Featured Is Money all that Important?

Excellent post....thank you:thumbs:

 

I've gone away from giving money to giving time. I believe the modern church is set up as a business. As someone who is currently struggling financially, I cannot give cheerfully when I see new Mac computers, new lighting and more salaries being taken on...and when money starts falling below budget, everything but these are cut back.

 

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

I was watching late-night t.v. once (years ago), and happened to see Jesse Duplantis come on preaching. I was too lazy to change the channel, so I just watched and listened.

At the end of the program, it switched to him standing in a room, maybe a study or library, whatever.

He said:
We need 7 thousand people to each give $1,000 for "finishing touches" on our new [cathedral, tabernacle, sanctuary, whatever he called it)

Quick math translates that into $7million - for finishing touches.

Aside from his false teachings......
What if your church leaders came up with something like that ??

How many here would say "sign me up. Here's my money" ??

 

Sadly, a great many would turn their pockets inside out to give their last dime for something like this. I was a member of a church who began a new building program. There was no foyer area and directly outside the doors of the sanctuary was the outdoors. There was no where to get out of the weather waiting for the early service to conclude so folks could move inside. The building program we voted on was for a $5 million plan to add a foyer and a guest meeting area. By the end of the project $26 million was spent and the entire church was rebuilt, parts being demolished to the foundation, and turned into nothing short of a palatial compound.

When the pastor and the rest of the people responsible were called on the carpet the congregation was basically told to shut up about it and pay up. Nicer wording was used, but that was the sentiment. It became a real panic situation as they had not planned on carrying that much debt and part of it was about to be called due. Well, a lot of people put themselves in near financial ruin to get this debt paid down. Some folks left, but the majority stuck around. My wife and I were some of the ones who left. The lied, they put themselves in that position, I was fine with them sinking with the ship. We were in a very small minority.

 

Yikes. I can't even imagine a scenario like that. I'd imagine that would put an enormous amount of strain on a person's mind.

 

It has to be, and I see nothing wrong with that. Modern accounting practices, sensible money management, responsible debt reduction serve only to inspire membership confidence in the staff's understanding of good stewardship.

I know people have said this to you before, but I know it is true. When you can't afford to give, give anyway. Amazing things happen. But the mindset has to be that you give freely and because it is your blessing to the church, out of faithfulness to it's cause. Any sense of obligation or resentment harbored destroys the blessing you will receive in return. I've seen it time and time again. And, if you're giving regularly, you have a legitimate say in how the money is spent in next year's budget.