Discovering the Social Justice Tradition and the Compassionate Life: Making a Difference

Isaiah 1:15-17; Luke 4:16-21; Acts 4:32-37

Not long ago, a well-known media personality urged Christians to leave their churches if they found the term social justice on their church website. His reasoning: Communists and Nazis both used the term social justice. The flaw in his reasoning: We would have to give up all our good ideas if we ran from each idea that has been misused by some unwise group or some ungodly group. A valid kernel in his reasoning: Some churches, not only liberal, but also conservative, advocate for partisan social causes that they would better leave outside the church. A strong counter to his reasoning: Anyone who carefully reads the Bible should conclude that concern for social justice is essential to the faithful people of God.

The opening books of the Bible make clear that God created human beings to work together in community to care for creation, to sustain the good and varied richness that God has created for our sustenance and enjoyment, and to remember that we are indeed responsible for the well-being of our spouses, our children, our brothers and sisters, our parents, our neighbors, and even the strangers and aliens residing among us. Our basic assignment as God’s children is to represent God’s nature and heart and purposes, and that assignment has not changed in its essence through all the millennia of human history. Working for social justice is part of our reason-for-being as children of God.

The Old Testament is clear that social justice is to be embodied in the community life of the people of God. Their religious calendar included a Sabbath day every seventh day providing rest from human endeavors and labor (applying even to indentured servants and working beasts), a Sabbath year every seventh year providing rest for the land from cultivation and relief for debtors and indentured servants from their condition, and a Jubilee year every fiftieth year for returning citizens to ownership of their share of family property. The basic social justice point is that no one was to be left indebted or indentured forever, that no one was to be left without inheritance or without hope for a new beginning, that no one was to be prevented from drawing near God in faith and repentance, seeking healing, blessing, and empowerment. Although it seems likely that these laws were seldom if ever fully enforced, the Old Testament prophets repeatedly railed against those who schemed to defeat the purposes of such laws, who sold the righteous for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals, who trampled the head of the poor into the dust and turned aside from the afflicted. The words of Amos echo through the ages, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” Nothing in the New Testament eliminates that high valuing of social justice. The realities of human corruption, of urbanization and division of labor, and of invading foreign empires made the Jubilee laws impracticable, but did not invalidate their purpose.

Jesus announced a new way of implementing the purpose of the Jubilee laws, through caring communities of faith, in which each believer is given spiritual gifts to use for the well-being of the whole community and in which the community sees to it that its opportunities and resources are appropriately distributed. The church is Spirit-anointed to follow Jesus in proclaiming good news to the poor and liberty to the captives and the oppressed.

There were places in the first century A.D. in which Christians were, because of their faith, cut out of the economic life of the larger community, places in which their very survival depended on their developing a secondary local economy in which they supported the enterprises of one another so that they could continue to live and bear witness in the larger community to the goodness of their Lord Jesus. These Christians demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and generosity in keeping their fellow believers and their Christian mission afloat. Luke says that the early Christians in Jerusalem did not consider anything their own, but as belonging as needed to the fellowship and mission of their crucified Savior and risen Lord.

Acts 4:32-37: “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.”

Imagine how that attitude of viewing nothing as our own would revolutionize our churches today!

Pursuing social justice is not a matter of being politically liberal or conservative. We can hold any number of views on what the government ought to do about social problems, and still agree that the people of God must devote their energies and resources toward correcting real injustices that are contrary to the heart of our loving Creator and Redeemer. We may favor or oppose any variety of government remedies, and this still does not relieve us of the personal obligation to make a positive difference in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

When I say that churches ought not be involved in politics, I am not saying that individual Christians ought not be involved in politics. My concern is that churches not divide themselves along political lines and that churches not hinder their outreach to unbelievers by making a politically biased presentation of the gospel. Wise government policies can be of some help, but high Christian ideals are never totally achieved through political means. Never has happened, never will. There is always work left for the church. Our job together as the church is to do the work of Jesus.

Although I like to see churches steer clear of political advocacy, churches must be involved in concerns of social justice. Christian hearts must indeed be sensitized to the plight of victims of injustice, or we are not representing the heart of our Creator and Redeemer, which is the purpose for which God created and redeemed us.

