Protectiveness

Posted on September 23, 2014 Written by

One aspect of the life-cycle of churches has to do with their possessions.

  • Early on the church has almost nothing. The church is typically pretty open about sharing its resources (loaning chairs and tables for instance) with others.
  • When the church gets buildings and even more possessions, the church develops policies which guide when and how the building can be rented and items loaned. The ultimate goal is to protect the church from litigation, but these procedures usually evolve to protect the church from outside groups or non-members who might damage the building or items.
  • Finally, a church shrinks so that eventually everything it has is given away in its last act of generosity. Its possessions and buildings are sold or handed to another church.

All churches struggle with providing a balance between being generous with what it has to help its own members, its community, and other churches—being cautious so that what it has accrued over the years is not lost or damaged. That is a fine line to walk, and it requires a lot of active decisions.

I can’t offer an easy answer to this. I can ask churches to share as much as possible with others just as others shared with them when they were a young church. Don’t give everything away, but don’t be stingy either. Develop a balance by asking one question: What is the motive or reason someone wants to borrow or use something your church owns?

If it is meant to help one person have personal profit and it isn’t church related, then the church should walk away from that. But if the goal is to help the community or another church, then the church should seriously consider (but not rubber stamp) that opportunity. Be generous, but don’t give away everything. Don’t be greedy, but seek times when you can genuinely help others and other organizations.

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: generosity, strategy, wisdom Tagged: , ,

A Most Generous Search Committee Member

Posted on August 26, 2014 Written by

Several years ago a church found a dynamic youth minister they wanted to hire. However, that minister had school and housing debt which had financially strapped him. He wanted to move to his new location with his family, but he couldn’t afford a deposit on a house and he didn’t want to move to an apartment.

Then a member of the search committee stepped in. He’s not wealthy but he did have the financial leverage to help: he bought the house the youth minister and his wife were looking at and then let the minister live there on a rent-to-own agreement. Only a handful of people even knew about the arrangement, which allowed the new minister to have his privacy and dignity.

There are several lessons in this:

  • If you are a minister, please get out of debt as soon as possible. You should have, at most, housing and car debt. Pay off your school loans, credit card debt, and other debt/loans as quickly as possible. Actually, this is true for everyone, not just ministers.
  • Churches should help young seminarians with as many scholarships as possible. They’ve committed to serve the church, and everyone knows that ministry positions don’t typically have high pay scales. Churches can establish scholarship funds and endowment funds to help people, especially 20-somethings, go to seminary with fewer financial worries.
  • Establish financial practices in your own life which will allow you to take advantage of opportunities to help others and yourself when those times arise. If this committee member had poor financial habits, he couldn’t have helped the youth minister; but because he managed his money well for years, he could step in. Do the same in your own financial house so that you can be generous when the opportunity arises (when God puts those times right in front of you!).

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: generosity Tagged:

Your Debris Field

Posted on June 3, 2014 Written by

In June 2011 I went with a church group to Oneonta, Alabama. In April, just two months before, a massive tornado system decimated homes and lives throughout north central Alabama. Our goal was to frame up a house in one week and we did, even though it was the hottest June they’d had in years. One afternoon I walked downwind from the house into the debris field. Pine trees were snapped or bent over and hardwoods were uprooted. And all over the place was the debris of a family’s lives: pictures, shoes, a baby blanket, papers, parts of a trailer, a dish rack, sofa cushions, and thousands of bits of a home and house. It was terrifying to see what the wind could do in a matter of minutes and I can’t imagine what it was like to live through it.

I’ve lived long enough to be able to look back and see what I have done in my life. I have hundreds of friends literally around the world; I’ve traveled to dozens of countries; learned millions of facts (too many of which I share without invitation); and have a beautiful family. In essence, I can see the good and bad of what I’ve left in my own personal debris field. I know I’ve left some hurt along the way; I want to believe that whenever I’ve plowed through someone, that I’ve taken the time to return and seek forgiveness. I’ve probably not been as successful in that as I think I have. I do know that I’ve hope I’ve left some joy back there, too. I prefer to reflect on that part of my debris field – where I’ve helped and not hurt.

As you go through life, pause long enough to look at your own debris field. What is littered in your wake? Are there torn up lives and people who are hurting more because you passed by? Do you see people who remember you fondly and joyfully? We can’t have a positive impact with every person every day, but there should be an abundance of positive results after you’ve passed by so that people will say you enriched their lives. Aim for good things to be the legacy seen in your debris field.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: church staff, generosity, wisdom Tagged: , ,

$10 Million Estate

Posted on April 22, 2014 Written by

The Last Will & Testament of Bill & Melinda Gates is not a public document. However, some information about it is public such as the vast majority of their estate will go to their foundation. There is speculation that their three children will inherit no more than $10 million from their parents. Bill said that he wants his kids to have their own careers and that too much money would spoil them – that is seen is so many cases of affluent scions.

