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July 28, 2009
Survey says ... accountability and effectiveness are essential
Last week I posted a survey based on a quote I recently read in Strategic Giving. The author highlights the growing tension between the future of church giving and an sense of shared responsibility.
The person in the pew has long been the subject of sermons that demand the tithe, and rightly so. The Bible is clear on the subject. But for most Christians, the issue is not should I give but rather should I give to you. While the person in the pew has been commanded to give in Scripture and from the pulpit, church leaders - on a whole - have been slow to share the responsibility by reporting the return on ministry investment. The reasoning behind that strategy being that the church member should just give and let the church leaders decide how to use it. This is what I call the "just because" argument. It doesn't work with our children, why do we think it will work with adults?
Just so you know, the overwhelming reaction to the question proposed in last week's survey was ... YES! People have many ways to contribute to ministry around the world. They DON'T have to give it to your church, but they WILL if you provide a compelling case for the greatest return on ministry investment.
Today, I read yet another article that highlights accountability measures in the nonprofit sector. The assumption can no longer be made the tithe is solely reserved for the church, at least in the minds of the person in the pew. That means the church leader must make a case (that is subject themselves to the accountability of the ministry results and the person in the pew) as to why the church should receive the dollar instead of an endless number of other like-minded non-profit and para-church organizations.
The people in your pews are judged by their performance at work, objective standards applied by management to ensure the organization is operating at peak levels. Why do church leaders think they should not be held to similar standards?
My challenge is for the church leader: if you don't make a reasonable case that your church offers the most compelling return on ministry investment, someone else will. That means the dollar intended to fund the ministry of your church will slip through the offering plate and right into the accounts of organizations who are doing good things but fall short of God's design for carrying out and completing the Great Commission.
Related Post:
Respond to survey ... accountability and effectiveness essential
Posted by bstroup at July 28, 2009 7:01 AM
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