Today in Protestant circles, concern for social justice is sometimes associated with theological liberals, people who do not really believe in the Bible or in the biblical God. But, prior to the time that skeptical, liberal Bible scholarship came to the forefront in the mid-nineteenth century, most Americans who were strong Christians, whether Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, or members of our Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, swam in both the evangelical and the holiness streams of living water, and were encouraged to swim in the social justice stream as well. This made sense because the founding figures of the three streams—evangelical, holiness, and social justice--were the same people, people like Nicolas von Zinzendorf, John and Charles Wesley, John Newton, and a generation later, our own Barton Stone.

I will give two historical examples of the combined evangelical/holiness/social justice streams.

The first example comes from a little more than a forty year period in England, from about 1792 through 1833, the generation after von Zinzendorf, Wesley, and Newton. A group of activist Christians began to buy or build houses in Clapham, England, a village in a natural setting then still a few miles south of London. Most, though not all of them were Anglicans, but their theology was evangelical and their personal spirituality and morality was of the holiness type. Most, though not all of them, were wealthy. The wealthy supported the Christian labors of those who were not. Their motive in living together was to offer mutual encouragement in Christian living and in implementing certain Christian goals for social justice. Their Christian faith was so much part of their motivating energy that opponents derisively dubbed them “the Clapham sect,” or “the Clapham saints.” The best known member of this circle was William Wilberforce, but there were something like two dozen other members of the circle who made major contributions to their work on behalf of spiritual, moral, and social causes. In over four decades of labor, this little group supported the emergence of world missions, of Bible translation and Bible distribution organizations, of the Sunday school movement and the Sunday observance movement, of broader schooling and Christian social work among the poor. They campaigned against blood sports, dueling, gambling, and cruelty to animals. Politically, they sought to reform Britain’s governance of India and the related actions of the East India Tea Company, they sought to reform England’s prisons, they brought into being the African country of Sierra Leone, and most notably, they did more than any other group in history to bring down slavery not only in the British Empire, but also worldwide. Yes, their most publicized actions may have been political, but, while their political actions were taken with Christian motivations, they were not taken, so far as I know, in the name of the church. My point is that their social justice labors emerged from evangelical tradition faith and from holiness tradition spirituality. It was because of the richness of their faith and spirituality that the Clapham saints made such a difference for social justice.

Just before the time that work of the Clapham saints was winding down in England, the work in America of Charles G. Finney was beginning. Finney was the foremost revivalist and the leading evangelical and holiness spokesperson in America from the mid-1820’s for another forty to fifty years. My University of Chicago American history professor who listed Jonathan Edwards as one of the two most influential Americans in our entire history, listed Charles Finney as the other. My professor believed that Finney produced more lasting change in 19^th century American life than any other person. It has been estimated that over half a million converts to Christ were won at Finney’s revivals and that 80% remained strong Christians for the rest of their lives, and that does not begin to count those who came to Christ through the efforts of those Finney taught and influenced. Finney encouraged his converts to work for social reform in the areas such as health, temperance, sexual morality, Sunday observance, women’s rights, the abolition of slavery, and the humane treatment of prisoners, the insane, and the handicapped, a list very similar to the previous work of the Clapham saints back in England. Why was Finney’s work so successful? Beyond his obvious gifts for communication, it was his deep spiritual life that made the difference. And it was the spiritual life he conveyed to others that produced so many workers for social justice in the second and third quarters of the nineteenth century.

Then, in the latter half of the nineteenth century and opening decades of the twentieth century, liberal, skeptical Bible scholarship emerged and split the church. The theological liberals proclaimed what they called the social gospel, but lost the biblical gospel that could win souls to Christ. The theological conservatives kept the emphasis on personal evangelism and personal morality, but drew back from the social dimensions of their previous work which they now saw as tainted by theological liberalism. The conservatives tended to slip into judgmental self-righteousness, to which the liberals responded with a culturally elitist self-righteousness of their own. The chasm kept widening. That sad state of affairs endured for more than a century, and how much poorer we American Christians are because the spiritual streams were separated.

