It is no secret that in the US, the political landscape has begun to affect the daily lives of citizens – maybe more than it ever has when we are not in an actual civil war. Decisions being made on high have trickled down to the point where the cost of living in our country – within literally every region – has become beyond what many can bear. Gas prices, grocery prices, and any kind of service have become prohibitively expensive, and this is happening while the quality of customer service is hitting an all-time low. We check ourselves out in stores, we provide our own shopping bags, and we no longer get expert advice when we are looking to buy something, instead having to rely on anonymous comments and reviews on the internet to inform our large buying decisions.
This is happening for a number of reasons, although social media (and largely ignorant people feeding the hysteria) will lay it entirely at Biden’s feet, or blame it on COVID, or say it is an evil conglomerate calling all the shots. The truth is that it is a mixture of several things – access to resources like crude oil, increased cost in agriculture and shipping, increased expense due to wages, and even the use of money to fund things that are outside of production costs – whether it be for the sake of wokeness or other political and social agenda that seemingly divides our country.
The point is this – times are hard for everyone, and there is no silver bullet solution, regardless of who’s fault it is this week according to the media and popular opinion. From the standpoint of the church, this is creating a lot of struggle as costs continue to rise – not only are we struggling to meet the demand of higher bills, the members of churches who are struggling financially will often see their tithes and offerings as the first things they let go of to meet expenses. Costs are rising, and giving is decreasing. What can a church or parachurch ministry do?
We trust in God to provide – that is what we have always done and what we must continue to do. Part of that is recognizing that as the landscape changes, our approach to ministry will also be forced to change as we get more creative to do more with less. This is not a suggestion – it is what has to happen or the church dies. And honestly, I submit that this is only the beginning of the struggle, as many of the financial benefits the church currently enjoys – tax free status, lack of strict oversight, etc – I do not not think we can reasonably expect that to continue much longer.
The solutions are harder to determine than we might think. Every person in the church body likely has an opinion as to how we can better manage our money and better perform outreach activities, yet as often as not these same people are the ones decreasing their giving and volunteering less to shoulder the burden. I do not write this to assign guilt – many people have less money and less time to volunteer because of the current situation, so we must make do with what we have and rely on God to provide.
However, while I do not know exactly what we need to do to change and continue to provide effective ministry, I can tell you that recently I have encountered what we should NOT be doing with respect to ministry. And anyone who knows me likely expects me to go on another social media rant – it is no secret that I hate Facebook and others that have become a haven for divisive hatred in the name of whatever you claim to stand for – including Christ. While not waxing political on social media is a good start, that is not what I am referring to today.
I was in a retail establishment recently that sold Christian items (yes, they do still exist, believe it or not) and I saw something that shook me. They were selling Bibles for over $100, with the cheapest version of God’s Word available at $54.99. Now, before you get upset, I recognize that manufacturing processes have become more expensive just like everything else, and that many Bibles are produced to be considered “heirloom quality” and rightfully cost more money. Further, as resources are made available through study Bibles and included commentary, the people contributing to these things need to make a living as well. To that end, I say “Sell your expensive Bibles – there is a place for them and I find no issue there.”
What bothered me is this: this establishment, which boldly claims to be a ministry for seekers and the lost, does not provide a cost effective way for a non-believer to obtain a copy of God’s Word. There were no inexpensive Bibles for sale, no resources available for free or reduced cost. This is not a cost issue for the store – I can get KJV Bibles at the Dollar Tree for $1.25, and I can access every translation of the Bible ever produced for free through multiple web resources and mobile applications. So, if in fact a ministry exists to reach the lost and chooses to sell Bibles for $100, should they not, based on their own stated purpose, also provide resources like free or low cost Bibles and/or access to free online resources? If we only provide high priced Bibles – how can an unbeliever see that as anything other than profiting on God’s Word? That is not only off mission, it is evil.
So, I asked this question to folks responsible for this particular establishment, and I received a disturbing answer – to provide free resources would reduce the sales and revenue in the store.
I have to pause there, because I cannot seem to read that in any way that does not put profit over mission.
Church, this is not the answer. This will never be the answer. Ever.
So I leave with this – whatever you do to further the kingdom, what is your true motive? Are we seeking to carry God’s mission to seek and save the lost, or are we doing it in order to prosper ourselves (or our church and ministry goals?) The real revenue that comes from effective ministry is changed lives – whether that means salvation or maturity in Christ. This is our bottom line – nothing else.
As believers, it really seems that in this political climate, we need to relearn what it means to be in this world but not of this world.
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