I have long maintained that stewardship is not about paying the bills
at the church, but about our response to the good news of God's love
and care and our offering of thanks for all that God has given us.
So what do we do when we are having trouble paying the bills at the
church? There are several possible causes. One is that we are trying
to do way too much with the tithe that people are giving. That is
rarely the case. If people in our churches were tithing we could do
amazing things.
The other is the much more likely fact that most of us are not tithers.
We may be working toward it and praying about it but we just aren't
there yet.
So here we are. We have a gap between what we propose to do as a
church (and sadly, that is often the minimum, --pay the pastor and a
part time secretary, musician and sextant and keep the building open)
and what we are giving.
My church is lucky. We have some money in the bank. Not all churches
do. It will not last forever though.
One member, who may be among the group who is not yet tithing but
cares about the church give a solution. At a meeting to approve
taking money from the bank to fund the deficit the member handed the
treasurer a check for $10,000 . It doesn't cover the deficit, but it
sure makes the gap smaller.
I worry though. I have seen congregations rely on one person to get
them out of trouble year after year without digging deeper
themselves. So I am proposing to my congregation that they all give
a little more. At least together we should be able to match that
amount. And maybe there are others who could match what she gave. If
members don't have a big lump sum lying around, they can just put a
little extra in each week. When it is more than they pledge or
usually give, then they can mark it for the deficit.
Perhaps digging deeper will feel good. Perhaps it will become a habit
and we will find ourselves all tithing. Then we will have the fun job
of figuring our what more we can do with what we have been given to
share the gospel in the world.
Lord, We pray that we can give joyfully and
with thanksgiving so that we can continue to share the Good News of
your love. Amen
