by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 20, 2015
At a recent clergy retreat I attended, we prayed a prayer that went something like this: “O Lord, keep us far from the riches of the world.” Each of us was sincere in our prayers.
Later it occurred to me that God is indeed answering that prayer! Many churches find that money is their limiting factor. I’m going out on a limb here. But I don’t think it’s because these churches are full of poor people. It’s because they act poor.
I don’t believe this is a theologically necessary state of affairs.
Jesus had a trade. So did his disciples. His later apostles did as well. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were richly supported by a network of women who financed their material needs.
While the author of 1 Timothy 6:10 writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” we sometimes act as though money itself is the root of evil. The truth is money is simply a tool through which we express our values.
What if we were to pray that God direct the riches of the world to us and through us to bring about healing, reconciliation, justice and wholeness in our communities and world? I wonder what might happen then?!
We need a new consciousness around money—one that allows us to be honest about our needs and the unlimited God we serve. Money is not in short supply. But if we believe it is, we will act, and ask, accordingly.
The most awkward moment in many church services comes when the offering plates are passed. Rarely is an inspirational invitation to give offered. Instead, code language, which only church insiders understand, may be used. Ushers themselves are often under-trained in actually passing plates to the people. Many a time I’ve wanted to put something in an offering plate but it never made it to me. It’s almost as if the ushers are apologetic about bringing the plate around. Music may play during the offering. But this offertory music is not connected with the offering of our financial gifts or our lives. Sometimes I wonder if it’s real function is to distract from the the embarrassing matter of collecting money. Finally, people stand while the doxology is sung.
Money makes the world go ’round. And churches need it as much if not more than other organizations. We have holy business to attend to: acts of justice, works of mercy, support of denominational initiatives, paying the salary and benefits of leaders, mortgages, heat, light, etc.
So why these mixed messages about money? Why awkward silences and the lack of clear direction or invitation? The truth is, many people want to express their gratitude to God, yet they don’t participate in the offering.
Here are 5 reasons why:
1. We don’t ask them to give. Yes, this may allow us to avoid awkward moments that make it seem like the church is “all about money.” But we also sidestep teaching moments, miss the opportunity for spiritual formation of life-long givers and don’t give people a way to express their gratitude. Worse, we hinder spiritual growth.
2. We ask them to give to the budget, but not to mission or ministry. Thus they don’t connect their giving with transformational activity. Don’t highlight the building or leadership salaries. Instead, highlight what buildings and salaries make possible!
3. We don’t ask for enough. Have you ever noticed that some people are only deeply motivated to give when challenged? If the “ask” isn’t big enough, they won’t bother giving. Are you asking for enough to get the attention of these givers? If not, you are blocking their spiritual growth, and the church’s ministry.
4. We have lost our vision for ministry and our passion for mission. They can tell the church is in maintenance-mode or a downward spiral. In one church I served, we redirected “the Pennies from Heaven” offering from paying off the mortgage to specific missional opportunities. Giving increased dramatically. Same people. Bigger offerings. They were jazzed by the vision and passion.
5. We don’t ask God to fully, richly, lavishly fund our ministries. Again, it’s that awkward relationship with money. And with vision.
We have not because we ask not. It’s time to start asking: inspirationally, invitationally, intentionally. Stop making excuses for why our churches are poor. Instead, it’s time to open ourselves to all the gifts God wants to bless us with. Acting poor won’t get it done.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 23, 2015
This week of Lent, my suggestion is to give up going to church. Some of you already have. The rest of you may be wondering why on earth I would make this suggestion. Isn’t the whole push for congregational renewal to get people back in to church?
Jesus went to synagogue on Sabbath, “as was his custom.” So did Paul. So why shouldn’t we followers of Jesus, and of the teachings of Paul, go to church?
Is it that in many ways church has served its purpose?
After all, the message of Jesus has already escaped into the world. The focus on sacrificial love, the need for community, servant leadership—all these concepts have made their way deep into the culture of the world we live in. Even business leaders are counseled to practice servant leadership.
No, that’s not what I had in mind.
Is it that the idea of going to church is relatively new, at least in US history? As Diana Butler Bass writes in Christianity After Religion, people didn’t really go to church much before the Civil War. “Because of the lack of trained clergy and the long distances people sometimes had to travel to even get to a church building, parents acted as the arbiters and authorities of a faith tradition, teaching their children the bible, Christian ethics, and even liturgy in the their own homes. Mothers and midwives often baptized infants, especially those in distress. Homes often served as ritual space, as most baptism marriages and funerals happened in the family parlor.” It wasn’t until after the Civil War that religion restructured into the kinds of denominational and became more like big business.
