Last week LifeWay Research released an interesting study about the economy and its effects on churches, revealing some encouraging facts about church ministry in lean fiscal times.

In light of this study, we asked our friend Ben Stroup to offer some reflections about "money and ministry." Ben is the author of Church Giving Matters: More Money Really Does Mean More Ministry (CrossBooks, 2009).

While USA Today attempted to paint a very bleak picture about money and ministry in this economic climate, LifeWay Research demonstrated that 68% of those who responded to the survey said their 2009 offerings to be at or better than those in 2008; only 28% said their offerings were less than 2009. Further, 62% noted that their offerings were at or above what was budgeted.

 

I think all of this is positive news, and pastors should be reassured about the ability to fund the ministry of their churches, even in a difficult economy at large.

 

Giving to churches is typically the most consistent, even in a recession, among all charitable giving segments. Much of this is indicative of the the assistance that churches provide in times of need, a strong emotional connection with a specific church, and the fact that most churches teach on some level about the importance of giving back a portion of what God has given us support the work of the local church.

 

I'd argue that the greatest learning points over the last two years related to church funding and the economy are these:

 

• God’s economy is much different than our economy. Christians should be people of hope in every economy. If we can’t find hope through our faith, then who can?
• The days of 'easy money' are over. People in the pew will demand accountability for their giving, looking for impact and results moving forward.
• Funding always follows vision. Simply put: no vision, no funding.
• Pastors have to talk about money. Pastors and churches who remain silent about money and giving will, by default, fund someone else's budget!
• Assimilation impacts giving. People want to participate in the distribution of God’s resources, whether that be time, talent, or treasure. Those who volunteer and hold positions of leadership within a given church community typically operate with a greater sense of satisfaction, a deeper sense of ownership, and have a higher propensity to give generously.
• Church giving is a spiritual issue. Giving is an outward sign of an inward commitment.  A lack of giving reveals a lack of spiritual maturity (and a lack of commitment to the local church!).
• Generosity is systemic. It’s the job of the church leader to ensure the systems are in place and functioning to facilitate total spiritual transformation. This includes our belief in and practice of the Lordship of Christ. Is what we have ours to posses or God’s gift to be seen as assets to be invested in building the Kingdom?

God has given the church the perfect platform to demonstrate that we actually believe and practice what we preach and profess. What will we do with this opportunity? Will we sit in the corner and cry about it, or will we lay claim to the promises of Scripture that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His rightoueness, all these things will be provided for us?

 

It’s our time, our moment. What will we do with it? The world is waiting.