We are at last seeing the emergence of a new generation of evangelicals with a social justice agenda that includes, not only opposing abortion, but also alleviating poverty, advocating creation care, peacemaking, prison reform, and refugee relief. Many young evangelicals appear to be re-uniting the evangelical, holiness, and social justice streams. May their tribe increase!

Let me tell you what I believe about our times; I believe:

1. that the American people are discovering that many of the solutions to our problems will not come from government or from the other large institutions that fund our two major political parties, but will emerge from the grassroots.

2. that, as we choose simpler and healthier lifestyles, live closer to our neighbors, and live on a more human scale, our lives will be more meaningful and more fulfilling.

3. that our hope for better lives is closely tied to the teachings of Moses and the Prophets, of Jesus and the Apostles, and especially closely tied to the purpose of Jesus for his church, that we are to be bearers of new hope to the world.

4. that the mission statement of our church, “Building a Community of Hope through Jesus Christ,” is especially well-suited to our time and place and compels us to be about Jesus’ work of social justice.

5. that, if we truly choose to follow God’s leading right here and right now, we can make a profound impact for the better on Carroll County and beyond, both now and in the future.

6. that we will be most effective if we operate with the force of all six streams of living water in harmonious cooperation. My point for today has been that the evangelical, holiness, and social justice streams of Christian spirituality definitely belong together, not in opposing camps. Let’s get past our prejudices and take a holistic, biblical viewpoint that will make a real difference for the better right here, beginning right now.

Preparing the Garden for Fall

Spinach is a typical fall crop.

Although it has been hot enough to keep our thoughts on summer and air conditioning, many of the plantings sown this Spring are finished for the year and its time to prepare for fall. The corn that Kari Keever planted in early May has all been picked and the stocks have been ripped out and composted. Spinach has been planted where the corn was and your gardeners will be putting in lettuce and other greens as soon as the heat dies down a little.

Garden Manager Kari Keever

Kari Keever, seen above, is weeding beans and picking them. We've had good luck with beans this year and one of the lessons learned this year is to replicate our luck in future seasons. Consequently, we're going to skip planting squash (they take up too much room!) and plant fewer cucumbers--and devote the space they had to spuds, flowers and, of course, to those tasty string beans.

Needed: We need four (4) wooden truck pallets to expand our compost pile. If you are able to donate pallets please drop them off at the garden or--contact Dan and he'll pick them up.

Dumbo's Stewardship Lesson continued

From one of Dumbo's pastors,

If you see something that we regularly need that is worn out or used up, it is best to talk to someone who would know if the solution is already underway.

Elaine West is authorized to use the church credit card. She buys various church supplies on a fairly frequent basis and often knows what is underway.

Otherwise:

For any church property matters, the chair of the Facilities Standing Committee is Joe Mills. Robert West who has done this job in the past can also help you. Talk to Joe or Robert.

For Discipleship supplies, talk to Barbara Hale.

For Worship supplies, talk to Candy Scheller.

For Friendship and Hospitality supplies, talk to Mary Ann Bell.

For Compassion and Evangelism supplies, talk to Susan Krotz.

For Office supplies, talk to the Board Chair Loretta Tanner.

If you want to be helpful, just ask appropriate permission to purchase the item yourself.

If you buy it yourself, save your receipt and give it to Doug Carr who keeps the church check book (or put it in the treasurer's mail slot in the office). Write on the receipt or an attached note anything needed to clarify the nature of the purchase, and label it something like "Facilities Supplies," "Office Supplies" "Kitchen Supplies," "Worship Supplies," "Discipleship Supplies," etc. Doug will get a reimbursement check to you.

We actually prefer that you get reimbursed. This enables us to track the costs of our operations.

If you wish to cover the cost of something, it is better to get reimbursed and then simply put a little extra in the offering plate to cover it. This also makes it easier for you to claim your tax deduction.

Dumbo Gets a Lesson in Stewardship

Our New Garden Hose

Our most mentally challenged member noticed last summer that the garden hose next to the kitchen steps was on its last legs--but of course he didn't do anything about it. Today, as he stumbled around the church yard, he noticed a brand new hose and got to thinking about it in terms of stewardship...and his own deficiencies in that regard.