No, that’s not what I had in mind either. Although the house church, the local Bible study, and other forms of re-emergent Christian community are intriguing.
Is it that just like you don’t have to go to a store to buy what you need, since you can get almost everything online, do you really have to a church building to fill your religious or spiritual cup? Nope. In many ways it’s true. But that’s not what I was thinking either.
The biggest reason I am suggesting to give up going to church has to do with the meaning of the word church. Church is drawn from the Latin ecclesia and the Greek ekklesia. It’s where we get the words ecclesiology and ecclesiastical.
Rather than refer to a building, biblically speaking, it means a called out people of God. Just as Jesus called Andrew and Peter, then James and John to follow him, so in a sense all followers of Jesus are called out too.
The point is, church is more about being a community of believers, than it is about the building that people may meet in. It’s more about our way of being, than our location for meeting.
So we can’t very well go to church, when we are the church. In fact, that may be a cop out. A way of avoiding our own personal responsibility for letting the Light shine through us, or actually practicing our faith.
Maybe that’s why there’s such an emphasis these days on getting beyond the church walls to do mission and ministry. It’s the church in action, out in in the world, that makes a difference. Not necessarily the quality of the building.
Or maybe that’s why more people report feeling closer to God in nature than in a church building. The buildings themselves, notwithstanding the ancient churches of Europe, often aren’t inherently special. It’s we the people—alive with the Spirit—that can be something special.
This Lent, it’s time to give up going to church. Time to finally be church.
Reggie McNeal suggests 3 ways congregations can make this shift in his book Missional Renaissance.
1. Shift from an Internal to an External Focus. Look beyond organizational goals to the needs of the community around you.
2. Shift from Program Development to People Development. Instead of focusing on delivering specific doctrinal content to people, cultivate a culture in which people can pursue their own customized spiritual journeys.
3. Shift from Church-Based to Kingdom-Based Leadership. Free people up from club-based activities like chairing committees that don’t make much of a difference to reaching out to the world around you. This can be even at the simplest levels of praying for and blessing others. Or the level of abolishing hunger or homelessness in your town.
Jesus himself spent more time out and about proclaiming the Kingdom than he ever did in synagogue. His followers were with him every step of the way. Isn’t it time we followed suit and did the same?
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 16, 2015
A friend related the following story to me.
“Before I left for church on Sunday, I realized it was the week to make a contribution 
to the church. I hadn’t been there all month and it was time to pay my tithe. I wrote the check out ahead of time, showed up in church, and was ready to give my offering.
“When it was time for the offering, the lay person up front read a beautiful prayer about giving of our time and talent as a response to God’s graciousness.
“The ushers then dispersed to collect the offering. Somehow, they never made it over to me. I was seated in a side aisle. The usher, who had earlier greeted me, now walked right past me.
“While I sat waiting for her to realize her oversight–which didn’t happen–I had plenty of time to think about the mixed messages that were being given in the service that Sunday.
MIXED MESSAGE #1
“As I sat there, I realized was there was never a clear ask. A beautiful prayer, yes. But no actual invitation to give. Mixed message #1.
MIXED MESSAGE #2
“Secondly, the offering plate never came by. Even if I wanted to give, I couldn’t. Never mind about online giving options. That wasn’t a possibility either. So, I settled in for the duration.
MIXED MESSAGE #3
“While I was waiting for the offering to conclude, I got to study the PowerPoint slide that was being used to communicate the giving message. It was a handsome slide with an eye catching photo and a large, well-lettered caption. But what a mixed message it contained!
“The graphic was a close-up side view of coins. The caption said “Give freely of your time, talents and treasure!”
Let me interrupt my friend’s story for a minute here. Anyone who knows the biblical story might guess that those coins represent the widow’s mite. Yes, she gave two coins…but it was all she had! Literally. They would also know that time, talent and treasure is code language for tithing: give 10% off the top back to God.
Insiders know this. But what about those who don’t know these stories or allusions?
They would pay more attention to the picture. Because even in this age of a slow growing economy, a picture is still worth a thousand words. I this picture was saying, “Look, no matter what we say, all we really want is your loose change. Forget about sacrificial giving, bills or checks. Just give us what’s jingling in your pocket.”
