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May 14, 2008
The Church emerging from a spiraling economy
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 May 14, 2008 1:27 AM
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