$10 million is a lot of money. By my calculations, it is enough for someone to live on quite comfortably for the rest of his or her life. Invested well, that money should earn at least 8% per year. If the owner “harvests” just 5% of the balance each year leaving 3% of the growth to be reinvested as an inflation offset. In the first year, the owner would get $500,000 which is certainly more than enough to live on and even be generous within that “budget.” In subsequent years, the owner will get $500,000 plus the annual 3% inflation adjustment.

What if the very rich capped how much they would leave each child at $10 million in cash (I’m speaking strictly regarding cash, not property or businesses). High net-worth families could focus on giving away everything over the line to benefit others. In their own lifetimes they would get to see the joy they bring by funding medical research, building schools and parks, providing college scholarships, and countless other worthwhile causes. And the best part is they’ll never leave their families in want.

I challenge high net worth families to let their children know that each one of them will inherit no more than $10 million and then ask them to participate in giving away everything else. What a lesson that would be to everyone – to see that money isn’t the answer for everything but love and family are.

Lead On!

Steve

 

 

Filed Under: church finances, generosity Tagged: ,

High-capacity donors

Posted on November 26, 2013 Written by

High-capacity donors are people who are just that: individuals with the ability to give generously and in large amounts of money. They can be very generous when they want to and to whom they want. They are very judicious in who is the recipient of their largess. They know that money is essentially a magnifying glass – money gives a person the ability to be either more generous or stingier.

My experience with wealthy people is that almost all of them are generous with causes which appeal to them and which they feel will make a difference. They don’t give money out to bleeding hearts; they do their research to ensure that their gifts really will be leveraged to improve the quality of life of people and their community.

I’ve known quite a few high-capacity donors and all of them have one thing in common: they have wealth. Some earned their wealth, while others inherited it. Some have come into sudden money and others had it from the day they were born and thus don’t know anything different. Almost all of them have parents or grandparents (the originators of the family fortune) who want their offspring to learn generosity. They don’t want stingy family members. The elder generation knows the value of sharing money and the joy it brings to the donors and to the recipients.

The church in general is not “developing” these donors. In its haste to ensure that the church treats all people the same, many churches unintentionally do things that push away high-capacity donors. Some donors have rare skills which the church could use but for fear of elevating them, the church does not use their talents.

I challenge the church to find ways to cultivate all high-capacity donors. These individuals and families truly want to give back. Churches become poorer (in many ways) by not accepting the gifts (both monetary and talents) of high-net-worth individuals. The Body of Christ is made up of different people with different skills, and the Body of Christ needs ALL members doing what makes them unique—so that TOGETHER we can all excel in doing what God requires of us.

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: church finances, generosity Tagged: ,

3 Women

Posted on July 30, 2013 Written by

Who paid for Jesus’s ministry? Seriously. Who came up with the money to cover the living expenses of about 20 people for about 1,000 days (3 years of Jesus’ ministry)? Do the math in today’s dollars – what would it cost to feed, clothe, and house about 20 people (sometimes less but sometimes more) for a month, much less a year or even three? The answer is a lot.

So, who paid for Jesus and his followers for all that time? The answer is in Luke 8.1-3 and it is clearly spelled out with names.

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Here is a list of people traveling with Jesus and why they did it. He was their teacher and their healer. While Jesus taught, these followers could demonstrate exactly what Jesus had done so that newcomers would understand this is not just a prophet—he’s the Messiah. The most interesting thing to me about this passage is the three women:

  • Mary Magdalene: had seven demons which Jesus got rid of (a careful reading will show that she is never referred to as a prostitute – that is a misnomer). She is referenced 12 times in the Gospels, more than many disciples, indicating how important she was.
  • Joanna: her husband’s boss was the same guy who killed John the Baptist (albeit reluctantly) and who let his soldiers torture Jesus. I want to believe that Chuza had conversations with Herod such as, “my wife is off again with that crazy rabbi from Nazareth…” I can only imagine those talks.
  • Susanna: this is the only mention of her in the New Testament. There is a tradition that she was one of the women at Jesus’ entombment (see Myrrhbearers) but whoever she was, she was instantly recognizable with just her first name (like some celebrities today).
  • And many others: it is well-known that the combined efforts of many outweigh the power of one or two. Hundreds of small financial gifts are strong both in the total amount given and in the influence that these adherents bring.

