August 5, 2008
Selling God
I
know I am going to ruffle some feathers today, but sometimes I just have to
speak up. I read an email today and it spoke of being deeply drawn to and
supportive of what they called the "entrepreneurial model of
ministry". He was speaking primarily of the mega-churches that successfully
market their products and services.
These
churches often "sell" the name of a donor on having their name on a
brick of the new building or a plaque on the new wing of the church. Many of
these churches seem more interested in building a monument to the pastor than to
further the kingdom of God. If you give to certain levels you get a "free
gift", usually something suitably spiritual.
They
flog everything from "anointed holy water" to "prayer
handkerchiefs". There is even one that is now selling miracle manna made
from some mysterious element from the middle east and baked in a 200 year old
oven.
The
list of fundraising gimmicks is endless. Churches will bring in a
"name" entertainer and rather than operate on faith as an outreach
will charge secular prices to attend. What happened to trusting God to cover the
costs? After all, if it is of God He will provide.
Other
churches raise money through the proceeds of lotteries and other forms of
gambling. Some churches make you pay for prayers, and even extract a toll for
the dead. This is how far off things have gotten. Martin
Luther fought against these thing hundreds of years ago and still, here they
are.
Doing
ministry costs money. Churches operate in a real world where there are utilities
to be paid, wages to be covered and other expenses. Yet, frankly, this reliance
on worldly methods of funding ministries smells vaguely like smoke from the pit
to me.
Now,
I also understand that it costs to produce books, CD's and the like and have no
problem with ministries recovering those costs or even raising some of their
operating funds that way. Now perhaps my thinking here is a little biased
because of my love for books and teaching materials and the fact that I too have
written several books. I confess that I will have to think that through some
more.
None
the less, much fundraising in the Christian world is done by selling worldly
recognition or just plain snake oil and junk. Something is wrong with the whole
picture. I am not certain where the lines need to be drawn but we need to
examine the issue.
God's
Word does not include a successful "sales" plan for churches to raise
money. In fact Jesus was angry at the marketplace that developed outside the
temple.
Matthew
21:12-13 NIV
Jesus entered the temple area and drove
out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money
changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he
said to them,” `My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making
it a `den of robbers.'
God
is not against commerce. He is not against selling a product or service at a
fair price. Yet nowhere do we read of approval for churches or ministries being
funded by commercial solutions. In fact the most successful "church"
fundraising project in history relied on just one thing. It depended on people
responding to the need.
Exodus
35:4 - 36:6 NIV
Moses said to the whole Israelite
community, "This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have, take
an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an
offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine
linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive
oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
"All
who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has
commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames,
crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and
the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and
the bread of the Presence; the lampstand that is for light with its accessories,
lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing
oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the
tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and
all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard
with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the
tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; the woven
garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary--both the sacred garments for
Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests."
Then
the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, and everyone who
was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD
for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred
garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold
jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all
presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. Everyone who had blue,
purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides
of sea cows brought them. Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze
brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any
part of the work brought it. Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought
what she had spun--blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. And all the women
who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. The leaders brought onyx
stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. They also
brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the
fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to
the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had
commanded them to do.
Then
Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri,
the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of
God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make
artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to
work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has
given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to
teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as
craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine
linen, and weavers--all of them master craftsmen and designers. So Bezalel,
Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to
know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the
work just as the LORD has commanded."
Then
Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had
given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from
Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of
constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings
morning after morning. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work
on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, "The people are
bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be
done."
Then
Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or
woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so
the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was
more than enough to do all the work.
The
people were so delighted to give to the work of God that there was more given
than the work required. They had to stop people from giving more. When was the
last time you heard a church or ministry doing that?
As
churches and ministries we need to examine our hearts and teaching. As believers
we need to examine our hearts about giving and supporting ministries. The money
that Christians alone waste on frivolous purchases and feeding their worldly
needs could not only fund every church and ministry, but I suspect that it would
leave the churches telling people that they needed to stop giving because the
treasury was overflowing.
Until
next time, may you give generously and sacrificially to your home church, and
other missions and ministries.
May
the world's hold on your heart and pocketbooks be loosened.
Darrel
Mason