They just want our money!

There are 31 dioceses in Canada and many are struggling to meet their financial targets. As a result, the national church is struggling financially as well. Obviously local parishes are under funded also. Parishioners are pushing back as the major funding source for local churches, the diocese and the national church. There are consequences.

Valuable ministry is not being delivered, worthy programs are being cut and mission and outreach initiatives are being sacrificed throughout our Anglican communion in Canada. Needs are not being met because of lack of financial resources and every diocese is trying to discover the solution. Money is not the problem.

Money is not the problem for any church or any diocese in Canada. There is sufficient money available but it is not being released to the church by the people who have been entrusted as stewards of the money. You and me.

Every one at the diocesan and national levels is talking about stewardship as the solution. But the optics of stewardship is terrible. Talk stewardship at parish council in our local Anglican churches and the first statement from many lay parishioners is, "They (the church) just want our money!" Mention stewardship in most clergy circles and you hear, "Stewardship is really about meeting the budget."

Stewardship for many parishioners means campaigning for more money door to door, by mail, or special vestries.

I have studied the Bible to discover these three perspectives on stewardship and I can't find them anywhere!

How did this happen that we should look at stewardship so cynically—All the church wants is our money and stewardship is about meeting the budget? This stems from wrong headed thinking about stewardship from clergy and lay leaders. Stewardship is being in charge of something that belongs to someone else. Bible believing Christians recognize who that someone else is—God. All that we have is God's, he is the source of all and we are only stewards of his blessings. We don't 'own' anything we only manage his gifts while on earth. God has written a plan in his word to us that describes how we are to manage or steward his resources and money is a part of this message.

Stewardship of money is considered in two primary ways for Christians—tithes and offerings or almsgiving. It is a simple plan that will sufficiently fund His church and bless His people. In a dangerously over simplified explanation for this article—Tithes go to fund God's Church, the buildings, the maintenance, the priestly services and the ministries that are provided. Offerings or almsgiving are to provide for the needy, poor, and disadvantaged and reach the unsaved through missions and outreach.

God's plan for stewardship works because it brings perspective to our choices as believers. His plan will fund his churches and work properly. He is the source of all wealth. There can never be a shortage of funds for his church when we believers follow his plan and we will never be without anything we need either. Our problem regarding financial stewardship is we keep watering down his plan.

I believe we have mistreated the subject of money and the handling of our financial resources within our churches. Most lay and a surprising number of clergy are ignorant of God's plan for supporting and growing his kingdom on this planet. Therefore Anglicans do not release the money required to give the powerful ministry and outreach that our God commands and expects us to deliver as His blessed people.

Our Anglican Church clergy and lay leaders in stewardship programs have chosen to ignore the scriptures and God's plan for maintaining and growing His kingdom. They focus on fund raising. The theological universities do not educate our priests to be comfortable about teaching financial stewardship to parishioners. Therefore they legitimately fear the subject or down play stewardship in the leadership role. I have heard some priests actually apologize for speaking about money from the pulpit – and they seldom do. But amazingly, I have heard parishioners say this regularly, “all we talk about in this church is money.” Ever wonder why the perception is this way?

- Church governance
My personal experience as a warden and parish council chair is that clergy and lay leaders spend most of our time at monthly meetings focused on things financial – treasurer’s report, attaining money for church building repairs and maintenance, Sunday school curriculum, funding priestly services and staff, paying diocesan apportionments. Too often the quarterly warden’s reports at church services are focused on current financial situations. Change the focus to reporting on the vision and people get excited.

- The challenge to churches and diocese/national church regarding Fundraising
Hours are spent planning church suppers, silent auctions, garage sales and bazaars; all to create revenue streams for the church, rather than depending on tithes and offerings of the parishioners. These events are promoted throughout the year as the way we keep our church financially secure. Lay people are always reaching into their pockets to support another church event, first by providing the food or sale items and then being reminded for weeks to attend and spend more money supporting these events. (One church leader said to me that without these events we wouldn’t be here). There are the special appeals for the roof repairs, the painting of the church, repairs to the kitchen, the organ fund, the Sunday School rooms, the new LCD projector for the worship service, the support of the children’s or youth ministry events, the food bank. Now, add to the list of appeals from the diocese for initiatives to support the homeless shelters, the care of the needy, the youth camps and the list of appeals from the national church for the PWDRF, the Anglican Journal and planned giving initiatives.

Duh… church and money? What is the subliminal message your parishioners have about your church? All they want is our money.

Please don’t shoot the messenger, but is there some truth to this image? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the above initiatives and everything right about them when done for the right reasons. The fun, fellowship and relationships make these activities especially worthwhile.

As Christians we are saved to serve and are joyful for the opportunity. Scriptures clearly state God gives us the resources to provide everything we need to accomplish his plans and much more. We just need His vision! Check out these words paraphrased from 2 Corinthians 9: 8-19: “And God is able to make all things, at all times available that your need, to abound in every good work. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

There is one caution I ask you to consider as church leaders. Church bazaars and fundraising should not be used to pay for priestly services. If that is the purpose for these activities, we are not honouring God’s word and instruction in scripture.

“Give to the sons of Levi (the priests) the tithes collected in return for priestly services given.” It does not say fundraise to pay for your priest, it says each church should be self-sufficient through tithes of the parishioners to pay for these people.”

“They just want our money!”

Church leaders, take on the challenge to change this inaccurate perception of stewardship. It is not remotely what we are about. But inadvertently, sometimes it feels like it when we look at the church bulletin or hear the announcements or review the list of financial appeals. When times are financially difficult in our churches, we seem to lose our focus on stewardship and make it about money.

- Teach and practice God’s financial planning to encourage people to tithe from the pulpit and small groups. God’s word explains that our priests and churches are to be funded from our tithes not our offerings. Scriptures speak powerfully about mission and outreach and that is where our offerings should go.

- Share the word.

-Invite a parishioner to share a witness talk about their experience with tithing from time to time

- Consider changing the focus in your vestries and parish councils from expense-based budgeting to vision-based based planning and action

- Remove the emphasis on revenue-based fundraising activities from paying for priestly services, operating expenses and maintenance expenses to funding missions and outreach

- Explain to new congregants when they become part of the church, what the scriptures have to say about Biblical-based giving- don’t leave them guessing. Don’t let your people be robbed of the blessing of giving.

Take charge of your destiny here in your local church and diocese and the national church will thrive financially. God wants us to leave a significant legacy. Your legacy will be a strong, vibrant, relevant church for future generations. You will be blessed.

Dave attends the Parish of Clayton in Ontario.