The Church: A Question of $$$
I have been pondering the issue of church and how the institution utilizes money. In my experience, most of the money donated to the local church is dispersed to pay staff. Very little of the funds are allocated towards missions or the less fortunate. Thus, we have para-church organizations that specialize in the crucial admonitions of Jesus: sharing the Good News of Christ's death and resurrection in word and deed outside the walls of our local church.
This is not necessarily a criticism, but rather an observation of reality. Personally, I highly respect the pastor of our church and believe she deserves the money that she is paid. Actually, she deserves much more, as do pastors in general! Having stated that, I admit we do not contribute our entire offering to our local church. Why? Because we are financially committed to supporting causes associated with global missions. In addition, we desire to be open to the needs around us, whether that is a new charity that ends up at our doorstep or a family member who is hurting. Thus, since the local church does not prioritize these areas due to payroll, we believe we must.
Yet, there are times I experience turmoil over the question of church and money. When I hear of a church undergoing financial crisis, my first response is, "Well, you should have put more thought into your budgeting. Why didn't you account for such a situation? Don't you have a contingency plan?" Or, "What else did you think would happen if you added a new pastor to your payroll?" Then the Lord convicts me. Why am I so eager to assist my family if members are in the midst of financial uncertainty but NOT the church family? Shouldn't I apply the same principles to the Family of God? I believe I must.
Nonetheless, the question still remains: "Why do majority of North American Christians desire a payed pastor so much that we spend most of our money on payroll?" As stated earlier, I believe pastors deserve their wages and more. However, the purpose for which we hire a pastor does warrant questioning. We want someone designated to study the Word of God on our behalf and provide an easily digested version on Sunday morning. We want someone to call us when we are sick, encourage us when we are down, and counsel us in the ways of righteousness. We want someone to organize our church programs and to seek out new members to help serve. And when things go wrong, we want a "fall guy", someone to blame for our own mistakes.
That is a lot to ask from any person. And it sounds quite self-centered. But our culture thinks it is okay since we dole out money for the job. Something needs to change.
This is not necessarily a criticism, but rather an observation of reality. Personally, I highly respect the pastor of our church and believe she deserves the money that she is paid. Actually, she deserves much more, as do pastors in general! Having stated that, I admit we do not contribute our entire offering to our local church. Why? Because we are financially committed to supporting causes associated with global missions. In addition, we desire to be open to the needs around us, whether that is a new charity that ends up at our doorstep or a family member who is hurting. Thus, since the local church does not prioritize these areas due to payroll, we believe we must.
Yet, there are times I experience turmoil over the question of church and money. When I hear of a church undergoing financial crisis, my first response is, "Well, you should have put more thought into your budgeting. Why didn't you account for such a situation? Don't you have a contingency plan?" Or, "What else did you think would happen if you added a new pastor to your payroll?" Then the Lord convicts me. Why am I so eager to assist my family if members are in the midst of financial uncertainty but NOT the church family? Shouldn't I apply the same principles to the Family of God? I believe I must.
Nonetheless, the question still remains: "Why do majority of North American Christians desire a payed pastor so much that we spend most of our money on payroll?" As stated earlier, I believe pastors deserve their wages and more. However, the purpose for which we hire a pastor does warrant questioning. We want someone designated to study the Word of God on our behalf and provide an easily digested version on Sunday morning. We want someone to call us when we are sick, encourage us when we are down, and counsel us in the ways of righteousness. We want someone to organize our church programs and to seek out new members to help serve. And when things go wrong, we want a "fall guy", someone to blame for our own mistakes.
That is a lot to ask from any person. And it sounds quite self-centered. But our culture thinks it is okay since we dole out money for the job. Something needs to change.