What does it mean for Christians to be good financial stewards and help “the least of these?”

In this week’s episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang sits down with Dana and Bill Wichterman to explore the powerful – and sometimes challenging – intersection of faith and finance. Dana, a former USAID and Department of Commerce development expert, and Bill, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, bring unique insights into how faith-driven impact investing can address the growing needs in global humanitarian aid, particularly as USAID aid cuts continue to affect the most vulnerable populations.

The conversation explores Christian philanthropy and faith-based giving, looking at practical ways that followers of Jesus can align their financial resources with their values. Dana and Bill share how business-minded philanthropy can create transformative investments that support global poverty alleviation and provide lasting solutions for the “least of these.” They highlight how faith-driven solutions can help fill the gap left by Trump administration aid policy reductions, emphasizing the importance of Christian stewardship in addressing these challenges.

This episode serves as a call to action for Christians to step out in faith, showing how people of all income levels, from individuals to organizations like the National Christian Foundation and TrustBridge Global, can play a role in empowering change through faith and impact giving. By focusing on faith-driven solutions, Dana and Bill illustrate that Christian vision for aid can drive global poverty alleviation and lasting social change, even in the face of reduced government support.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore impact investing or already familiar with its potential, this episode offers valuable insights on how to navigate aid reductions and turn generosity into powerful, faith-fueled action. Tune in to discover how you can make a meaningful difference with your resources while staying true to your Christian values.

This excerpt has been edited for length and clarity,

Bill Wichterman: Generosity is at the heart of the gospel. Generosity was about the Lord laying down his life at the request of the Father on behalf of us sinners, and so we’re called to model what it means to be God-followers by doing that. And generosity is not an optional thing for Christ followers, but integral to what it means to follow the Lord.

In 1 Peter, Peter writes about how we have been given gifts so that we can give to others. And Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” I think those notions of stewardship, which are so integral and woven throughout Scripture, are the reason that we do it. We’re supposed to think about effectiveness, for sure, but really there’s joy that comes from making a difference. When you focus on what you can do rather that what you can’t, one of the consistent themes in our community of givers is the joy that comes from it.

Dana Wichterman: In a historical context, we went from 60% of the global population living in extreme poverty to 9% in 2020. However, because the population has grown over that time, there are still 700 million people living in extreme poverty. So our role isn’t done, our work isn’t done, but I think we can be encouraged by the fact that poverty alleviation has been effective over the decades and there can be progress.

I think too that it’s a part of our witness to run to those broken places and hurting places and try to alleviate suffering and produce flourishing. When we think about generosity, even though we do not give as we probably should – Christians on average give about 2.5% of their income to charities around the world – it’s practicing Christians that give more than just cultural Christians. So if we moved even close to the 10% tithe, we could do an amazing amount of filling that gap.