Episode Details

You may know how your retirement investments are performing, but do you know what they're actually supporting?

For many Christians, stewardship shapes how we earn, spend, save, and give. Yet when it comes to investing, we may not think much about the companies and industries represented in our portfolios.

Faith-based investing offers an opportunity to align those decisions more closely with our Christian convictions. But what does that look like in practice? Does investing according to your values mean sacrificing financial returns? And can individual investors really make a difference?

Mark Regier, Vice President of Stewardship Investing at Praxis Investment Management, joined the show today to explore these questions. With more than 25 years of experience in faith-based investing, Regier offers a thoughtful perspective on how Christians can approach their portfolios with greater intentionality.

Recognizing God's Ownership of Our Investments

Faithful investing begins with a foundational biblical truth: Everything belongs to God.

Psalm 24:1 declares, "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein."

This principle reminds us that we're not ultimately owners of our resources but stewards entrusted with managing what belongs to God.

"When we think about it that way, our investments are just the same as every part of our life, where we ask the Lord to have ownership and control over what we do," Regier explains.

One important consideration is that investing in a company often means becoming a partial owner of that business. Whether through individual stocks or investment funds, our financial resources are connected to businesses whose decisions affect employees, customers, communities, and the wider world.

That ownership also brings an opportunity to stay informed and engaged. Just as Christians seek to honor God through their spending and generosity, they can also consider how their investments reflect their values.

Faith-Based Investing Is About More Than Avoidance

When people hear the term faith-based investing, they often think of avoiding companies or industries whose practices conflict with their Christian convictions.

This approach, commonly called screening, is an important starting point. Investors may choose to exclude certain businesses based on their products, services, or practices. But Regier emphasizes that faith-based investing can go much further.

At Praxis Investment Management, the goal isn't simply to avoid certain investments but also to identify opportunities to contribute positively to the world. These opportunities can include:

• Shareholder engagement: Using the responsibilities and opportunities of ownership to encourage companies toward more responsible business practices.
• Community investing: Directing capital toward initiatives that support underserved communities and expand economic opportunities.
• Impact bonds: Investing in bonds that help finance projects with positive social or environmental outcomes.

Praxis incorporates these and other strategies into its ImpactX approach, which identifies seven ways investors can pursue positive impact through their portfolios. The broader principle is that stewardship involves more than asking what we should avoid. It also invites us to consider