Miscellaneous Money

This past week has been extra busy. My posts have been lighter than usual. Here are a few more articles on finances to round off the month:

Randy Alcorn, Nineteen Questions to Ask Before You Give to Any Organization.

Giving is a great privilege, but also a great responsibility-and sometimes a confusing one. While the biggest hurdle is to gain a vision for giving, and to overcome our reluctance to give, once we've bought into God's call to eternal investment, once we've determined to plunge into giving then we must ask, where and to whom and in what way and for how long should we give? Where should I invest the money God has entrusted to me as his steward, his money manager? How can I tell what's a good place to give to and what isn't?

D. A. Carson, Is Tithing Biblical?

... New Testament ethics turn not so much on legal prescription as on lives joyfully submitted to God.

This is why the most penetrating New Testament passage on giving is 2 Cor. 8–9. Under severe trial, the Corinthians’ "overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity" (8:2). Even so, they first gave themselves to the Lord (8:5).

So, why not aim for 20 percent in your giving? Or 30? Or more, depending on your circumstances (8:12)? "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that . . . for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (8:9).

Geoffrey Smith, A Closer Look At The Widow’s Offering: Mark 12:41-44.

The theme of true piety (i.e. confident trust in God) characterizes the remnant in Israel. We are to observe the faith of the widow, who in her devotion to God makes her offering out of her poverty and yet puts “more into the treasury than all the others” ( 12:43 ). The quality of her faith stands in sharp contrast to the false piety of the hypocrites, who are more concerned with appearances than godliness. From her example believers are encouraged to live a life of similar faith, meeting the needs of others while trusting that their heavenly Father, “who sees what is done in secret,” will meet their own needs.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, A 20 Day Study in Stewardship (pdf).

Money is a sensitive issue in our culture. And yet it is central to our commitment to Jesus Christ and a yardstick to measure our understanding of grace.

Explore the wide range of biblical teaching about our heart's attachment to the treasures of this world. Experience why Christian giving is such an adventure. Most of all, renew your heart and change your life, by soaking in the gospel hope which motivates us to live for his glory and to care for others.

Giving in House Churches

Anybody in a house church who would like to share how your church handles its finances, I would like to hear from you.

There are a couple of ways of handling money in a house church that I think are worth exploring. Recently I came across the NTRF website and an article on The Ministry of Giving. What they describe in the article approximates the method of giving I have in mind for our situation.

Since the house church in which I participate rarely takes up a collection, how do we give? As a leader, I encourage each family to set aside a percentage of every paycheck into their own special giving fund. Week after week each family’s funds can accrue there, stored up until a need in the congregation arises. Giving in our church is usually directly from giver to getter, with no middleman involved (though collections are occasionally taken). In this way we give to missionaries, foreign orphanages, the persecuted church, local elders, and the needy. We purposely have no church bank account nor church property.

About a year ago I linked to an article by Jim Melon. They have budget for their house church and use a percentage method to set amounts:

Even as home churches with no building payments or salaries, we found ourselves not being able to meet our pledges some months. We had made commitments to a number of different ministries and missions and on a slow-giving month we were unable to meet them. One of the brothers in one of the churches said, “Instead of a dollar amount let’s give a percentage of what comes in to each ministry we support.” What a blessing that idea turned out to be in that now there is always enough. We notified each ministry and let them know that it would be changing from a dollar commitment to a percentage commitment. Now these ministries pray that God gives us an increase because the more we take in the more they get!

Finally, here in Canada, there is an organization called Pathfinders Fellowship that tries to handle some of the administrative issues (such as donations) for a house church. Ideally that should free house church members to focus on ministering to people.

More on Financial Accountability

Here are a couple of statements by churches on how they handle money. I don't know these churches, but I found their statements on the Web and thought I'd link to them as an example:

Southampton Vineyard: How We Spend Our Money.
Irvine Presbyterian Church: Principles of Stewardship.

Also, Richard Melick has an article on The Collection for the Saints: 2 Corinthians 8-9 (pdf), in which he talks about the responsibilities of those who collect money (starting on page 113 of the article).

There are, therefore, several concerns relative to the matter of the collecting of the offering. First, Paul must be the motivator for the giving since God laid it on his heart. Second, others who share the vision and the burden must be involved in the actual handling of the monies. Third, the group who deals with the money should represent trusted men from Paul and the churches. This provides accountability before the Lord and men. Fourth, the involvement of the group encouraged the churches to give more generously by reducing the likelihood of misconduct.

The Solid Rock

While I was Googling the lyrics for "The Solid Rock" this morning, I came across the lyrics of "Solid Rock" by Dire Straits. I haven't listened to much of them since I had their first album on vinyl in the late 70s. So I went searching for a clip of the song.

