May 15, 2008

I read this on Generous Giving this morning.

Then and Now: Giving by North American churchgoers was higher during the Great Depression (3.3 percent of per capita income in 1933) than it was after a half-century of unprecedented prosperity (2.5 percent in 2004).

Maybe the connection between the strength (or weakness) of the economy and rise (or fall) church giving is different from what we might think. It seems that there is an inverse relationship rather than a direct one.

This statistic tells me that when we can't depend upon our own abilities, God seems to be a reasonable alternative. When we can seemingly generate the lifestyle we want, God seems to be a passing thought.

Instead of fearing the worst in the midst of a struggling economy, we (church leaders) would do better to focus our attention on maintaining a conviction in the Lordship of Christ in the midst of despair and prosperity and providing people a practical plan to deal with money and debt that ultimately provides for sustainable Kingdom advancement.

Posted by bstroup at 9:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 14, 2008

With any sense of economic hardship, the doomsday point-of-view seems to rise to the top. And, in turn, our conversations are consumed with fear. This fear leads us to a point of "group think" were we actually begin to create what we fear. In psychological circles, they call this self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Church exists upon the donations of its members. That means if the people in the pew don't have any money then neither will the person in the pulpit. But what confuses me is that we act like we've never been in this situation before. We allow this "group think" to erode our confidence in an institution that has existed since Pentecost and has emerged time and time again from good and bad economic conditions.

I found Churches Caught in Economy's Grip when googling on the subject today. I read the article from beginning to end and thought this was an accurate description of our present economic situation--tough economic conditions and church leadership wondering how it will impact the ability of the church as an organization to fully fund and sustain its current processes, professionals and programs.

I scrolled back up to the top looking for a "2008" date. I was shocked to see "1991" instead. Yes, back in 1991 we were facing the similar conditions, and (believe it or not) we survived (again) to face the same conditions.

Maybe the best answer we can provide to the fear looming in the minds of the people in our pew is for church leaders to become strategic in their stewardship efforts to ensure organizational vitaility in both good and bad times as well as an expression of confidence that we will emerge from this tough economic situation again (and again and again) until Christ's return.

Tough economic conditions are perfect opportunities to lay your entire organization on the table of evaluation to ensure that every dollar is being spent to advance the Kingdom. We may have to get a little leaner, a little more intentional and a little more results-oreinted. Of course, this is what the people in our pew are already doing with their personal budgets. Why shouldn't we as church leaders be doing the same?

Posted by bstroup at 1:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 9, 2008

Church leaders are quietly wondering how the present state of the economy will impact church giving. A recent study conducted by LifeWay Research discovered that Southern Baptists are continuing to give in spite of rising costs of goods such as food and gas.

A new study by LifeWay Research shows that 72 percent of Southern Baptist pastors indicate difficulties in the U.S. economy are affecting their churches negatively, yet 76 percent say offerings are at or above levels they had expected when drafting budgets several months ago.

Read the entire story here.

This is encouraging news. Those churches who have been strategic in their stewardship planning will most likely see a large "pay-off" for their efforts in consistent giving from their membership in the midst of tough economic times.

If your church doesn't have a strategic stewardship plan, then get moving. You can't afford to just sit and wonder what will happen next.

Posted by bstroup at 1:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)