Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts

From over at Tony Jones' blog.  This was a great article as we discuss full and part-time salary here at Girdwood.

Less and less clergy in the future will draw 100% of their income from ministry.   Seminaries had better prepare their students for this reality, or else they aren’t really in the business of preparing seminarians for reality.

This week we begin our Annual Stewardship Drive. There's an irony to that phrase, "Annual Stewardship Drive"... as if stewardship was something that was an annual thing, occurring sometime around October and ending around Thanksgiving with the ceremonial turning in of the pledge cards.

But, of course not. Stewardship is more than this. It's a whole shape of one's life, lived by trusting in the providence of our Lord.

Tithing is one of the practices that help us do this. It's a tangible reminder that God can and does provide for us and it's reminder that all that we have is God's alone even if we just tell ourselves that by giving back a small percentage.

Too often, however, we have a posture of scarcity in this life, living like there isn't enough to go around and that we'd never make it if gave up a percentage, anywhere close to 10% back to God.

Too often, however, this posture of scarcity leads us to trust in consumption.  We fail to see that there is great freedom in bucking the trend and finding peace and joy in getting by with less, in not finding our identity in so many of the wonderful material things we have at our disposal.

It was Elise Boulding who said the following:

Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.

In our culture, it can be a great task for the preacher to convey this to a congregation.

It's even a great task in trying to convey this to my own family.

And, if I'm honest, it's a great task in trying to convince myself.

Add two more children to the car decal on the left and it could be ours.

Sunday as we looked at our financial difficulties at Girdwood Chapel...as we discussed discipleship and giving and stewardship and building needs and work teams and benefits and pastoral compensation and...  Well, we covered a lot.

As we looked at all of this I wanted us to celebrate the wonderful, loving, world-changing, disciple-making things that we're involved in in this community and in the world.  And I wanted to remind them that, while our financial realities are important and can affect ministry, I didn't want it to define us.  I want persons to hear about the love of Christ first and foremost...and not our need for funds.  I don't like the pastor I become when the "trees" of our financial commitments obscure the "forest" of God's grace and love.

I don't want to be the church in the Naked Pastor cartoon above.

Image by ReillyButler via FlickrIn the morning I sort through my RSS feeds.  It's my "newpaper" reading for the day.  Lots of technology and Apple feeds.  Lots of religious feeds.  And, these feeds often feed my soul as well. 

It's not every morning that, as I sort through my morning RSS feeds in Google Reader that I pause and think to myself THIS IS IMPORTANT.  It's important for me.  It's important today.  I find lots of good stuff.  No doubt.  But it's kind of rare that something someone else writes on another website finds its way to me and immediately resonates with what I have going on inside of me and my concerns and my growing edges and touches on what I'm finding so important right here, right now. 

But this morning it did.

This morning I'm emotionally recovering from Sunday.  It was a day we started on a new sermon series called "Awkward Family Snapshots from the Bible."  We're looking at the very dysfunctional families in Scripture and seeing how messed up they were and yet God was still able to bless them and bless others with them.  We have some messed up families.  I know our folks are pulled in so many directions and lament that their plates are so full and yet they see no way out.  But I want them to hear how God still blesses and used them.

It was a day that we seriously looked at some of the economic struggles facing our church and wondered why people don't give more and our leadership discussed the benefits of having a full-time pastor at the church.  What would ministry and our finances look like with a half-time pastor?  In the end, it's a matter of priorities.  It's a matter of discipleship, we said.  And looking for a short-term fix for a long-term problem wasn't going to be the way out.  We need people invested in the mission and ministry of the church not merely with us to see what they can get out of it on occasion.  This conversation was a weighty one for our family.

It was a day that I spent with family, heading out to the "hand tram" up Crow Creek Road.

It was a day for grilling out.

And now I'm left here, in the coffee shop, trying to plan and to lead and to disciple.

That's when I saw this post from the Missional Church Network.  It's a long quote from Renovation of the Church: What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation by Kent Carlson & Mike Lueken.  I've not read the book.  It looks great from the quote.

I don’t know how to say this in a gentle way, but we should not assume that those people who are attracted to our church have been captivated by the message of Christ and his alternative vision of life. In truth, most North American Christians are not riding courageously on warrior steeds with swords waving wildly in the air, crying out, “Let’s change the world for Christ.” Rather, they come in the air-conditioned comfort of their SUV or minivan with their Visa card held high in the air, crying out, “Let’s go to the mall!”

We should be more truthful with each other here. They come because their high-school kid likes the youth program, or because their children don’t get bored, or because they like the music, or because the pastor preaches the Bible the way they believe it should be preached, or because they happened to be greeted by a smiling face one day, or because the worship leaders looks like Brad Pitt.

This is the hard, raw reality of life in the North American church. The people who come to our churches have been formed into spiritual consumers. This is who we are. It is our most instinctive response to life. And you can hardly blame us. Almost everything in our culture shapes us in this direction. But we must become deeply convinced that this is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the one who invited us to deny ourselves and lose our lives in order to find them. If we do nothing to confront this in our churches, we are merely putting a religious veneer over consumerism and nothing is changed. We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living. And what is worse, our churches become part of the problem. By harnessing the power of consumerism to grow our churches, we are more firmly forming our people into consumers. Pastors end up being as helpful as bartenders at an Alcoholics Anonymous convention. We do not offer what people really need.

I read this, coffee in hand this morning and repeated the last lines again a few times:

We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living. And what is worse, our churches become part of the problem. By harnessing the power of consumerism to grow our churches, we are more firmly forming our people into consumers. Pastors end up being as helpful as bartenders at an Alcoholics Anonymous convention. We do not offer what people really need.

Wow.

We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living...  Pastors end up being as helpful as bartenders at an Alcoholics Anonymous convention. We do not offer what people really need.

Our folks are not living in an alternative way.  I'm not sure I'm even living in an alternative way. And I'm supposed to be leading.

We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living....  We do not offer what people really need.

How do we offer what people really need?  How do we, not really a seeker-church, practice spiritual formation?

Questions are harder while money is tight.  Answering these questions long before a building process would have been the ideal way to go.  But here we are now.  A community of believers trying to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world while still trying to make disciples of ourselves.

But, if we're not making disciples here, then what are we making?

What are we making here?

Perhaps, from the quote above, we're just making more consumer of religion.

“When God is going to do something wonderful, He begins with a difficulty; when He is going to do something miraculous, He begins with an impossibility.”

Image by -Mandie- via Flickr

- Neil Anderson

I know I shouldn't be tempted by this song...but...after pondering our church financial situation, it's hard not to see it as an attractive alternative to talking about our lack of funds.  Why is so much of our thanksgiving...as churches and as individuals...tied up to the amount of money we have?

Source:  AsboJesus

This was the first thing I read.

After a financial meeting this morning.

Honest.

This is it.

Really.

This is found over at "The Good Atheist" and is interesting how it looks at church giving.   It makes it sound like we're rolling in dough and, I think, equates all churches with the megachurches (which, to be honest) get all the press.

Their article states:

I can’t imagine a bigger waste of money than giving it to churches. Seriously. It would actually be more productive if you threw it away in the garbage, since at least in this instance some poor homeless guy might actually find some of it.

Here's the video:



What do you think?

(HT/ Christian Nightmares)

Image via WikipediaLast week I sent the following e-mail out to the congregation.   I sent it with some fear and trembling, recognizing that I was asking a lot when we're having some economic difficulties (to say the least).  But I sent it out believing that it was a faithful response a need from the community -- that I really can't say too much about.

Here it is:

Friends,

We have a need in our community that has come to light just recently.  This is a financial need in the amount of $1,300.  In order to protect the privacy of those involved I cannot reveal much more than this.  I know that my vagueness might make it difficult to get behind this request.  I understand this.  However, I hope that my 11 years here has built up some trust and you understand that I wouldn't ask the people of our church to get behind a local mission need if I didn't believe that it was the right thing for us to do as we try to faithfully witness to Christ in this place.  This is so particularly in light of the financial realities we have as we live into our new facility,

I have been in dialogue with __________ and _________ (two of our financial leaders) along with some of my clergy colleagues in Anchorage.  We have talked about how to best meet this pressing need while allowing the greatest chance of resolution of the current problem by maintaining the anonymity of those involved.  We also talked about how best to phrase this very email, recognizing that it was a difficult thing to do.  Please know that, beyond the financial component, other steps are being taken to help.

