out, put it to work and double it (Matt 25:16–17). The third gets nervous, digs a hole and buries his share (Matt 25:18). When the master comes back, he isn’t impressed by the third servant’s caution. He calls him wicked and lazy for not at least investing the money and reaping interest (Matt 25:24–30).
That story is a helpful corrective for Christians who treat investing as somehow unspiritual or risky in a moral sense. Growing what you’ve been given is part of good stewardship. Saving for retirement, planning for your kids and building the ability to give more generously down the road are good things.
But notice that the master also cared how his servants did business. Faithfulness was never just about the final number.
When You Buy a Share, You Buy In
Here’s the part that tends to make people uncomfortable.
When you own a stock, you own a small slice of a real business. You share in its profits. And those profits come from whatever that company makes and sells. If a company’s revenue comes from pornography, abortion services, or casino gambling, then shareholders are, in a small but real way, partners in that business.
Most believers would never invest their own savings directly into a strip club or an online betting app. Yet plenty of us hold those exact companies through broad funds we’ve never really looked inside. We just didn’t know.
That’s not a reason for guilt. It’s a reason to pay attention.
It’s a bit like finding out that the store you’ve visited every week for years quietly begins selling something you completely object to. Once you know, it’s hard to keep walking in without thinking about it. Knowing changes our responsibility. James 4:17 is blunt about this: knowing the good and not doing it falls short.
So, What Does Faith-Based Investing Actually Look Like?
People sometimes assume faith-based investing just means a list of companies you’re not allowed to own. That’s part of it, but only part. I find it helpful to think about it in three layers.
Avoidance
The first layer is avoidance, or screening. You intentionally leave out companies whose main business runs against what Scripture teaches about life and human dignity. Many Christian investors screen out abortion, pornography, gambling, alcohol, and tobacco, though convictions on some of those vary. The list also isn’t static. New products and industries show up constantly, so any serious approach must keep reviewing what it holds.
Influence
The second layer is influence. Owning shares gives you a seat at the table, even if it’s a small one. Shareholders vote on company policy, and large investors can speak directly with management. Christian investors, especially when they pool their voices through funds and advocacy groups, can press companies to treat employees fairly, protect children, and make better choices about what they sell. Walking away isn’t the only option. Sometimes staying and speaking up does more good. That seems pretty close to what Jesus meant by being salt and light (Matt. 5:13–16).
Intention
The third layer, intention, is where things get exciting. Impact investing means deliberately putting money into organizations that are doing good, not just avoiding the ones doing harm. Think of loans that help churches build, affordable housing for struggling families, health clinics in underserved neighborhoods, or clean water projects. Your retirement savings can grow while also funding work you’d happily support with your giving.
You don’t have to do all three at once. But it’s worth knowing they exist.
“Won’t I Make Less Money?”
This is usually the first question people ask me, and it’s a fair one. I’d rather give an honest answer than a sales pitch.
Any time you exclude certain companies, you might miss some opportunities. In certain years, that could mean trailing the broader market. In other years, it might not matter at all, or it might even work in your favor. Nobody can promise you results, with or without a values screen. All investing carries risk.
What I’d say is this: you shouldn’t have to choose between your convictions and a sound financial plan. There are faith-based options today that are professionally managed, diversified, and built to compete. When you look at one, ask the same questions you’d ask about any investment. Who’s managing it, and how experienced are they? How much risk is it taking, and is that risk intentional? What are the fees? Are the values built into the process, or just stamped on the label?
A fund with great values and sloppy management isn’t good stewardship either. We’re called to be faithful and wise (Matt 24:45). The servant who buried his talent had good intentions, too.
A Few Questions to Sit With
If you want to take a step, you don’t need to overhaul everything this week. Start with some honest questions.
Do I actually know what’s inside the funds I own? Most fund companies publish their holdings. Take twenty minutes and look.
Would I be comfortable if my church saw that list? That’s not a perfect test, but it’s a revealing one.
Am I paying attention to the basics? Values matter, but so do diversification, costs, and time horizon. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit.” Patience and planning usually beat chasing whatever’s hot this year.
What’s all this money for? If the only answer is “my comfort in retirement,” it might be worth praying about. Wise investing can also create room to give generously, support ministry, and help family for years to come.
Who’s advising me? Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that “plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” A good financial professional who shares your convictions can be a real gift.
Letting Your Light Shine, Even Here
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” We usually apply that to how we talk, serve, and treat our neighbors. And we should.
But light reaches into corners, too. It shows up in places nobody else sees, like the fine print of a retirement statement.
None of us will fix a broken world with a well-built portfolio. That’s Christ’s work, and He’ll finish it when He returns. Until then, we get to be faithful with what’s in front of us. For most of us, that includes a few accounts we haven’t looked at closely in a while.
Maybe this is the week to look.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. All investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Strategies that apply values-based restrictions may not be able to take advantage of certain opportunities, which may affect performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