The new garden hose didn't get there by accident. How did it happen?

First was observation. Someone was aware of his or her surroundings and noticed a change in the environment. In this case, they noticed that the old church hose was past it's sell by date. Second, he or she had knowledge about "who to see" or who to get permission from in order to replace the hose. It is possible that they simply acted independently and made an on the spot assessment and applied corrective action. But in either case, they knew who to see, or what was an acceptable action. Third, they cared enough to want to improve a situation or thing so, finally and fourth, they acted and replaced the old hose.

"Why didn't Dumbo," he asked himself, "replace the hose?" He summarized the problem and decided that stewardship involves:

1. Observation
2. Knowledge (of who to see or what to do)
3. Care
4. Action

"In my case," Dumbo concluded, "I didn't know that it was okay to just go ahead and replace the hose. I lacked knowledge of what is allowed and not allowed."

Dumbo finished stumbling about, but felt right smart. He understood that in the future he needed to 1) be a better observer of what is around him; 2) to learn more about the approval process--who to see and who to ask; 3) to care more, and more effectively, and; 4) to take action and "git it done."

So: Whoever replaced the old garden hose, THANK YOU. You are a good steward.

Experiencing the Holiness Tradition and the Virtuous Life: Metamorphosis!

Isaiah 50:4-9; Matthew 16:13-23;

2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:5-11

Today we are on the second and concluding week of examining the holiness tradition. I will focus on the defining aim of the holiness stream of living water, our gaining the mind of Christ.

In order to offer a figure of speech for gaining the mind of Christ, I am going to quote from the Ozarks Gardening column by Jim Long of Blue Eye, Missouri, that appeared in last Wednesday’s Carroll County News. See http://jimlongscolumns.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html for the full column.

Long says, “I hosted a group of visitors in my garden last summer and as I toured them through the herbs, I stopped beside a big clump of fennel to point out a caterpillar. Just as I pointed, a woman spoke up and said, ‘Oh I hate those nasty things. I keep a can of kerosene in the garden and a pair of gloves beside it. Every time I see one of those black, green and yellow striped devils, I put on my gloves and toss them into the kerosene and watch them die.’

“I noticed the gaping, open mouths of others in the group but before I could respond to the lady, she pointed in the air and said, as if on cue, ‘Ohhh, look at the butterfly. I just love butterflies. I wish I had them in my garden.’

“When she finally quit chattering, I again pointed …, ‘Ma'am…, see the butterfly? See the caterpillar? They are one and the same thing.’

“She gasped, and literally went pale. She had never made the connection between the striped caterpillar and the black swallowtail butterfly, and promised she would never hunt them down and douse them with kerosene again.” End quote

What do we call the process of going from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly? Metamorphosis. The word transfers into English from the Greek word meaning changed form or transformation. The woman did not know the details of metamorphosis, did not think that the ugly striped caterpillar chomping away on fennel, parsley, carrot tops, or more likely Queen Anne’s lace, could be connected to the beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly. Multiply that ignorance across the species, and she was robbing herself of the joy of butterflies. She also was cutting down her pollinators. She wished that butterflies would come to her garden, and did not know that she was keeping them out. Obviously, it is important that gardeners understand metamorphosis, transformation.

The word metamorphosis applies outside the realm of biology. The Greek root word appears four times in the Bible. Did you know that the word is used in the Bible? It is used in two verses to describe Jesus’ transfiguration, when he shone with divine glory. It is also used to describe the change that occurs in believers as we follow Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 12:2. 2 Corinthians 3:18 is our Christview Ministries theme text: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (metamorphized) into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The point is that, when we really see the glory of Christ, that glory begins to metamorphize us, to change us from ugly, chomping caterpillars into beautiful, fruitful butterflies. Romans 12:1-2 indicates that the change occurs through the renewing of our minds: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphized) by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” By following Christ, we come to see the world and to think about the world through different eyes. This is the essence of being born again. This is the heart of the holiness tradition. It is about how we gain new minds, how we break free from the habits of worldly thinking.