This is a leap of faith...faith in my judgment and faith that God can use our collective gifts to help bring healing to a troubling situation.  The identities of those being helped may or may not be revealed at some point in the future.  It will be up to them.  This is hard.  But, perhaps, as we try to pay off debt, as we make improvements to the building as required, as we look at heating bills and lighting bills, etc....perhaps this is a way for us to really BE the church.

If you can help in any amount, your gift will be well-used.  It will be used to help a very local mission situation.

Thank you.

We'll take up a special offering this week.  Please pray about how you can help meet this very real need.

Remember our mission:  "Love God.  Love others.  Change the world."

Peace,

Jim

Well, on Sunday, I made the appeal again recognizing that it was asking a lot of the congregation.  I know persons are more inclined to give when they "know" where the money is going.  I know it helps to see the faces and hear the stories to make it personal.  But it couldn't happen this time around.

And the congregation responded very well.  I asked for $1,300.  $2,150 was given.  And the persons to whom the money will go are relieved...for now.  There are other issues at hand and we're trying to hook them up with the resources they need.  And, hopefully, we can start to meet some of the immediate needs in the day-to-day running of the church (e.g. light bill, mortgage, construction bills still needing to be paid).

But this was a time "for the church to be the church" giving because it is good to give.

It was a good thing.

It was a God thing.

Image via WikipediaWhen I have any money I get rid of it as quickly as possible, lest it find a way into my heart. —John Wesley

Image via WikipediaYesterday I got up dutifully with my son to make sure he got to the bus at 6:10 AM.  Then I was on my way to the gym to work out...something I've been trying to do for a few weeks now to lose weight (because I need to) and get healthy (because it's a good thing).  I can't say I'm always ready and willing at that hour, but I was good to go yesterday and I was looking forward to some time on the elliptical trainer and some weight lifting.

An added driving force is this new pedometer I have through "Virgin HealthMiles."  It's something through our insurance company where there's cash and other bonuses for folks who are taking their daily steps, with challenges against other clergy in other areas and personal challenges.  And, let's face it...it's a good thing.  Getting clergy active, considering our generally poor health record, has got to help.  Last time I tried to set up one of the pedometer accounts it wasn't compatible with Mac Computers, so I didn't sign up.  That's changed now and I'm counting my steps...and trying to get 7499 steps per day (I don't know where the number comes from.  But it's a goal.

Yesterday after my son was on the bus I made my way to the hotel, slid across the ice in the parking lot (since I had forgotten my grippers in an act of poor planning), and made my way to the hotel.  As I got to the door my heart sunk because I realized I had forgotten my pedometer at home.  But...but...but...I was going to miss all of those steps on the elliptical trainer!  I was going to miss all of those steps on the long walk to the health center in the hotel!  I was going to have trouble meeting my pedometer goal for the day!  Literally, my heart sunk.  I could feel it.  And I actually questioned, for a brief moment, IF IT WAS WORTH GOING THROUGH WITH IT AT ALL!

What a silly thought.  Even after just a short time with the pedometer in my life, keeping track of the benchmark of the number of steps taken through the day I had, for a moment, mistaken the benchmark for the goal.  I had placed my recording of steps in front of the ultimate goal of getting healthy.  I had forgotten to keep the main thing the main thing. 

Benchmarks are important.  They are measureables.  I think keeping track of steps is a good indicator of health.  But there are other ways to get healthy and this is just one of the factors. 

I think benchmark testing in schools is a good thing.  It gives an indication of how education is going across a large spectrum.  But it's possible to come to the realization that some teachers end up teaching to meet the benchmarks and not to educate the children.

And benchmarks are important in church life, too.  What is membership like?  Is it going up or down?  What percentage of a church's budget is going to missions?  How many persons were baptized last year?

