In this episode, we discuss strategies to help ministry parents equip their pastor's kid with the skills required to earn a debt-free college degree. This episode is the first part of a three-part series that offers practical advice and personal experiences on how to navigate college funding. Key topics include the significance of establishing a financial and spiritual legacy, educating children on financial principles from an early age, and the importance of academic and extracurricular preparation. Joy also emphasizes the necessity of planning early, avoiding student loans, and leveraging community support. Additionally, the episode features a spotlight on missionaries Amy and Roli Dela Cruz and their impactful work at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary.
Resources from this Episode:
Debt-Free Degree by Anthony O'Neill: https://books2read.com/debtfreedegree
Smart Money Smart Kids by Rachel Cruz and Dave Ramsey: https://books2read.com/smartmoneysmartkids
Smart Money Smart Kids course (available inside the Ramsey Plus membership): Ramseyplus.com
Foundations in Personal Finance course (available as a school curriculum and homeschool curriculum): https://store.ramseysolutions.com/youth/education/
Financial Peace University (for help with the Baby Steps): Join our next Financial Peace University Class! https://pastorsandmoney.com/financial-peace-university/
Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps
The Ramsey Show podcast (for inspiring debt-free stories): ramseysolutions.com
Scholarships and grants specific for missionary kids and pastors' kids
Schools that offer tuition discounts for pastor's kids and missionary kids
Transcript
How to Send Your Pastor's Kid to College Debt-Free: The Early Years
Joy Suzanne: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Pastors & Money Podcast. I'm Joy Suzanne Hunt, pastor and financial coach, bringing you conversations about personal finance, church finance and how we disciple our churches in the areas of finance and stewardship. You can find the episode show notes, and more at pastorsandmoney.com. And here's the show.
Introducing the 3-Part Series on Sending Your Pastor's Kid to College Debt-Free
Joy Suzanne: Hi there. Welcome to episode number 17 of the Pastors and Money Podcast. Today, we're tackling a topic that keeps many ministry parents up at night: how to send your pastors' kids to college without drowning in debt. This is part one of a three-part series where I'll share both my own experience and practical solutions. I took out student loans for my ministry education, but if I could go back I'd do it differently. That [00:01:00] burden of debt affected my ability to serve fully in ministry for years after graduation. But before we did.
The Importance of Legacy and Generational Impact
But before we dive into strategies for college funding, I've been thinking about legacy lately. Not just the financial legacy we leave our children, but the spiritual legacy we pass on through generations.
We've all seen ministry families where parents were so focused on serving the church that their own households suffered. I don't mean that they went through hard times or that they made sacrifices. Those are part of life and part of our calling. But they suffered from misplaced priorities and a lack of a healthy foundation as a family. Scripture is clear: our family is our first ministry. If we can't manage our own household well, how can we manage God's church?
When we prioritize our family's well-being, including their financial future, we're not just securing our children's legacy. We're modeling healthy boundaries and family life for our entire church. Our church members are watching how we balance ministry and family life. And they'll follow our example for better or [00:02:00] for worse. Creating a plan for our children's education is just part of being faithful stewards of our first ministry.