The Greek root word of metamorphosis is used only four times in the New Testament. The cousin root word metanoia meaning to change our minds or to repent appears 56 times, but that does not begin to capture the frequency of the theme of our gaining new minds through Christ. The theme is everywhere present in the New Testament. Truly this theme is basic, foundational, to Christian life. We need to be sure that Christian metamorphosis is happening in our lives, and we need to be sure that we are serving as agents of Christian metamorphosis in the lives of others.

The metamorphosis of the disciples of Jesus Christ was a long and difficult process. They had a really hard time getting out of their heads that the job of the Messiah was to build a revolutionary army that would overthrow the occupying Roman army. This says that deep down, unconsciously, they believed that national independence, government, politics, and armies, taken together, were what was really powerful. Jesus had a different view. He held that the saving grace and reigning love of God conveyed by the Holy Spirit and accessed through faith, taken together, was what was really powerful. Sometimes the disciples such as Simon Peter would get a portion of this for a moment, and Jesus would say something like, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter (Rocky), and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Other times, Simon Peter would reject the costly, self-giving path of redeeming love, and Jesus would say to this same Rock, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your minds on the things of God, but on the things of man.” The point is that there is a crucial difference between godly thinking and mere human thinking. How Peter was thinking, where he was setting his mind, made all the difference between his being a rock in the foundation of the church or an adversary in the way of the church. We need to know clearly and unmistakably what that difference is.

For the disciples, the difference came clear in four events: the crucifixion of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the ascension of Jesus, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The crucifixion gave them a clear and potent picture of costly, self-giving redeeming love. The resurrection showed that the cost of redeeming love was not the final word, but only the prelude to perfected, enduring life. The ascension demonstrated the enthronement of their crucified and risen Savior as Lord of the universe. But they did not quite get the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension until Pentecost when God the Holy Spirit came to live within them and to give them constant access to the mind of their Lord. From the time of Pentecost on, while they still had things to learn about God’s plan for his church, they had the guiding voice within them, shaping them and guiding their mission. We really cannot make Christian decisions and carry out Christian actions until God lives within us, shaping our minds.

Most of us very early in life were impressed with what power really seemed to us to be; most of us were wrong, but a great many of us may never have never questioned those early impressions. At age four or five, I concluded that real power was in reason, and that unexamined conviction ruled me for thirty years, until Jesus set me free. The lie I believed may have aided my academic life, but it seriously depleted my Christian fruitfulness. As long as that lie was in place, I had only a little room for the mind of Christ.

What early impressed you to be the source of power? Physical strength? Money? Smooth personality? Clever strategies? Good looks? Having lots of friends? Being loved by a cute member of the opposite sex? Emotional intimidation or manipulation? Our national citizenship or political loyalties? Seeking pleasure? Avoiding pain? The possibilities are endless. But when we live out those false impressions, the consequences are destructive. Those false impressions make us ugly chompers, in short, caterpillars. When we come to believe in Jesus, his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension, and when the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, we are given an alternative, a metamorphosis moment when we can become fruitful children of God, the spiritual equivalent of beautiful butterflies.

In Romans 8, Paul challenges us to set our minds not on human and worldly perspectives but on the things we are taught by the indwelling Spirit. That is the path of fruitful living.

If that is not clear enough, in Philippians 2:5-11, Paul shows that Jesus is the model for our spiritual transformation, for our new understanding of what is powerful. As we read this passage, ask yourself, what is the source of real power revealed in this passage? 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What is the real source of power in Christ’s life? Is it not humble submission to paying the cost of doing God’s will, of carrying out God’s mission, of living out God’s love for lost and broken humanity? Is notthat the path to real power in our lives?

When asked to think whether we have the mind of Christ, we may think of the nice Jesus of Sunday school lessons, who somehow ended up teaching us to mind our parents, to do our chores, to be nice to our brothers and sisters, to play fair with our friends, to sit quietly in worship services, and to say our prayers at meals and bedtime. Those may be important points in our socialization. I would rather have the people around me know those things than not. But that Christ can hardly be found in the Bible.

