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June 9, 2009
This church raised $2 million in two days ... can yours?
Thanks to Patrick Johnson and Generous News for asking an important question: when churches are raising exceptional amounts of money to accomplish measurable acts of ministry, how can we claim that the recession is harming the church's ability to fulfill the Great Commission?
I would go further to suggest that perhaps what the real problem is that we, as church leaders, aren't providing compelling stories of ministry that are inspiring the people in our pews to contribute and fund the ministry of our churches.
People give to causes and organizations that they:
1. connect with via personal values and beliefs
2. are lead by people they know, like, and trust
3. offer them a chance to accomplish something measurable they couldn't do on their own
It's time to change the conversation from "What do we have to cut to survive?" to "What does God want us to do next?"
Get brave. Go big. Or go home!
The church is the fundamental building block God designed and empowered to carry forward the earthly ministry of Christ until His ultimate return. If we don't believe that, then find another line of work. The people in our pews are giving their money, time, and talents somewhere. My fear is that we are letting blessings God intended for our churches bleed out to other organizations and causes simply because we, as church leaders, aren't thinking big enough.
God did not call church leaders to be preservationists. God called church leaders to compel all people to join in the work of the Kingdom. What are you doing today to inspire the people who occupy your pews to participate in and fund the work of the Kingdom in your community?
Posted by bstroup at June 9, 2009 3:55 PM
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