Well take a look at that
I made a castle in the sand
Saying this is where it's at you know
Couldn't understand now
If I realised that the chances were slim
How come I'm so surprised when the tide rolled in

I wanna live on solid rock
I'm gonna live on solid rock
I wanna give I don't wanna be blocked
I'm gonna live on solid rock

Well I'm sick of potential
I'm sick of vanity now
I'm sticking to essential reality now
I don't know what's worse
Try to make a silk purse
Living an illusion living in confusion

Well a house of cards
Was never built for shock
You could blow it down in any kind of weather
Now two solid rocks two solid blocks
You know they're gonna stick
Yeah they're gonna stick together

Because the heart you break
That's the one that you rely on
The bed that you make
That's the one you gotta lie on
When you point, your finger cos your plan fell through
You got three more fingers pointing back at you

I wanna live on solid rock
I'm gonna live on solid rock
I wanna give I don't wanna be blocked
I'm gonna live on solid rock
I'm solid rock now

Oh yeah, I also found the lyrics for the other "Solid Rock" ... and this is where I stand:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Three Killed in Turkey

Some acquaintances of ours in Turkey sent an email concerning the three men working in a Christian publishing house who were killed. The story can be found here.

Andrew Jackson has posted on this, and The Voice of the Martyrs also has a report on it.

Financial Accountability in Churches

Chrisian ministries have millions - make that billions - of dollars in their bank accounts and assets. Randy Alcorn writes on Financial Integrity and Accountability in Churches and Ministries.

One of the most telling questions to ask in any church or ministry is this: Who has the courage and authority to tell decision-makers that what they are doing is unbiblical?

According to global missiologist David B. Barrett, an estimated $16 billion dollars was embezzled by the world's Christian churches in the year 2000, with an estimated $75 billion dollars embezzled between 1980 and 2000. Barrett argues, "Christians needs to tighten up the scrutinizing of all funds holding their monies and to insist on all the accepted safeguards and controls and on all the strictest procedures."

How financially transparent are ministries? Do they conceal salaries, expenditures, and sources of income? When they make bad decisions, do they admit and correct their mistakes or cover them up? Responsible kingdom investors should ask these and other questions....

This applies to any size of church and ministry, whether megachurch or house church, international organization or local charity.

By the way, Alcorn mentions Ministry Watch, which is an organization that tries to hold ministries accountable for how they spend money:

Ministry Watch is dedicated to comparing, ranking and giving information in areas that include efficiency and transparency. Since its rating system is based on financial data derived from each organization's IRS Form 990 or audited financial statements, in theory this should put the charities be on a level playing field. However, there are many intangibles that cannot be measured in this way. Efficiency of operation is very different from effectiveness of mission.

It's very challenging to evaluate ratios and other numerical performance criteria in the nonprofit sector. While I applaud Wall Watchers and others for trying to hold ministries accountable, there is no substitute for personally interacting with and evaluating ministries to see their heart and true accomplishments.

For a detailed critique of Ministry Watch/Wall Watchers' rating system, see this response. Despite those concerns, I still think that what they do is helpful.

Church Budgets

What do churches spend their money on? I came across part of a Christianity Today article (I'm too cheap to pay for the rest of it) which provides survey results. It's from 2000. Anybody have anything more recent?

A total of 1,184 surveys were mailed, with a response rate of 23 percent.... Briefly, the study shows that the average-size budget of the churches surveyed is $292,790. Here's how the pie is divided:

• 43 percent for staff compensation
• 20 percent for facilities (rent, mortgage, utilities, upkeep)
• 16 percent for missions
• 9 percent for church programs
• 6 percent for administration and supplies
• 3 percent for denominational fees
• 3 percent other.

Funding Ministry through Corporate Sponsorships

Lark News reported on a growing trend in American churches: Corporate sponsorship a boon to church budgets.

... back to more serious stuff tomorrow ... maybe.

Friday Fun

Don't waste too much time on this ... but for a short interlude, here is the Pointless Sites website.

We aim to list here only pointless and useless sites that; are completely pointless, don't have pop up/under ads or too many ads in general, are original, useless, are not offensive (we are not sure if Pinguin extreme (penguin extreme) has crossed the line!) and most of all make you smile.

Here's a quick game that the site links to:

Flying Hamsters Two minute game - Addictive pointlessness - see if you can use the skateboard! We spent waaay too much time on this but did manage to get a combined (5 flights) top score of 1014...

Raising Money in Churches

Let's face it, churches need money to do ministry. What principles should guide churches in raising money? Here's one attempt to express Biblical Principles for Stewardship and Fundraising. I share that link, even though there are several things that bug me about the whole topic:

1. I hate seeing the term "fundraising" used in connection with church and ministries.
2. Worse than #1: I hate seeing the term "stewardship" used as a code word for "fundraising."

What guidelines or warnings would you give church and ministry leaders for how they talk about money and giving?

As a side note, how come it seems (sometimes) that we only talk about money and stewardship in a context of getting people to give more?