But sometimes clergy and churches try to protect their benchmarks to the detriment of ministry.  Many a pastor has kept long-gone members on their membership rolls to pad their membership numbers.  And I was told about a pastor of mine who, when counting attendance on a Sunday, used to add about 10% for all the people he believed were in fellowship hall getting coffee.

As our church deals with some financial realities about being in our new space, we have some benchmarks of our own.  They're dollar figures.  And I confess that, with them looming over our heads, it can be tempting to think of ministry as "HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE OUR INCOME" and not "HOW CAN WE MAKE MORE DISCIPLES FOR JESUS CHRIST IN THE WORLD." 

For instance, yesterday at a clergy gathering, it was mentioned how Girdwood Chapel has taken one or two Sundays "off" each year to engage in service projects in our community.  It's a way to be reminded of our community and also, through service, to be reminded of how Christ has served us.  And we've done so willingly, with lots of participation.  However, it has meant a hit to our finances...no offering collected.  One of the other clergy asked if we were doing it this year and I said that it will be a challenge because of what our finances look like.

In other words, our need to show an increase in income was getting in the way of faithful ministry.  Our benchmark may be getting in the way of the goal.  We might be forgetting to keep the main thing the main thing.

That said, I'm gonna keep my odometer on me today.  Sure, I want to be healthy.  But I also don't want to lose any "steps" along the way.

Image via WikipediaI saw a couple of blog posts last week from clergy type folk talking about what it is that they are learning about at this point in their ministry.  I thought I'd share some of the stuff I'm learning at this point.

1)  MISSIONAL THEOLOGY -- How the church participates in the MISSIO DEI -- The sending of God.  This is looking at the church as a place from which we are sent.  You have the church gathered (on Sunday AMs for instance) and the church sent (as we go from that place).  So primacy is placed on how people are the embodiment of Christ on the "other" days of the week.

2)  COMMUNITY BASED MINISTRY -- I think this comes before the missional theology.  For the last few years we've been working to turn Girdwood Chapel outward and be a place that is involved in ministry in the community.  Now that we have a new building, we're looking at how that space can be used to "be Christ" to the community and how we can love our neighbors through that space.

3)  MONEY --  We are in debt as a church.  I'm learning about the various ways we got to where we are and am part of conversation about how to get out, knowing that we need to continue to be involved in ministry as we do this.

4)  SMALL GROUPS -- Yeah, I've always known they are important for "disciple-making" and support, but it is taking on an urgency as I question how good a job we've been doing at making disciples.  And since I've been around over 10 years I can't say I haven't had time.

5)  ADMINISTRATION -- You don't go through a church-building process and not learn some of this.  There is a whole lot of coordination that has had to happen to get us where we are.

6)  RELYING ON THE POWER OF GOD -- The longer I've been in Girdwood, the less I've felt like I have the tools, the gifts to make stuff happen.  When I first came into ministry in 1994, I was pretty sure I could do this all myself.  I don't have that belief anymore.  I am dependent upon the power of God to do anything.

7)  TAKING CARE OF MYSELF -- I'm 41 years old, gettin' on 42 (where I think I'm supposed to learn the meaning of life, the universe, and everything).  I'm overweight.  I'm in a high stress job as I enter into people's pains and have administrative responsibility for a 1.5 million dollar facility and the care of the spiritual lives of about 75 persons, not counting community responsibilities for those who won't ever come to church.  Our family's been struggling with schedules with our 5 kids.  I haven't been real good at delegating.   I need to do better at taking care of myself. I'd like to be around for a while.

8)  JESUS -- Yeah, not a bad person to learn from.  But I'm finding the current sermon series on the person and work of Jesus to be refreshing.  Tough stuff.  Good stuff.  


I'm sure I could think of others if I took more time.  I'll probably do a little more reflection on this over the coming week and come back with some revisions. Now I need to go and get ready for worship.

God is good.  All the time.

And he ain't done with me yet.

photo © 2007 zack Mccarthy | more info (via: Wylio)
Setting my salary has always been a somewhat uncomfortable affair.  From a worldly sense, I know that I could be making more money elsewhere...you know doing something that's NOT what God called me to...like, I don't know...acting or graphic design or something with computers...wait...take off acting...too many struggling actors.

