June 19, 2008
Stewardship in Top 5 signs of a healthy church
How do you know if your church is healthy? As individuals, we can go to the doctor for physical. The doctor then analyzes the results and determines whether we are healthy or not. That's easy. But how can church leaders know if their church - not the church down the street - is healthy.
I found it thrilling that "stewardship of time, talents and treasures" made it as #4 in the 25 Signs of a Healthy Church.
Giving is an outward sign of an inward commitment. That means if you're struggling to find people in your pews who are willing to give their time, talents and treasures to advance the Kingdom, you are confronting a spiritual problem rather than simply a practical reality.
It all comes down to our understanding of the Lordship of Christ. Who owns the assests that we call our time, talent and treasure. It is for us to use for our personal gain or to advance the Kingdom?
Here is my challenge to every pastor. I would encourage you to take this list and give it to several key leaders and staff members in your church. Let them evalute each of the 25 signs individually. This will help you objectively determine whether or not your church is healthy.
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October 30, 2007
Willow Creek Repents?.....kind of
I have mixed feelings about part two of this story. On one hand I'm not surprised. On the other, I'm disappointed. Read my first post here. And read Willow Creek's response here.
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October 29, 2007
Willow Creek made a mistake? - For Pastors Only
I realize that this subject is outside the boundaries of our normal conversation on stewardship and giving. But I think there is room to talk about what Willow Creek has admitted on to the public stage. After careful evaluation, they have arrived at the conclusion that they got it wrong.
They have become, for many pastors and church leaders, the ultimate example of success. Many have patterned their own ministry models after Willow Creek. And they have been very successful...if raising money and growing attendance is the ultimate goal of church. But it is not.
I'm not going to throw darts at Willow Creek because we have all crossed that line. For many pastors and church leaders, we have been pressured to operate our churches like a business: sell. sell. sell. and profit. profit. profit. While those might not look the same as they do in business, we often mark the growth or health of any ministry or church by contributions and attendance.
Willow Creek should not be beaten up in the court of public opinion. Rather, they should be congratulated for doing something that most of us would not do if we were in the same position. They admitted they made a mistake and got it all wrong. They confessed that more people doesn't mean more ministry. And more activity never--no matter how utilitarian--replaces the work of the Spirit in the lives of believers.
This takes courage. A trait that is amazingly rare among church leadership today.
Before we crucifiy Willow Creek and burn all their material that sits on our bookshelves, may we be reminded to audit our own lives and ministries to ensure that they are being transformed into an accurate picture of Christ. And even more important, that our churches are facilitating opportunities for growth in body, mind, soul and spirit.
It is those to whom we have been given who are looking to us to show them the way to eternal bread and living water. Are we living examples of Christ's sacrifice for us, or are we simply building our resumes for the next big "ministry" [sic] opportunity?
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August 10, 2007
An honest reflection
I was moved when I saw this. I wanted to share it with you too.
I would encourage you to find a quiet moment to reflect upon this piece of art and the prayer printed to the right of it.
This is the posture (and the prayer) of a steward.
Posted by bstroup at 7:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 7, 2007
People still come first
There's a revolution going on in the world. It's an individual revolution. It's personified in the "iPod" movement. We want to choose who, when, and how much. There was a day when you could create generic messages for broad groups of people and expect to reach a majority of them. But today is different. (Read "Friendraising before Fundraising".) Today is about creating a relationship which first gives you permission to offer a message.
The same is true for church. I once heard a pastor justify his decision to support a group's position within his church because they had greater collective monetary value than the other. (Yes, this really happened. And it happens more than we want to admit.) I believe this very situation is exactly why stewardship has become a synonomous with money.
But we've (church leaders) missed an important element. People give to other people, causes, things they believe in or are moved by. That means an emotional connection exists before their generosity flows.
If we'll spend the time we need to build relationships with people, we'll get their permission to ask for their support. And it will come in the form of money, time, and service. But it never works the other way around.
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