Does Everything Have to Change?

There was a time, not that long ago, that I dreamed about using up all of my deposit slips quicker than I could write all the checks that came in the box from the bank.  That seemed like a worthwhile goal that would indicate I was making much more than I was spending.  However, it appeared like an elusive dream.  Every time I needed to order new checks, there were always extra deposit slips left in the box, unused and needless.

In the past few years that has changed.  Now it is necessary to stop at the bank periodically and pick up a handful of deposit slips.  An order of checks, even the smallest order, will probably last for several years.  In fact, I may never need to order checks again.  The change is not because I have become a more prolific earner and a reluctant spender.

Neither is it because I have confined my spending to cash.  I do not use cash either.  I can start out the month with a ten-dollar bill in my wallet and end the month with three or four of those dollars still in my possession. 

The reason for this dramatic change in the way I spend money is that times have changed.  I pay all my bills online and when I am out and about, I use a debit card to buy stuff.  Some people still use cash and checks, although it is getting more and more difficult to find a retailer that accepts personal checks.  It is possible to continue with the same financial practices that served well in the 20th century, but it is less and less common. 

This new method gives me more options.  I can determine the exact day that a bill is paid, no more waiting for the mail to arrive and the check to be processed.  I can look at my bank balance at anytime of the day or night.  Whenever my debit card is used, it shows up on my bank statement in a matter of minutes.  It is possible to view my payment history on any bill, see the success or failure of my investments, or move my money from one account to another, all instantaneously.

Although the old system served us well, I have no desire to go back.  That happens some times.  Change takes place, often even when the system is not broken.  Once things start to change, it is folly to try to return or to hang on to the past.  Even if you do find a way to continue in the old ways, it makes you obsolete and irrelevant. 

It is possible to apply this same truth to the way we finance church and mission work.  We have a tendency to think that the way we have done it all our lives is the biblical way and any change would be heresy.  Whenever the current system begins to fail, our first response is to get defensive and accuse people of falling away from the faith. 

The reality is that the method for financing the church and mission endeavors has taken on numerous different forms.  The earliest known method is described in Acts when believers brought their money and resources and gave it to the Apostles for distribution.  The New Testament also describes gathering collections to help the needy and giving to support the mission work of the Apostle Paul.  There is nothing said about passing an offering plate during a worship service or turning in a money filled envelope during Sunday School, the methods I grew up with.

History shows that the church has been financed in a variety of ways, including taxation, forced tithing, selling indulgences, emotional appeals, fund raising gimmicks, voluntary offerings, imposing guilt, car washes, bake sales, bingo, renting pews, and numerous other creative methods.  My personal preference is voluntary giving during the Sunday morning worship service as an act of responding to God.  It is the method that has worked very well for the church for the past couple of generations.

Times are changing.  There is seldom a week that passes when I do not hear the question, “How can we set up our church to receive credit card contributions?”  This question is not precipitated because church leaders desire to run up the balances on member’s credit cards, but because they are being asked to provide the service.  People who do not write checks or carry cash in their wallet find it inconvenient to give to their church. 

If I may offer an opinion at this point, I am not sure this is a good thing.  I am concerned that our desire to make giving easier will remove giving from the context of worship.  There is something symbolic about actually placing something monetary in the offering plate in the midst of the worship service.  However, I do not have any biblical foundation to hang on to the status quo, nor do I think it wise to try to stem the tide of cultural change in this matter.   It is simply a fact that we are changing the way we handle money. 

It would be enough if this was the only change being experienced by the church, but there is much more.  A completely new attitude about giving is being experienced by the church, which should have a significant impact on how the church does business.  It has been developing for the past few years and the change has been slow, but inescapable. 

There are some major changes in the way people give that must be considered by the church if we plan to be relevant.  A major issue is the desire of many people to designate their giving to a specific cause or matter.  There has been a significant increase in designated giving that is having a detrimental impact on church finances.  Designating money to a specific project has been present within the church for a long time.  I know of churches that have dozens of specified accounts with small amounts of money because the gift was designated and never used.   However, what is happening today is different.  Much of what happened historically was designated giving in addition to regular giving.  The trend today is toward designating all or a large portion of the regular giving.  It does not matter if this is a good thing or a bad thing; it is a reality. 

Perhaps the motivation behind this change is the desire of people to be directly involved with missions and ministry.  The trend is not just to send money to China, but to actually go to China and do mission work.  World travel is common and it is no longer a big deal to take what was once considered a “once in a lifetime” trip. 

A few years ago, I was visiting with the pastor of a church that was one of the largest givers to the mission support method of his denomination.  Their giving was in the $100,000 per year range.  He indicated that the denomination program was only about one third of their total mission giving.  When I asked where the other money went, he listed several ministries, both local and far away.  When I asked how those ministries got on the list to receive support he had to give it some thought.  Finally, he concluded that all of them were projects and missions where various church members participated.

The method of church financing will change even further in the coming decades.  Some of these changes will be beneficial and others may be of little or no value.  It is important that we not get locked into a system of church finance that is more expressive of our culture than biblical guidance.  God can accomplish His purposes in many different ways if we are open to fresh opportunities. 

Comments

[David Lane]

I have had a problem for years that most churches now have made the taking up of the offering just that - taking up. There is no worship in it! Most now take it up and walk out the back with it and the money people carry it to the office, count it, fill out the deposit slip and put it in the safe. The offering never made it to the 'alter'. It was given by men to men and that is all.

The significance of it is lost on most people. When my present church made this change (when we moved into the new sanctuary that cost about 3 million to build) I was told that it was for security. So someone would not come in and take it at gun point during the service. Let's get real! Has that ever happened? if it did, so be it. Most of the collection is in checks anyway.

I could not even get my present pastor to understand the symbolism lost by not going to the alter with it. He seemed dumbfounded that I had an issue with it. Let's just drop the Lord's Supper. It is just symbolism.....

I think going to taking credit/debit cards is not a good idea. I don't care what the world thinks or how convenient it is in the world we live in. The point is we are supposed to be in the world not of the world!