MIXED MESSAGE #4
I’ve visited my friend’s church. I know that it’s a large church, but also that it’s been operating in the red for months. Even though they support creative ministries that reach out to people on the margins, the leadership has now begun to ask people to give in order to fund the budget. They’re now printing the monthly shortfalls in the bulletin each week. That’s a sure sign that the vision of the church is no longer front and center. If it is, the people in the pews don’t know it. That too is a problem.
Could this church be strapped because of mixed messages?
MIXED MESSAGE #5
Let’s get back to my friend’s story. A graphic arts editor, she noticed what many other probably hadn’t: another mixed message coded into the slide of the coins. “Lightly embossed over the photograph was the letter c set inside a circle. This universal copyright symbol is a sign that the photo was protected by copyright. That means it must be paid for in order to be properly used.”
So, here we have a pilfered photo of coins set against the message to give generously. A mixed message about money rife with irony!
One must ask, how come the church sees itself as so poor, or so outside of the rules, that it can justify stealing someone else’s work?
Perhaps you think I am being unduly hard on this poor church. Maybe. But if insiders pick up on this, what other mixed messages might guests and visitors be picking up on?
My friend ends this story with a sad admission: “I was so frustrated by this whole fiasco–especially being ignored when it came to the offering–that I stuck my check back in my purse. It’s sitting on my counter top right now. I’m going to bring it back to church with me next week. But if they don’t bring the offering plate by me, I may not give it!”
My friend’s frustration is understandable. As is the frustration of churches who are operating in the red. But let’s think about this some more.
STRAIGHT MESSAGING
Let’s say people give according to the message they receive: coins. If everyone is giving at the level asked, this congregation could have a misguided sense of what it takes to survive or be generous. When the call goes out to give more, the regular givers may feel flummoxed. “We’re already giving! We need to get some more people in here to help carry this church.”
But why would new people want to attend or support a church that is not self-supporting through its own contributions? Or has lost its sense of vision? People know when they are being used.
If mixed messages are being given about money, where else are these kinds of messages popping up in the life of the church?
I should tell you, this is a true story. It really happened. In fact, it not only occurred in my friend’s church, it happens every Sunday in thousands of churches across America.
What might a straight message about money look and sound like?
How about this? Instead of the call to give coming through a prayer…which can be a form of triangulated or manipulative conversation…someone quite familiar with the vision of the church stands up front and announces the vision. He or she shares in an inspiring way how it is being lived out, and the difference it is making. He or she then invites people to give to support this vision. Ushers, before they disperse, scan the congregation to see where folks are sitting, and go to the people. A slide or slides celebrating the people and places being positively impacted by the vision is shown. Meanwhile, music that ties in to the vision is played or sung. People are then thanked for supporting the vision. Then the money is dedicated to God. Visitors and guests are told what is expected of them during the offering. If there is a shortfall, the vision and how the budget supports it, is lifted up in the bulletin. The sermon, too, mentions how the people are living out God’s vision in the world. And how the ministries of the church do as well.
I think we have not because we give not. And we give not quite possibly because:
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- The offering plate passes us by.
- We get mixed messages about what we are being asked to give.
- We don’t give or get straight talk about the spiritual importance of giving.
- We are are not lifting up a vision that inspires people to give generously.
There is plenty of money in the world. And there are plenty of people who want to be generous with it.
We need to be bold, inspiring, and straight with people about money. Jesus was. Mixed messages about money produce mixed results.
If this something you struggle with, it’s time to get over the frustration! My workshop Mixed Messages about Money helps church leaders just like you:
- Identify the hidden barriers to asking for and receiving larger offerings.
- Prevent unintentional communications which can sabotage giving
- Develop newfound confidence to talk about stewardship in a way that engages, not alienates, listeners
- Improved ability to tap into congregational generosity that ups giving
- Discover increased ease in talking about, asking for, and receiving money
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 2, 2015
“The church thinks that young people will save the church, but actually young people want to save the world,” said Rev. Jeremy Smith, popular blogger. “If we can show them that young people can save the world through the church, then young people will gladly be a part of the church.”
Saving the world, even some small part of it, is risky business. It usually means speaking up about something others would rather keep quiet. Last month’s stirring movie Selma reminds me just how much was sacrificed to turn the tide of injustice toward justice. This month’s Black History Month reinforces the message.