What is the mind of Christ actually like? The Christ of the Bible looks at a broken reed and, rather than destroying it, mends it. He looks at a feeble lamp flame and, rather than discarding the wick, trims it. He looks at the crooked tax collector, and rather than running the other way, calls him to discipleship and has him invite all his disreputable friends to a party where they too can discover the reigning love of God. The Christ of the Bible tells a story about a father who sees that the love of the penitent, prodigal, younger son is far more real than the pretend love of a hardworking elder son who has been biding his time awaiting his reward. The Christ of the Bible sees a temple that is not serving its calling, but is instead creating barriers for outreach, and takes prophetic actions condemning the temple and opening it up for a celebration of healing for the desperate. He then assigns his disciples to go out and to be a living, portable temple for the lost and broken of the world. “Oh, you mean the mind of that Christ?”

Do we have the mind of that Christ? Let’s see. How many of us show any sign of even seeing the lonely visitor standing or sitting in our midst during fellowship time, especially if that visitor does not happen to be of our age group or social class or education level or friendship circle? How many of us have prepared ourselves to tell someone who is searching for Jesus the basics of how to become one of his disciples? Of course, just as there are many kinds of butterflies, there are many ways we will reach out to hurting people. Some of us will do it one way and some another. But, if we have the mind of Christ, we will be doing all the reaching out of which we are capable, and maybe a bit more. Whether we are actually doing that reaching out tells us all we need to know about whether we have the mind of Christ. It is how we know whether we are still an ugly, chomping caterpillar or whether we have become a beautiful, fruitful butterfly.

If we do not yet have the mind of Christ, if that mind is not showing up in our hearts being focused on redeeming love, it is high time for metamorphosis.

How do we get the mind of Christ? A caterpillar goes into a quiet chrysalis stage, and after a short time emerges greatly slimmed down and with beautiful wings. We have something similar.

What percentage of our lives do we spend pouring junk into our minds? The television and movies we watch, the websites we visit, the music to which we listen, the sports through which we vicariously do battle, the imaginary romances we entertain, the things we talk about, or text about, or post on Facebook about with our friends…How many of these things actually feed our minds on things that are quite contrary to the mind of Christ? Whether sex, violence, hatred, fear, gossip, or mere fluff, much of what we pour into our minds contains false messages about what is powerful or important in life. Even so-called Christian radio and television tend to get us off on things that distract us from learning and living out the mind of Christ.

It is time for us to take some time apart with God, to take stock of how we really want to live our lives for Christ. We need to spend time in prayer and study, taking in the mind of Christ and letting the Holy Spirit speak to us to direct our lives in more fruitful paths. We need some chrysalis time, and before long, it will be time to fly. Metamorphosis!

Here is my prayer of metamorphosis:

Gracious God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I cannot really live a Christian life until I have spiritual ears, eyes, mind, and heart open to your direction. Drill out my earplugs, wash out my eyes, awaken my mind, and fire my heart so that I may behold the wonders of your redeeming love and give myself unreservedly to your service. Let me fly for your glory. Amen.

Will Churches Raise Budgets in 2011?

The following compilation of ideas and opinions, by Ruth Moon, appears in Christianity Today and talks about church finances, stewardship, and going forward during difficult financial times.



"All of us should be on a journey of faith, and we should be ever increasing our commitment to resources for God's kingdom. It's a good thing to continue to strive to grow and to reach more people. But the qualification comes in that there are many regions of the country where the economic outlook is going to continue to be difficult and a challenge. So for those parts of the country where unemployment is high, foreclosures are high, and financial stress on small businesses continues to be high, I would say increase your budget, but do so with full awareness of the challenges and pain that may exist in your congregation, and certainly do so without incurring debt."

Chuck Bentley, CEO, Crown Financial Ministries

"Yes, but modestly. Next year is the third year of a presidential cycle. The head of the Federal Reserve Board is appointed by the president; he wants to be accommodating because there's an election coming up and everyone votes their wallets in this country. The net result is that there has not been a decline in the U.S. stock market in the third year of a presidency since the Great Depression."