Image via WikipediaOK.  So, this isn't much of a "commentary."  I get it.  I think a lot of this just kind of speaks for itself.

First, we have a woman threatening to shoot her fellow shoppers at a Toys R Us in Madison, Wisconsin.  Says the report:

The TV news station has the incident report from the Madison Police Department that reveals "several hundred shoppers were waiting in line for the Toys "R" Us store to open when a 21-year-old woman attempted to move to the front of the line."

"She was confronted by numerous shoppers and in turn she made threats to retrieve a gun and shoot the shoppers."

The NY Daily News has a statement from a police spokesman.

"She's now spending her shopping money to post bond," said Madison Police Sgt. Erik Fuhremann.

SIGH.

Let's see.  Next we move from the great city of Madison, Wisconsin all the way down to Boynton Beach in Florida.  There a shopper was detained for shopping at Wal-Mart, fully armed.  For some reason he found it necessary to bring some concealed weapons into the store.  And, while I'm sure they were all expecting some crowds, most people don't find it necessary to be ready for a stand-off or whatever.  The report out of The Palm Beach Post says:

Boynton Beach police said they arrested Christopher D. Scott, 49, just after midnight today in a checkout line at the Walmart at 3200 Old Boynton Road.

Scott is charged with three counts each of carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Officers had been doing an extra patrol at the store because of the large crowd seeking early bargains.
A police log said Scott wore a .40-caliber Glock handgun with a 30-round magazine in a holster at his hip, as well as two concealed knives and a "pepper grenade."

And, lastly, back up north in Buffalo, New York problems ensued at a Target store...also pronounced "Tar-jay" by some :).  In the quest to get the best deals, chaos won out over civility.  Says the WIBD TV station website:

Shoppers waited out in the cold wet weather for hours. When the doors opened at 4 a.m. the Black Friday chaos turned ugly.

Seconds after the doors opened, something went dangerously wrong.

Crazed Black Friday shoppers began piling up on each other.

"It went from controlled to a mob in less than five minutes and it just got nasty," said a shopper.

When officials heard the screams, they ran over right away to help.

Shopper Rich Mathewson said, "It was a lot of angry people just jumping in after we waited patiently for a long time. It actually started way before that, people started getting angry at everybody."

Lovely...ain't it. 

I've written a lot about consumerism here in the great U.S. of A.  It's something we all struggle with.  We have this sort of inborn desire to WANT things and every one of us loves to get a deal.  But, as we stretch to get that "deal" we need to keep in perspective that the stores don't LOSE money on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.   They aren't giving away free money and if we only get in line first, we'll be the ones to get the handouts.  They MAKE money.  And, when it comes down to it, most of those "special deals" can be gotten at other times if we all just do a little homework.  But there's a spiritual side to all of this.  There is a spiritual warfare going on for our souls and we're finding it particularly hard to serve both God and money when we go into these crazed shopping sprees.

I confess to you that I made some purchases today.  Every year I get my older kids Christian T-Shirts for Christmas.  I don't even wrap them.  I just lay them on the Christmas tree and they find them when they get up on Christmas morning.  It probably sprang from laziness at one point.  But now it's "tradition."  So, today I placed that order.  And, hey, I got a deal.  They were only $10 each!  (And I could have clothed them for a lot less if I shopped at Value Village in Anchorage).   That was my big "Black Friday" experience.  I'm out some money but no violence was threatened against anyone.  I don't think anyone got hurt.  And, now I can get some things done around the house.

I'm loaded. It's official.I'm the 51,263,593 richest person on earth! How rich are you? >>

It is a mind-blowing Monday morning here in Girdwood.  I was planning on heading back to bed for another hour of sleep, but I'm trying to grapple with the fact that I'm in the TOP ONE PERCENT OF INCOME EARNERS IN THE WORLD.

Gulp.

photo © 2010 Dennis Hamilton | more info (via: Wylio)

Image via Wikipedia

The Collection for the Lord’s People

 ¹ And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

 ⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 ¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

 ¹³ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, ¹⁵ as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”