Saving some small part of the world also means making ethical decisions about right and wrong: what you will stand for, and what you won’t.
So it begs the question: What is your church speaking up about? Or, what is your church known for?
If you answered: we are known for being friendly or we welcome anyone, then chances are what you’re really saying is “not much.” In that case, your church may have lost its voice. It may have laryngitis.
While laryngitis is mostly benign in humans, it’s usually indicative of a systemic problem in churches. I want to share with you what that problem is, three fears that drive the problem and three ways to transform the fear so that we can speak with a clear, strong voice.
Losing Our Native Tongue
The problem I see is that churches confuse ethics with politics. If it’s being discussed on the news or in Congress, then it must be politics. For many churches, that means the topic of conversation is now off limits. But that kind of self-censure limits our ability to speak our native tongue: the language of values, principles, and ideals, right and wrong, virtue and sin.
Meanwhile, we have left ethics to the politicians. While we claim laryngitis. Oops.
I’m not saying that re-claiming our voice is easy. It’s not. Whether we’re talking about chronic poverty, immigration, human trafficking, gays and transgendered people, economic injustice, or human impacts on the precious planet we call home the ethical issues before us are tough, tough, tough. Reclaiming its voice is the hardest thing a church will do. But it is also the most freeing. Because it causes us to truly depend on the grace of God, to walk in the footsteps of the great Hebrew Prophets, and to emulate Jesus himself.
Fears
While Adam Hamilton has done an excellent job addressing “Confronting the Controversies,” I’d like to address 3 fears that often get in the way of churches dealing with ethical issues:
- The fear of alienating people through controversy, or causing division, which in turn could mean losing financial givers.
- The fear of delving into politics, especially if it puts us on the wrong side of where our people are, either red or blue.
- The fear of losing a focus on the love of Christ, or straying too far from the spiritual.
Since I have dealt with fear #1 in a recent post, I’d like to focus on fears #2 and 3 here.
Fear of Politics: I understand the fear of delving into politics. That’s shaky ground and sure to turn off some people. The trouble is, the public arena is where ethical issues are often debated and outcomes determined. My suggestion is to bypass political parties and personalities while exploring the underlying ethical issues being debated. When we deal with hot issues from an ethical or biblical standpoint, we can put things on more neutral ground.
Speaking Tip #1: Dealing with ethics does not mean telling people how to vote, or even how to think. It does mean helping people explore the sources that can inform our thinking especially scripture, experience, tradition, and reason.
Fear of Straying from Christ: People want and need to be grounded in the love of Christ. Dealing with ethical issues actually aids this. I think of ethics as love of neighbor in action. Why would we leave that to career politicians?
Speaking Tip #2: Frame ethical matters in terms of love. This brings issues back into our territory and allows us to speak with authority and confidence.
The Power of Speech
While Martin Luther King Jr’s example has guided several generations of dreamers, a new incarnation has taken center stage recently, Pope Francis. In his brief tenure, he has managed to speak up on key issues facing the world from re-establishing good relations with Cuba, to living wages, to climate change. Is he dealing with the political? Or the ethical? I’d say its love of neighbor on a grand stage.
Speaking Tip #3: Not sure how to begin speaking up? In the style of the prophets, we can use our voices to ask: Who is hungry? Who is thirsty? Who is rich? Who is poor? Who is included? Who is excluded? Once those dynamics are identified, then we can approach it from the perspective of Jesus and his own ministry. WWJD?
Finally, be sure to immerse yourself in prayer and study. Let the still small voice guide you in reclaiming your own voice from the malaise of laryngitis. Who knows…it just might change the world.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jan 12, 2015
The delightful New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid details Greg Hefley’s misadventures in Middle School as told through cartoon entries in his diary. He records his insights and questions, his frustrations and aspirations. He’s writing it now so one day when he’s rich and famous he can simply hand it to the paparazzi when they ask about his life. “Here’s my journal. Now shoo, shoo.”
Just like you can tell a lot about someone’s life by their diary so you can tell a lot about the life of a church by their prayers. It’s a window into the congregation’s values and concerns, hopes and fears.
I realize prayer requests are pretty personal stuff; I’m not trying to bash anyone. Still, it needs to be said: most prayers offered in most churches would classify our churches as wimpy. Yes, wimpy.
