July 02, 2009
Cushy
Most of us have an opinion on how money should be spent or how projects should be funded, especially if we’re talking about the government, a community organization or the church. Speaking from a leadership perspective a church newsletter reported, “We have somewhat of a built-in cushion in our checking account [and] We’d rather not dip into Capitol Improvement funds, [but] a portion of the funds have been pulled and kept as an emergency fund…” Whether or not congregants agree or disagree with leadership’s stance really isn’t important, but can’t you just picture the Lord doing an eye roll and saying repeat after me, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”(Matt 6:26 NIV)
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Gail;
-----King Agur praised the ant for his storing up food, “Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer…” (Prov 30:24-25). Joseph also used the authority given him to store up grain during Egypt’s seven years of abundance. In itself, saving is not wrong. The evil in saving is in why it is done, how it is done, and how much it is done in excess.
-----XYZ Church saved up its built-in cushion looking forward to the prospect of a new facility. This is not a bad reason for saving. But during the years the cushion was being accumulated, much of the generosity came from her members who had no mind for a new facility. To avoid controversy, or more clearly, to avoid loosing a controversy (for her leadership was very willing to deal in whatever controversy it could win) any thought of a new facility was kept as quietly under the hats of the leaders as was possible. Had all the congregation been clearly made aware of why the money was being saved, and were they indeed giving at least in part for that purpose, then the reason for the cushion would not have been tainted.
-----This same quietness tainted how the cushion was saved. The need to present an annual budget also was the need to expose the annual budgeted savings. But the budgets were presented during annual meetings given no fanfare or promotion of relevancy. Few people attended, few people heard, and it was easy to pass the budgeted saving off as simply a wise thing to do (remember the ants.) I believe the leaders of XYZ Church will deny saving for a new facility even to this day. But I know it was their purpose, for a staff member, who was later graciously sent packing, slipped his tongue in a small meeting. They were secretly saving up the generosity of the church members toward a goal not being made clearly obvious.
-----XYZ Church’s cushion at one time exceeded $300,000. Most businesses operate on the same good philosophy of storing up a cushion towards difficult times. I know of a extraordinarily successful business that maintains about the same amount for a cushion, yet its annual budget is more than $2,000,000. How much cushion was necessary for XYZ Church’s hard times, and just how hard were the leaders anticipating times to become? While the church had nearly an entire year’s budget in reserve, were all the missionaries around about doing well with their budgets? Did they have any cushion for the same hard times? Was there any real financial despair amongst the members of her congregation? Were the food banks and other efforts to relieve poverty in the community well supplied? I don’t know these circumstances, but I do know the church budget was so paired back in order to save that many of her program efforts were languishing, some were dropped, and her expensive parking lot pavement was on the verge of deterioration beyond repair. There was taint in the excess of the cushion, if indeed it was for hard times.
-----It is somewhat humorous to watch XYZ Church get what she said she saved for. And it is warming to hear her refer to her cushion a bit more honestly. But, although XYZ Church can be criticized, so can every church. And I may giggle a bit today at her, but only through baited breathe, for I know my faults, too. Regardless of the fact there is much missing of the target in any church, there is also much serving the Lord. And to His glory, He blesses every church’s efforts and forgives its failures. What I treasure is the prospect of rejoicing with XYZ Church forever.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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