These three women paid for Jesus’ ministry. They gave out of appreciation for what Jesus did for them and what they knew he could do for others. They gave because they had the financial means to do so. They gave because God led them to do it. These women of influence do not get acknowledged like they should, and that is our loss. These women stood toe-to-toe with men and used their wealth and influence to sustain a cause that was (and still is) earth-shaking.

Thanks to you,

  • Mary Magdalene, for using your experience with Jesus to demonstrate the power of healing and for using your money to buy whatever Jesus needed,
  • Joanna, for using your husband’s influence to support and protect Jesus and for using your husband’s paycheck from Herod to pay the expenses for Jesus and his followers,
  • Susanna, for using your social clout to help Jesus and for using your wealth to fund Jesus’ ministry.

Thanks also to the “many others” like you and me who give regularly and generously today to support Jesus’ ongoing ministry.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: generosity Tagged:

2 Instincts

Posted on July 23, 2013 Written by

Humans, like other creatures, are born with instincts that lead to greater chances for their survival. Human babies are born with at least two instincts (there may be more but I want to focus on two). Other animals are born with more instincts (horses must stand up shortly after birth) but human babies have two easily recognizable instincts, and both are necessary for their survival: to suck and to hold on.

Sucking is how babies get nutrition from their moms and grasping is how babies hold on to the person holding them. Without those two instincts, babies would have a harder time living past a few days. Both of those instincts have something else in common: they are self-centered. Sucking and holding are meant to pull things into the person. Nothing about a baby is designed to help others or be outwardly focused (other than they are incredibly beautiful and remind us of God’s wondrous creativity).

Jesus and the New Testament writers continually teach us to “be like God.” That means shedding our human ways and instincts in order to be more God-like. That is difficult—some say impossible—for us, but it is a worthy goal.

My readings in the Gospels teach me that Jesus’ instincts were not to pull back, suck in, or hold on to anything. Generosity and selflessness were his characteristics. Giving away life, sight, healing, food, time, money, teachings, and so many other things were Jesus’ nature. Jesus taught – by definition an act of giving away – and lived out sharing the Good News. Even in death, he gave his life. John 3:16 has the verbs “love” and “gave” which are words inculcated with sharing.

Openhanded-ness is God’s instinct. God loves to give and serve. That is God’s nature. I pray that all people, but especially Christians because we know God, would live lives of sharing, openhanded-ness, giving, and generosity, because that is what being God-like is like.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: faith, generosity Tagged: ,

Left-Shoulder Giving

Posted on May 28, 2013 Written by

The blog post “Bell Curves and Giving” discusses the average age of your givers and shows that donors in their 50s are the single largest contributors to churches and non-profits. That is the age range on which churches most rely to support their current and future programs. If you visit a church where the average age is older than 60, then that church is likely in decline (unless there is a major endowment supporting the church).

The top of this bell curve are the 50-somethings. The 60-somethings and older form the right shoulder and it is shoulder with a steep downward trend. The overall amount of gifts from 60-, 70-, and 80-somethings declines very quickly for several reasons

  • they are not earning as much as they used to and therefore can’t give as much
  • they are trying to not outlive their money so they restrict what they give to their church and instead will give it as a bequest (if the church cultivates that gift)

The left shoulder is formed by 20-, 30-, and 40-somethings.

  • They are just getting started in their marriages, careers, and families
  • They often make poor financial decisions about cars, houses, and furnishings they purchase.
  • Many end up paying off credit card balances for years or decades.
  • Others are paying down college debt or establishing college funds for their own children.
  • Some are doing all of the above!

Left-shoulder donors have less disposable income than they want to have. They really, really want to give to their church, they just can’t. Churches should and must help them – almost no one else is doing something to address this need. When a church helps a left-shoulder giver get out of or decrease his debt, many pay it forward through their church. This seems self-serving but there is a biblical viewpoint to this – helping people, especially young adults, to understand that our society makes an idol out of money and that distracts them from worshipping God.

Every church with young people (hopefully that means every church) should have classes on Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University or Crown Ministries. Everyone in the church should read Randy Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle and/or Andy Stanley’s Fields of Gold. These classes and books provide resources that help people approach money from a rational and biblical point of view, not just an emotional one.

This is an important and urgent matter. If you don’t think it is, try this: take the current giving levels on your bell curve and fast forward 10 or 20 years to see how much money your church will have (realizing that many right shoulder donors will die). That should be a wakeup call to see how significant it is to develop left shoulder donors as fast as possible. Then, when these left shoulder givers are in their 50s or even before, they can be generous givers to their church and the causes that appeal to them.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: church finances, generosity, leadership, wisdom, young adults Tagged: , , ,
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