Giving away the church’s budget

February 24, 2010

Filed under: Discussion — Tags: away, church budget, community, give, hearts — jdblundell @ 10:20 am

“Most regular churches spend a large portion of their budget, about 85% in many cases, on their building, utilities, and payroll, and most are good churches seeking to do God’s Will. The last building based church I pastored had a $900,000 annual budget. Just suppose that church decided to start giving all that money away, through the hands of its members, every week as it came in…thats $17,307.69 per week!

Imagine the picture: people come to worship, give their offerings at some point….then perhaps after the sermon…a booth is opened for folks to come by and get a $100 church check to help pay their co-workers rent, or provide food for a single Mom and her family, or pay the medical bill of a shut-in senior adult, or 170 other ways to be Christ’s Hands in their world. Then next Sunday repeat the process…another 173 checks go out though members hands….over and over for 52 weeks.

Ponder the impact:
1. What would this cause in the community around the church?
2. What would it cause in the hearts of the members?
3. What would the teens and children learn, like, or dislike about this kind of “church” life…would they get-into-it? Would it impact their future Christian lives?
4. What would the Pastor and staff members think about it, way down deep, as truly God-called persons?

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
What’s your first step?
What are you waiting on?

Comments (4)

http://www.coffeehousechurches.com/ Lindsay

Follow up Questions:
1. What would this “Give Everything Away” kind of church-life do to “attendance” levels at Sunday worship? Would it increase or decrease?
2. What would it do to the “offering” totals? Increase or decrease persons giving?
3. If an “open mic” was provived just before the sermon time for perons to come up and share how they had given someone a hand-up with their $100 church check, How long would that open-mic time last during the worship time?
Would some share tears, joy, laughter, prayers, or praise during their report? (it might start sounding like worship)!
4. What would be the “spiritual fruit” Giving Everything Away? Would it bring refreshment? Revival? Spiritual Awakening? Reformation!!
http://coffeecupconversation.com/ Terry

Lindsay, this is a challenging proposal.

From the very first, our 6 year old simple church has given at least 50% of our offerings for helping people locally and internationally. This includes benevolence, church planting, missions etc. Now we are up to 70% and this does not include special gifts for specific needs and offerings. This is now part of our DNA. We have moved people from Texas to Minnesota (and back); paid rent, made car payments; filled pantrys; repaired autos; repaired AC/Heating; paid doctor and hospital bills… The examples are too many to list here. We actually planted as church in an apartment complex through the loving action of paying someone's rent. The children take an offering every week and choose when and how to use it for others. They have bought blankets for children in China and tents for orphanages. They recently chose to purchase new eye glasses for a kindergarten friend.

I think a first step could be having a “let's give it all away” Sunday. Tell the people what you are going to do. Take the offering. Give it away. Share the stories. Listen to the Spirit.
moosejaw

So, it seems that grassroots Christ-followers really ARE hungry for this kind of freedom in their church relationship!!!
moosejaw

http://www.greenchurch.info has gone to 35 countries now…even Texas! Wonder why people are conecting with it…….