Gary Moore, Founder, The Financial Seminary

"What we see is cautious optimism on the part of our church members. Donations seem to be trending upwards somewhat. Some of them are still down five to 10 percent compared to a year ago, but there is increasing optimism on the part of churches as we see some positive trends in the giving."

Dan Busby, president, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

"I don't know whether churches should or shouldn't increase their budgets. We do know from the research that very few churches are intentionally planning for recalibrating their ministry and their structure to meet the demands of a new economy. Churches ought to be more intentional about that. They're not taking a proactive stance about being nimble; they're trying to cut costs, rather than fundamentally restructuring for … what is likely to be a period of really lean years."

David Kinnaman, President, Barna Group

"Churches should not look to economic indicators to determine whether or not to increase their budgets. Church leaders should look to God to determine what he is calling them to do, and then generously lead the way offering their resources to accomplish God's purposes and invite the congregants to follow. If the vision for the year requires more resources then the previous year's budget, then yes, the church should increase it. If a church does not have a clear sense of what God is calling them to do, the leaders should seek him in prayer, and in so doing, probably trim the budget in the season of waiting on him."

Gary Hoag, Generosity Monk

"The years of prosperity concealed underlying internal issues that are the real reason giving is down at some churches. During the time the economy was good and offerings were increasing, statistics say the offerings were not increasing on a per-giver basis. … They were growing their operating budgets by growing numbers of people. When the lean resource environment sets in, scarcity begins to clarify everything. For some of these churches, it clarifies that they haven't been healthy for a while, and the abundance of money was just covering it up."

Jim Sheppard, CEO, Generis

"What we have not seen in the economy is a rapid rebound in the wages or earnings of Americans. Until we start to see those go up, most churches that have a static attendance are not going to see much of a rise in giving because those things are related; the biblical principal of tithe is based on earnings. When we see in the U.S. that earnings continue to be slow to increase, churches should be pretty modest in total in their budgeting for the new year. But of course as they take into account local context, that might lead to a lower or higher budget for next year."

Scott McConnell, Associate Director, LifeWay Research

"Some pastors—and I have talked with many—are using the poor economy as an excuse for poor leadership in the area of stewardship and giving. 'Our giving is way down at our church. What are you going to do? It's a tough economy.' The truth is, pastor, you're not teaching, modeling or celebrating generosity and stewardship, so you're not experiencing it in your church. It's a very convenient excuse for poor leadership. When Bill Clinton was running for re-election, his campaign manager decided here's our story: 'It's the economy, stupid.' He turned every conversation back to the economy. I want to say to some pastors, with all due respect, it's not the economy, pastor. It's something else."

Chris Willard, Leadership Community Director, Leadership Network

"Our church will not. In October 2008 there was a tsunami that hit Wall Street, and almost overnight there was crisis. That did not happen to churches. Churches do not experience tsunamis, but they are experiencing rising floodwaters of financial challenges. It isn't like bam, they all got slammed; it's like people aren't giving as much. Some of our people are out of work. There's not any one cataclysmic event, but rising floodwaters of economic difficulties that are more and more affecting churches."

Brian Kluth, founder, Maximum Generosity

This article first appeared in July 2010 issue of Christianity Today. Used by permission of Christianity Today International, Carol Stream, IL 60188."

Pick Me! Pick Me!

One of Mrs. O'Toole's sunflowers says, "Good morning!"

An amazing array of flowers and vegetables has burst into the limelight this week. After days...and days of celebrating the merest progress (except for cucumbers!) we have entered into the period of time all gardeners love and dread: lots of great stuff...that has to be picked right now.

Susan peeking and picking, Thursday morning.

A few squash plants continue to avoid the onslaught of the dreaded beetle we've discussed before, but most of them are deader than a doornail. Otherwise, the corn is doing well with only a few borers at the head, we have a wealth of tomatoes, and the green beans are stringing us along just fine.

Pick me! Pick me!

The Community Garden is your garden. If you wander in and a vegetable or flower cries out, "Pick me! Pick me!" please oblige. After all, we want happy vegetables!