Stewardship

Giving Thanks from a Long-Term Perspective

I met a very bright woman the other night. Even though she is approaching ninety years of age, she looked and acted much younger. During our conversation she indicated that she had been a member of her church for more than seventy years. As you can imagine, she has been through the tenure of many pastors, more than she could remember. When the subject of people who are critical of the pastor came up, she said that she always advises those who are unhappy with the pastor to not worry about it. She added, "Pastors come and go."

This woman has learned to look at life from a long-term perspective. It is true that you might have a pastor who is unpleasant, but he will only be around for a few years, it will all work out. I think that is one of the greatest blessings of age. It allows us to have a long-term perspective, to see the big picture. It is much easier to identify what is important when we see things within the perspective of time.

For example, when you are a young parent and Junior wants no part of the dinner menu, the temptation is to draw a line in the sand and make him eat something. We are concerned about his health and nutrition. The silliest thing is when we resort to counting bites. We even remind him that people are starving in other parts of the world when he doesn’t eat. However, when we back up and take a long-term perspective, we realize this is only one of many meals that come Junior’s way. If he misses one it is no big deal, meals come and go.

I am old enough now that it is easier to see things from a long-term perspective. With that in mind, I have put together my Thanksgiving list, with less attention to the details and greater focus on the big picture perspective.

At the church Thanksgiving Dinner last Sunday, a woman stood up and said she was thankful for twenty-five years of sobriety. I was convicted that I have never thanked God for even one day of sobriety. The truth is that I have had fifty-nine years of freedom from addictive substances and behaviors (unless you count baseball). It is one of those blessings you might not notice until it is lost.

I am also thankful for new friends that came into my life this past year. Some of them were very short relationships, like Archie. Sharon and I met Archie in church one Sunday morning. He was homeless, had a history of working in the circus, and very friendly. We tried to help Archie in several ways and perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was that I don’t really know how to help some folks. We only saw Archie a handful of times, but I can honestly say he had a big impact on my thinking.

The past year brought other friends like Charlie. Everyone needs a friend like Charlie (I am fortunate to have several). Charlie makes you feel good about yourself, and when he introduces you to someone else, you wish you were half the person he described. I am honored every time Charlie calls. I am also thankful for those friends who have been in my life, some for a very long time. Because of a computer crash, I recently lost all of the names from my contact list. Nearly two hundred names and contact information disappeared. In spite of the daunting task of rebuilding this list, I am grateful to have such a big problem.

Of course, I am thankful for my family whether I look at the big picture or small screen. My parents gave me a foundation for living that is more valuable than any trust fund or huge inheritance. When something new or exciting happens, they are still one of the first ones I want to share it with. My siblings and their families have always been a source of support and encouragement to me. My immediately family is something that I express gratitude for every day. God has blessed our family in so many ways. We all like each other, enjoy being with each other, are patient with each other, and support each other. Families are not always a source of thanksgiving so I am aware of this wonderful gift God has given to us.

Credit Card Debt - For several years we have been told that the average credit card debt per individual with a credit card is in the vicinity of $9,000. That is a huge burden if you consider that both husband and wife have a similar situation. However, upon further study, I discovered that a great deal of this debt that skews the numbers is held by just a few individuals. For example, Bernie Madoff owes $98,000 on his American Express card. The $9,000 also includes credit charges that are paid off each month by convenience users, which is about half of credit card holders.

Perhaps a more accurate picture of the credit situation in this county is provided by the median amount of debt carried by card holders. The median number means that half have more and half have less debt. The median number is approximately $2,300. This is a much more manageable amount and may indicate that debt may not be as big a problem as we thought. One thing it does suggest is that we should not limit our stewardship education to just being debt free.

First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX recently announced plans to begin a $160 million construction project. I have heard some complain about the extravagant waste of money on a builidng when the money could better be used for missions and evangelism. Have these folks not read God's instructions for Solomon's temple? God seems to have a touch of extravagence in Him occasionally.

It is also true that most of this money would not be given for anything other than a building project, so it is not like they are taking the money from one offering plate and putting it in another. It is certainly not my job to judge what another church is doing, but I would not be so quick to criticize this project because it is "poor stewardship."