In the churches I attend and visit, the most commonly voiced prayer requests are for:
- People recovering from illness or surgery
- Their caregivers, or sometimes their survivors
- People traveling
- Communities hit by a natural disaster
- The US Military and their families
These kind of prayer requests make for a wimpy church; they keep us weak and ineffectual. I know I’m going out on a limb here and some of you may be offended. But stick with me.
I want to share with you how and why these kinds of prayers keep us wimpy, plus 3 ways to transform your church to strong, brave, and confident! Finally, I have 3 tips for how to make the transition gracefully.
The How and Why of It
In a word, our prayers tend to be about us: our health, our safety, our comfort.
Of course, no concern is unimportant to a loving, caring God. All of our individual worries, cares, and fears are burdens equally shared by God. That’s not the issue. That’s not what makes us wimpy.
Here is the issue: Our individual prayers for our health, safety and comfort generally constitute the sum total of the corporate prayers offered in worship as the body of Christ.
What’s wrong with that?
- We say that we are the hands and feet of Christ, who came for the whole creation, but our prayers reveal that we only care about us—specifically, our health, our safety, and our comfort. When did you last pray for the earth’s creatures? Or people groups you have never met?
- We say we want young people in our churches, but our prayers reveal we don’t care much about the world they live in or will lead. When did you last pray about the causes of teen suicide or the things that bring them joy?
- We say we follow Christ, but our prayers don’t sound much like his. He prayed for unity, strength under duress, God’s will above his own, God’s kingdom to come, right-sized sustenance, forgiveness for sins and debts as well as the ability to forgive others, guidance to resist temptation and for faith to increase among other things. Other than the Lord’s Prayer, do you pray these things?
Prayers that Transform
Ready for prayers that will make your church strong, bold and confident? If so, here are 3 strategies for you to try.
- Offer a pastoral prayer that addresses the concerns of the world in the past week. Read the newspaper or watch what topics are trending on Twitter, whether #blacklivesmatter; #iamcharliehebdo; #JeSuiJuif. Don’t shy away from praying about what the rest of the world is talking about.
- The world is in the midst of a new baby boom with the growth of the Digital and Millennial generations. What would make the world a better place for these young people to grow up in? Offer prayers that address those concerns.
- Read the Gospels to see what Jesus prayed. Begin to reflect his concerns in the corporate prayers of the church.
Likely you have been praying “us” prayers for a long time. It takes intentionality to make this shift. Here are 3 tips to help you make a smooth transition:
- Don’t pray off the top of your head. Instead, prepare ahead of time. Otherwise you are likely to default to prayers that focus on familiar themes. Ask Spirit for courage to sustain you in this new way of praying.
- Weave personal requests for comfort, health and safety into corporate prayers that reflect the needs of the world, the young, and Jesus’ own prayers.
- Understand many people in the congregation already have these wider concerns on their hearts and minds. But they are following your lead about what’s “acceptable” to lift up. Your wise words will embolden them.
Church, if we get these things right, then our prayers will no longer weaken our churches. Instead, they’ll make us stronger, braver and more confident! Then watch out. The word is likely to get out.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Apr 16, 2014
Resurrection is the promise of Easter. The only trouble is no death, no new life! I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that new life is what I crave!
So this Holy Week, I thought I’d share with you the top 3 ways to avoid resurrection:
1. Refusal to let the old die out
I have seen too many ministries propped up or emotionally subsidized because they used to be successful. Or because they were someone’s pet project. Yet the current results or enthusiasm no longer warrant the resources to keep them going. They suck time, money and energy out of a church that might otherwise be used more effectively.
Here’s the trick: get comfortable with emptiness until something new surfaces.
2. Refusal to change
We’ll experience 20,000 years worth of change in this century alone. That means the church has to become more agile at embracing change simply to connect with our communities. Don’t mistake “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” with God or faith being static. Instead consider that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s ingenuity and creativity!
Go ahead put up a screen, get a Facebook account, create online giving options, and mentor the next generation into leadership!
3. Refusal to be uncertain
Jesus faced an unknown future. Would God let the cup of suffering pass or not? It took faith not to know. There’s lots of stuff we don’t know now…and can’t know. We’ll never know unless we trust God and life enough to take uncertain steps.
Give up having to be certain. Step out in faith! Try something you’re pretty sure might fail…just to see! Have an adventure. Build your faith muscle.
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
If you want to talk about how to embrace resurrection instead of avoid it, shoot me an email (rebekah@rebekahsimonpeter.com)!
Here’s to new life!
Rebekah