More Principles of Giving

In Brian Anderson's article on Old Testament Tithing vs. New Testament Giving he shares these principles of how we should give:

1. We Should Give Anonymously (Matthew 6:1-4).
2. We Should Give Voluntarily (2 Corinthians 8:3-4).
3. We Should Give Expectantly (2 Corinthians 9:6).
4. We Should Give Cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7).
5. We Should Give Sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Principles of Giving

The Generous Giving website summarizes some Key Verses on Generous Giving. The verses are collected under these headings:

• God Owns Everything, and We Are His Managers
• God Is Exceedingly Generous
• Wealth Is Fleeting, and Accumulation Is Dangerous
• Giving Is the Antidote to Greed
• We Must Live Today in Light of Eternity
• Our Hearts Follow Our Money
• God Prospers Us Not to Raise Our Standard of Living, but Our Standard of Giving
• Withhold Nothing from the God Who Gives Everything
• Our Giving Must Reflect God's Agenda

I've only recently come across this website. It looks good. It has a wealth of material on money, stewardship, etc. Here is their Position Statements on Stewardship-Related Issues.

Holy Cow!

In this week's "Religion" section of our local paper:

Easter Sunday: Attend T_____ Church for an Easter celebration. Service at 10 a.m. Location: at Parent and Giles. Special music during the service, with an Easter brunch to follow. All are welcome. Meet Holy Cow.

We're still scratching our heads at that one.

Tithing, part 2

Should Christians tithe? Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason says no.

Instead of a legal requirement to tithe, we are offered the opportunity to give. One can decide for himself whether he should give five percent, 10 percent, or 15 percent. It's up to him, according to whatever he has purposed in his own heart as God has prospered him.

To put it in a very straightforward way, there is no moral obligation in the New Testament to give ten percent of one's income regardless of the circumstances. That was a provision given to Israel under the theocracy that is not repeated in the New Testament itself but, in fact, is replaced by a new ethic that we see in 2 Corinthians, chapters [8-9].

I don't see tithing - in the strict sense of giving 10% - as a command for Christians to follow. There are other New Testament principles that should guide our giving. More on that next time.

Tithing, part 1

Should Christians tithe? Crown Financial Ministries says yes. Here are a couple of their articles on the subject, with a quote from each:

Use of tithes

The tithe is an indicator of obedience to all of God’s laws. He is looking for the right attitude in our giving.

Giving and Tithing

Giving is an external testimony of God’s ownership of everything in our lives. And tithing is one of the first standards of giving found in the Bible – Abraham tithed 430 years before the Law was given to Moses.

Tomorrow, I'll post the other perspective.

April Topic: Money

The topic of the month is "Money," especially as it relates to the church. So we'll look at things like how Christians should give, and how churches should use money.

To start off, here's an article I linked to a couple of years ago. It's by Ray Mayhew, entitled "EMBEZZLEMENT: THE CORPORATE SIN OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY? An Examination of How Local Congregations in the Early Church Spent Their Money and the Implications for Us Today." (pdf format). Here's a quote:

Tertullian, in defending Christianity, asserted that Christians spent more in the streets (among the poor) than the pagans did in their temples. No early congregation of believers in the Mediterranean world would have lavished their money on their local congregational expenses in the way that we do (even though they too could have justified it as a valid expense in reaching their community). In the light of Matthew 25 and the Great Commission, they steadfastly refused to consume sacred revenue on themselves. They pumped their funds into supporting the Christian poor in the Empire, and financing those going to the regions beyond. And it was, of course, this example of extravagant generosity that gave their local witness such impact and credibility.

My Blog Collection: Excerpts from Seeing With New Eyes

Justin Taylor is posting some excerpts from David Powlison's chapter, "I Am Motivated When I Feel Desire," from his book, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. The book is on my wish-list and these post have whetted my appetite.

Powlison uses a series of fifteen questions to probe the world of our desires (Introduction):

1. How does the New Testament commonly talk about what's wrong with people?
2. Why do people do specific ungodly things?
3. But what's wrong with wanting things that seem good?
4. Why don't people see this as the problem?
5. Is the phrase "lusts of the flesh" useful in practical life and counseling?
6. Does each person have one "root sin"?
7. How can you tell if a desire is inordinate rather than natural?
8. Is it even right to talk about the heart, since the Bible teaches that the heart is unknowable to anyone but God?
9. Doesn't the word lusts properly apply only to bodily appetites: the pleasures and comforts of sex, food, drink, rest, exercise, health?
10. Can desires be habitual?
11. What about fears?
12. Do people ever have conflicting motives?
13. How does thinking about lusts relate to other ways of talking about sin, such as "sin nature," "self," "pride," "autonomy," "unbelief," and "self-centeredness"?
14. In counseling, do you just confront a person with his sinful cravings?
15. Can you change what you want?