Generous Church - Part 3

For the past fifteen years, I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of churches and to be able to worship with them on Sunday morning. Many times my involvement is just the one Sunday morning service. Other times, I work with them for a longer period of time. It does not matter the size or style of church, it does not take very long to notice something about the church that makes it attractive. It is sad to say, but the majority of the churches leave me wondering why people attend week after week. I am curious as to what I missed that makes them want to keep coming. Many others, however, are very appealing and often it is hard to describe the appeal.

For lack of a better descriptor, I simply define these appealing churches as "being alive." There is something about them that testifies of life. It has nothing to do with the music or worship, the preaching (often I am the one preaching when I am there), the facilities, the location, the attendance, or any other thing I can delineate. The church is just alive. They have something to offer that helps me experience life.

Read these descriptions of "generous churches" and see how they share the life they possess in Christ:

Church #1: "I just wonder if there is someone in this room who ought to receive, not give, today," the pastor said. "Maybe someone here doesn’t even have gas money to get home. If you’re in that type of need, would you raise your hand?" He spoke these words while introducing the morning offering time. A young, single mom timidly raised her hand. As she did, the pastor walked over to her, took twenty-dollars from his wallet and gave it to her. As he did so, many others seated nearby did the same thing. This church has a history of giving money away to those who have needs during the offering time, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars.

The Generous Church - Part 2

It has probably been occurring a lot longer, but fifteen years ago was the first time I was a witness. It was a Sunday morning and I missed church because I was sick. Spread out on the couch while the rest of the family goes to church was not fun, so I turned on the television to watch others go to worship. I tuned to a channel that was broadcasting a large congregation in our neighborhood and I was eager to see how they did church.

I was especially interested when they announced that it was Stewardship Sunday since I was just beginning my ministry with churches in this area. As the pastor walked to the pulpit to speak, I was prepared for a great sermon. Instead, what I got was an apology.

The first words out of the preacher’s mouth were expressions of sorrow and regret that this was the one Sunday each year that he felt that he needed to preach on money. He promised the visitors that if they would come back next week they would not hear him talk about money or giving. He would deal with more practical and spiritual matters.

Since that day, I have heard similar statements by many preachers. I have heard and read in church publicity that potential visitors are promised that they will never be asked for money if they attend church. I have listened to pastors brag about the fact that they never talk about money. Even as I am being introduced to speak to a Sunday morning crowd, I have heard the pastor say they are grateful that I am there to speak about money so they will not need to do it themselves.

While listening to the pastor apologize for talking about money, I realized the church has a serious problem. The problem is that we have taken the wrong approach to the issue of money and stewardship. In contrast, Jesus tackled the subject head on.

The Generous Church - Part 1

There are many things the seminary does not teach prospective pastors that are important to know about the church. I loved my seminary experience, but when it was finished, I felt better equipped to handle the classroom than a church office. Fortunately, I had another resource. My father had been in church work for nearly thirty-years when I first started. On more than one occasion, I called home to ask for help.

He taught me two valuable lessons about church finances. The first is that there is no need to ask to see the giving records of church members. He assured me that if I paid attention, it is easy to separate the givers from the non-givers. I did pay attention and this is what I learned.

Givers:

• Seldom talk about their personal financial situation
• Appreciate sermons and Bible studies that deal with money
• Support the work of the church with their words and presence
• Do not worry about the church running out of money

Non-Givers:

• Like to discuss their personal financial situation and it does not matter if it is good or bad
• Are uncomfortable when the sermon addresses the issue of money
• Tend to criticize church programs and efforts
• Hold the church back because a ministry is "too expensive"

I realize these statements might be simplifications, but if you will pay attention to folks in the church hallway or at the coffee shop, you will seldom be surprised by their giving to the church.

The second lesson my father taught me is that there was no need to protect a person’s wallet. He assured me that they would protect it themselves. In other words, do not be afraid to ask people to give, they will never give too much. Although the church frequently is accused of asking for money too often, I am afraid that we do not ask people to give often enough. It is a shame that we ever allow people to miss the blessing of giving.