Money in the Church: How do you know there's not enough?

By Dave Crittenden
Transitional Synod Executive        

I don’t get it. Why don’t we talk about money in the church?

More than half of our pastors don’t know what their members give to their church or where their members yearn to invest their time and money. Yet the same pastors often know everything else there is to know about those same members because it helps with pastoral care.

Sessions, presbyteries, synods, the Presbyterian Mission Council and the Office of the General Assembly don’t talk about money with each other and only talk about money themselves when it is absolutely necessary.

The whole system believes there isn’t enough money to do what we believe God has called us to do.

Didn’t we just finish talking about money? There was that budget thing and salaries. Wasn’t it only the expense side of the budget because we can’t imagine there being more income? Most everyone I know cut ministry because we are convinced there is not enough money and won’t be for the foreseeable future.

How do you know there is not enough? Did the leadership and the congregation look at all of their assets as ways to enable ministry? Did you ask those who give to you what they really want to do with their money – did you invite them to be partners in your mission? Did you ask members to financially join in your vision by inviting them to be long term collaborative partners? Did you show them how it could be done rather than outlining the reasons why failure is inevitable? Do you personally believe there is enough?

If we don’t talk about faith and money we won’t know if there is enough.

We yearn to follow Jesus. Jesus talked more about possessions and money than any other single topic. For the most part we stopped talking about it, what happened to us?

The people of the Exodus got manna every morning as part of God’s promise there would always to enough. They complained bitterly every day, but at least they talked about it. When there were more than five-thousand mouths to feed Jesus said feed them – even after hearing it was impossible with the resources available at first glance.

I choose to believe those gathered shared what they had brought, but intended to hide. They shared everything they first had decided to keep. God in Christ believes we will share what we intend to keep and that there will always, always be enough.

“Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work”  2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (Common English Bible).

 

Let me know if you want to talk about it.

What do you want to keep?

By Dave Crittenden
Transitional Synod Executive

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die,” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship.

I have wrestled with this quote for more than 40 years. I believe it is true with all my heart, but I do not even begin to live it. I really want to keep my life and everything else I have labeled mine since I could first say the word. The majority of the 40 years I thought it was about giving until I realized you can only give your all when you are willing to risk not keeping anything.

How much we want to keep is a question we have to answer for ourselves. The answer involves what you really desire to keep – not what should you keep, not what would look good and not even what would make the most sense.

We almost always want to keep very nearly everything. When the crops are plentiful we want to store the abundance in silos.

Jesus told his disciples to leave their families and jobs to follow him. Most of us would not even entertain the thought. He asks us to be willing to give our lives – “… none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

Most of us are like the young man who inquired of Jesus what else was needed to attain treasure in heaven after doing everything the law required. The young man failed because he could not give his possessions away.  In the end we want what we have more than anything else – even more than the promises of Christ.

We are obsessed with having. We are reluctant to give too much of our time, ideas, plans, space or relationships. It is obvious that keeping what we have is a barrier to giving, but it is also a barrier to change.

As long as we want to keep what we have we even have trouble thinking about how things might be different or better. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is looking for a new way to be church. Congregations are looking for what they are called to be in a time when being Christian is countercultural. Presbyteries, Synods and the national expressions of the church are seeking the best way to serve congregations. The conversation needs to be around how much we want to keep.

When we can all honestly say nothing we can begin to see God’s vision for the future.