The Way of Christ Isn't Cash & Carry

Dear faculty and staff:

I am writing in regard to the enclosed devotional:

"Together: Why Money Matters

This week's key scripture: Mark 12:41-44

Profiles in Stewardship: J.Frankles Style

Marvin the Miser
Gives nothing at all;
Harry H. Happy
Makes giving a ball!

Mysterious Martha
Is very evasive;
Pastor Peter Paul
Can be so persuasive.

Bragging Beauregard
Tells about his donations;
But Crafty Cathy
Is more concerned about her creations.

Tithing Terry
Gives a Tenth, at least;
Little Larry
Gave a fifty-cent piece.

Arrogant Allen
Thinks things are just fine;
Prophet Pryor
Waits for a sign.

Hedonistic Harold
Gives what feels good;
Proper Penelope
Gives what she should.

Speedboat Sam
Needs to pay for his dock;
Second-hand Sonya
Puts her diamonds in hock.

Questioning Quigley
Wonders if it's enough;
Poker Polly
Just prefers to bluff.

This is serious business:
Good stewards, we should all be.
Trust in your heart and the Lord.
And remember, admission isn't always free.

Such poetry may be revealing as it speaks to who we are. Spend this day meditating upon the steward of God's resources you have become and ask what God is calling you to be."



I understand that we are in the midst of a great push towards the goals outlined in recent fundraising publications. As such, I also understand that leadership feels it necessary to "rally the troops" so to speak, to gain as much momentum in this campaign as possible. I too, would love to see the church operate without debt in order to engage in ministry that is unaffected by the pressures that debt inevitably brings.

However, I would like some clarification as to the sentiments of the above email -- especially the poem's last line. Let me say first and foremost that I am a generous and prayerful giver. I do not "tithe" in the strict sense, but give with my whole heart according to what the Lord has instructed me. These amounts (I am told by my tax returns) go above and beyond "tithing". Since I am called to use my talents wisely and carefully, I examine the entities to which I give, knowing that God wants me to further His kingdom with wisdom and forethought. I give joyfully, knowing that the Lord will bless each penny for the sake of His Son and His Bride. But nowhere in the Gospels have I read that entrance to the Kingdom comes at a fee.

I have not been attending this church for very long, yet I have given prayerfully. I have still not received peace about this fundraising campaign due to such sentiments as the ones contained above, among others. I admire and respect our Senior Pastor, Associate Pastors, teachers, workers and laymen. And I have truly felt at home the short while I have been attending. That is why I am concerned about these matters and request, with a heart of humility and understanding, to receive feedback from you.

Thanks so much for your attention and care.

This is what I have been faced with lately at church. They are in the midst of a fundraising campaign that seeks to pay off the mortgage on the existing property and build on considerable facilities to the ones already in place. The sanctuary is 12 years old. The educational and staff facilities are a little less than 9 years old.

The pattern that has become clear in the last month or so has been one of priority displacement. Announcements, prayers, sermons, songs, bulletins, mailouts, email "devotionals", and special events have all -- yes ALL -- been centered around this campaign. And the central message has been, "This is completely, 100% the rightest thing in the world to do, and if you don't support us, shame on you." The sentiments from the pulpit and mailings, et al, have been much of the same, ladled with syrupy emotion and gobs and gobs of guilt. It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out.

I just left a church that was less than above board with their financial dealings. How severe these dealings are remains to be seen. But when they do not publish their books, and use Scripture as means to threaten people into giving, that crosses the line from stewardship training to spiritual abuse. So you can see why I might be a little gun shy when it comes to this issue.

I personally think that each individual church should only be so big. There is a point where the facilities and congregation become unmanageable. I have seen this breed greed, corruption, broken relationships, hostility, and a general symptom of people losing touch with each other. The last church I was a member of controlled this with mafia -- everyone in charge had the same last name (in a congregation of 8,000). That's disgraceful.

I am for small units in just about everything I do -- small government, small townships, small schools and universities, small classes in those settings, small circles of friends, and on and on. So it bothers me when my church steps up (during worship time, when we should be praising our God) and tries to shame us into giving more money. Especially when the service I am sitting in is not only not full, but the classrooms aren't either. Couldn't they convince some of the people who come to later services to come to the early one? That would save some space, right? Couldn't they cut programs that aren't vital? Or move them to private homes instead? There must be a better way of doing this instead of the "bigger is always better" mentality that I have seen emerge.

Christ didn't carry anything with Him. Neither did the disciples. They were itinerate preachers who went and shared the Good News. True, churches that start up need money. That's it. And if my church decided it was too big to be as effective, I would be the first in line to support planting a new one in an outlying area. "No problem. Who do I make the check out to?"

I try to represent Christ the way I have been called to. But when clergy stands in front of me, I have to remember that they are not Him. He lives inside of me and keeps me on the right path. And that path isn't always going to agree with my church. I wish it did. It would make things a lot easier on me. But perhaps this is why I am where I am now. Christ is teaching me how to discern things, even when they go against the grain. He was, after all, the original troublemaker.

UPDATE:

From one of the Assistant Pastors at my church:

Thank you for writing with your concern. I edit the [devotionals] and confess I missed how the line, "admission isn't always free" might be read.

You are so right; entrance into the Kingdom of God does not come with a dollar sign attached. There is a cost to discipleship as the theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote in his book, "The Cost of Discipleship" but this line taken into context of the poem can easily mislead.

Salvation is free for the accepting. God's love can not be earned or bought. Any response is just that, a response to the free gift of His love.

The emphasis of the Campaign is on the spiritual relationship people have with God. As you continue to do, we want people to prayerfully approach their giving for it is
out of a right relationship with God that giving flows freely. While [the Campaign] speaks to the directions the church plans to use the dollars raised, it does not fully describe [the aspects] which invite people to focus on spiritual matters. Granted the line you mention unfortunately and sadly distracts from that.

I appreciate you helping me learn to spot potentially troubling areas. My desire and prayer is that these [devotionals] enable God to speak to some area of a person's spirit thus opening them to deepening their relationship to God.

Feel free to speak further with me about this and any other point of concern or interest..."

Looks like someone IS listening. It doesn't resolve the issue totally, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.