Running Low

All churches are different and all churches are the same.

Each church has its unique mission and ministry; exists in its unique community; has its unique personality. But, on the other hand, all churches share some common characteristics. It is those common characteristics that allow me to consult with them and help them without being thoroughly acquainted with all aspects of that particular church.

This is also true for individual humans. We are all unique and we all have things in common. Having never thought it through, I was surprised when I found these common human characteristics while doing some family counseling in Costa Rica. Because the people lived in different physical circumstances, ate different kinds of food and spoke a different language, I just thought I would be presented with unique interpersonal problems. I was wrong. Just as the people I pastor and counsel in Middle America, the folks in San Jose, Costa Rica, were confronted with the same challenges, dreaming the same dreams, loving with the same intensity, caring just as deeply for the welfare of their children, wrestling with the same fears, entertaining the same hopes, and fighting the same struggles. Different but the same.

I guess that because there are so many commonalities in humans there would, of course, be commonalities in churches seeing as churches are made up of humans. One of the things most churches have in common is how we approach money. Or, should I say, the lack of money. Whenever money runs short and the cash flow gets a bit tight, most churches and most church leaders start looking for ways to cut back on expenses. They glare at the preacher as if this cash problem is his or her fault. My guess is they believe that better preaching brings in more people and larger crowds mean more money. Walla, problem solved.

To solve the problem we start running around turning off lights, turning back the heat, limiting the use of the building, recycling the children’s Sunday School material, eyeballing the staff in search of some dead wood to get rid of, buying cheaper coffee, running fewer Sunday bulletins, dropping the internet service. We start having finance committee meetings that focus on cutting the budget, trimming the staff and cutting salaries. The committee, sitting there with their bare faces hanging out, discusses doing things that if those same things were done to them at their place of work they would have a fit.

Many years ago, while in negotiations with a church concerning a Senior Pastor position, the chair of the Search Committee pulled out the church’s past year budget, pointed to the line item for Pastor’s salary and asked me, “What do you think?” It is always, and I mean ALWAYS, a mistake to ask me what I think. But, in what I consider one of my finest hours, I turned to him, looked him directly in the eye and said, “I think you need to repent.” The salary was laughable. When he questioned my response, I questioned him. “Where do you work,” I asked. His answer, “Proctor and Gamble.” Another question. “Would you work at Proctor and Gamble for this salary? Double this salary? Triple this salary?” He wouldn’t answer me and he wouldn’t look me in the eye. My simple question was, “Why do you think your work and time are worth many times more than mine?” It was just a question. A question that needed answering.

It is my observation that in our churches often our first responses are not necessarily the best responses nor are they Godly responses. Our first response to a shortage of resources to effectively do ministry should be to gather more resources. It is like the story of the pastor of a large church who stood in the pulpit on the first Sunday of a multimillion dollar capital campaign and announced to the people, “I have good news. We have the money. We have all the money we need for our building project.” First the congregation gasped in surprise at the announcement and then stood and applauded for almost 10 full minutes. After the crowd finally settled down the pastor then announced, “We have the money. Now all we need to do is give it. Let’s take the offering.”

Let’s be honest. (Don’t you hate when I say that? You just know the next thing I say is going to be difficult.) If we God followers were to take God at His word and tithe, the church would be so flush with cash we wouldn’t know what to do. I have a feeling that one could count on one hand the number of churches in any given community who have financial problems because of intemperate spending. Our problem is not our spending; it is our giving. It is just easier to address the spending instead of the giving. Most people don’t get this. Many years ago I had a stewardship chairman who called a meeting of his committee because our cash flow got tight. He announced to the group, “Money is tight. We need to figure out how to increase giving in our church.” I unashamedly will tell you, I wanted to kiss that guy.

The Old Testament tells us that God is serious about the tithe (10% of our income; off the top; first check written.). We read, “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:8-10) I have a Baptist preacher friend who likes to preach on this passage and titles the sermon, “Baptist Bandits.” That one is just too good to pass up. Makes me want to be a Baptist for one Sunday.

God seems so adamant about tithing that He even issues a challenge for us to test Him on it. Being a person who has taken the challenge himself, I would join God in issuing that challenge. Try tithing and see if God doesn’t bless your socks off. (Not exactly what the scripture says, but close enough.) If you are not blessed, just ask for your money back. Trust me on this. Even better; trust God on this.

Copyright © 2012, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved