by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 2, 2016
I’m a Zumba aficionado. I admit it. I love the rhythms, the music, and the fun of these classes. Zumba, in case you don’t know, is a fitness class that draws on elements of Latin dance moves such as salsa, merengue, and cumbia. It also involves a fair amount of of hip rolling and shoulder shaking.
At first, I was pretty self-conscious about moving my body in these ways. (Do I look ridiculous? Are they judging me? Does the teacher think I’m a jerk?) With practice I’ve gotten more comfortable and the moves have gotten a lot easier. I’ve stopped asking those self-conscious questions.
Song lyrics aside, there are some surprising similarities between Zumba and the church. In fact, I’d like to offer 4 bold leadership moves Zumba can teach the church.
Leadership Move #1: DANCE BIG
To get the most from a Zumba class means dancing big: moving freely, trying new things, striking out in directions you haven’t gone before. The bolder the moves the more calories you burn, the better the workout, and the more fun you have. Dancing big requires letting go of two things: self-consciousness and wondering how you look. It means trusting the process.
Dancing big is not only essential to having fun with Zumba, it’s part of emulating the Lord of the Dance. Jesus took all sorts of risks and never once did he ask: How do I look? He trusted God, trusted his disciples, and trusted the process.
Here’s the catch for us: the more institutionalized an organization is, the more pressure there is to play it safe. How old is your church or organization? 40 years? 100 years? 200 years? You’re probably going to come up against some resistance as you try new moves. But Jesus and his disciples did it. They took risks within the context of Judaism which was centuries old at the time. That they did so spoke to their very high levels of faith.
Leadership Move #2: LEAD WITH YOUR FEET
Zumba instructors give very little in the way of instruction. Instead, she (or he, but I’ve never see a male Zumba instructor) leads by example. She moves and the class follows suit. Believe me, it can take a while to catch on to the moves. The trick is to watch her feet. Once you’ve got the steps down you can add arm movements, then embellishments with hips and shoulders. While the students are catching on, the instructor needs to remain focused on executing the proper steps, encouraging others, and staying in rhythm. All while refraining from judgment.
Same thing in the church. While the church leader models the moves of discipleship, others are watching. But to wait for them to have the moves down first, without your modeling it over and over will be an exercise in disappointment. Jesus demonstrated his moves for his followers. For three whole years. They caught on. That’s how he could send them out 2 x 2 to to perform miracles and announce the Kingdom.
Leadership Move #3: SET THE TONE
Zumba instructors sets the tone and intensity of the class. The more restrained and self-conscious she is, the more restrained and self-conscious the class is. The class rarely moves past her. In fact, there’s a certain amount of peer pressure to not be more expressive than the instructor. So if she remains timid, they will to. But if she is willing to freely express herself with big bold moves, the class follows suit. If she adds embellishments, they will too.
At every area of leadership in the church, followers look to their leaders to figure out the acceptable moves. That’s true from Bishops all the way to the members of the Trustees.
Jesus set the tone and standard in his way of living, and in his teaching. His followers came to expect they too would challenge authority, be bold, and look for the impossible to become possible.
So, if you micromanage, displaying hesitation and caution every step of the way, others will follow suit. Let’s say you shy away from conflict and avoid issues that need to be addressed, the people you lead will get the hint to do the same. If you refrain from talking about how giving is connected to your vision, don’t count on others making the connection.
One of the pressures of being a leader is setting aside your own level of comfort for the group’s greater good. Let’s say you dance big, lead with your feet,
and model new moves—your followers will try to keep up with you. That means you also need to assume responsibility if the bold moves don’t pan out. Or being the one who levels with people: “Look, this might not work. But we’ve got to give it our best shot. Because if it does work, it will launch us into the Kingdom of God! That’s just the kind of risk that our faith asks us to take. And if it doesn’t work, God will be with us to help us try, try again.”
Leadership Move #4: RELAX AND HAVE FUN
The best Zumba instructor is relaxed and enjoying the process. She leads the kind of classes where mistakes aren’t catalogued and bad moves aren’t noted. It’s the kind of place people want to return to. It’s easy to leave self-criticism and self-consciousness at the door.
Why do people prefer to be at soccer fields, Zumba classes, or coffee shops instead of church? A denominational leader recently told me of visiting a Farmer’s Market on a Sunday morning. “Everyone was happy,” he marveled! “No one was scowling or throwing darts with their eyes like some of the churches I’ve been in.”
I have been to too many churches where it’s all doom and gloom. It’s as if celebration weren’t kosher. Answered prayers are never mentioned. Testimonials are never given. Joyous songs of trials overcome are never sung. Even visitors are viewed with suspicion. No good news there, no matter what the Gospels say. If you’re not enjoying your life of faith and discipleship, why do you think others would want to follow?
Mastering Zumba takes practice and lots of it. Effective church leadership too. But you can have a lot of fun and make a real difference along the way.
Still not convinced that you can make the bold moves necessary? A good place to start kicking up your heels is through the award-winning leadership program I developed called Creating a Culture of Renewal. You learn how to dance big, lead with your feet, set the tone for renewal all while being more relaxed and having more fun than before. You might still stumble a bit, maybe confuse salsa with merengue, but we help you learn the steps that make a true difference. When that happens, you’ll start seeing positive, life-changing results in both your leadership and your ministry. We love helping people find their leadership groove and dream like Jesus.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 3, 2016
Agree or disagree: people have to be told how to connect to God or what to say to God, God speaks only to the few and the well-placed.
If you disagreed with the above, then you are ready to experiment with crowd-sourced worship.
I discovered crowd-sourced worship the hard way. In my typical fire-ready-aim fashion, I had forgotten to plan details of a closing worship service. Here it was, the last day of our 3-day retreat. Everything else had gone really well; the group had bonded, transformations had taken place; the Spirit had moved. Would it fall flat on its face because I had forgotten this all-important detail?
I knew we would have Holy Communion, and that’s about it. As the group of eight church leaders sat in the loose circle that would be our closing worship, a moment of clarity came. Liturgy means work of the people. If the worship service were highly scripted, it wouldn’t be the work of this people. A pre-printed liturgy would be an oxymoron.
I prompted them through the Order of Worship in the United Methodist Hymnal, asking at each point who had something to contribute. From Call to Worship through Benediction, the Spirit moved. I provided a brief reflection and led Holy Communion. Others bookended this with a favorite scripture reading, creative words of reconciliation, simple songs, touching prayers, and even a joke that fit perfectly. I never could have planned something so good. The worship service unfolded through us. It was surprisingly satisfying.
I have since used this format purposefully. The more I trust the process, and even prepare people ahead of time, the better it gets. Each worship reflects the group that is present, and the experiences we have shared.
It occurs to me that while pre-scripted worship has a long and solid history in both synagogue and church, it seems to presume several things that are just plain wrong:
- People have to be told how to connect to God
- One person, or a group of others, knows best how a whole group ought to connect with the Holy
- Scripted worship is the work of the people
Bill Wilson, twentieth-century practical theologian and co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous wrote, “Deep down in the heart of every man, woman and child is the idea of God.” Since we are each made in the image and likeness of God, I’d take that one step farther: “Deep down in the heart of every man woman and child IS God.” That makes talking to God, celebrating God, and worshiping God the most natural thing any person can do. It positions crowd-sourced worship as a viable way to conduct corporate worship. Moreover, it allows the church to stop over-functioning and to put liturgy back in the hands of the people.
Personally, I find corporate worship much more satisfying when there’s space for me to contribute. Even if it’s simply space to speak to God in my own words during silent prayer. But most silent prayer isn’t silent. And it lasts about 10 seconds. Not long enough to connect.
If you’re ready to experiment with crowd-sourced worship, keep in mind these PERKS and PERILS.
PERK #1 Because of the nature of crowd-sourced worship, worshipers feel empowered to truly respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Worship feels less rote and more like a dance.
Once, at Communion, I turned in the circle to serve James, the first person to my right. Then James turned to his right to serve Cassie. Then the two of them together—who didn’t know each other before the retreat—turned to serve Kenzie. James held the bread, Cassie the cup. From then on, two turned to serve the next one. The ritual evolved without a word of instruction; it just naturally morphed.
PERK #2 It’s high expectation worship. It raises the bar of what is possible and do-able in the church as people gain confidence in their ability to connect with God. At one crowd-sourced worship experience, the energy in the room was palpable. We had just pulled off something that others had not thought possible. One pastor said on her way out to me: “I didn’t think that would be possible. But God really did speak through all of us today. I want to try this with my home congregation.” I imagine that she went home and is now empowering her congregation to discover their own personal connections with God.
PERK #3 You can start small. In fact, you have already started. If you ask for prayer concerns, offer times for testimonials, or ask people to call out their favorite hymn you are doing crowd-sourced worship. If you ask people to respond to the sermon or talk to their neighbor, you are dabbling in crowd-sourced worship. One gifted pastor I coach helps people easily greet each other by printing a different question in the weekly bulletin that people may ask each other: “How many people in your family?” Or “What are you grateful for today?” The pastor of a new church plan, ICON, invites people to respond to the scripture and the sermon using an artistic medium—clay, paint, etc.
Just as there are PERKS, there are PERILS that must be guarded against.
PERIL #1 Dominance. The same people speak up over and over. In this case, the work of the people becomes the soapbox of one or two persons. Some pastors I know have discontinued spontaneous “Joys and Concerns” because they devolved into weekly updates of one or two person’s failing health.
PERIL #2 Uncertainty. You may open up to rants and raves that would be inappropriate or hurtful. I once unwittingly gave an opening to the wife of an unhappy Chair of Trustees. She let loose on the whole congregation for their perceived faults and failings. I was stunned, unsure of what to say. In retrospect, I see that she was naming a situation I could have headed off at the pass had I been more savvy. It gave me important information, but not delivered in the way I would have preferred.
PERIL #3 Lack of participation. There is the chance that no one will say anything. Unless you’re used to Quaker meetings where that may be the case, or your people are quite comfortable with extended periods of silence, this can be quite unnerving. Given a bit of advance notice, guidance, and patience though, this can be avoided as people grow in their confidence to contribute. You can also set ground rules that make clear: no dominating, no rants or raves, and everyone has something to contribute.
Crowd-sourced worship breathes new life into old worship forms. It trusts that God is at work. It allows the movement of the Spirit to be recognized and expressed through us and among us. It refreshes and empowers. And it puts liturgy back in the hands of the people.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Dec 21, 2015
Last week, an interesting discussion broke open among a group of pastors I coach…would they stick to a safe, traditional telling of the Christmas story? Or would they shake it up and include more challenging aspects of the story?
Rightly told, Christmas is a powerful story. One full of hope and good news. Not to mention power, justice and surprise. It’s a story that has the power to set the world right, to unravel denial, to startle with its beauty. It even has the power to call disciples.
On the other hand, Christmas services can be reduced to a rehearsal of seasonal cute: a sentimental story about a guiding star, shepherds and angels, a precious baby, wise visitors bearing gifts from afar, and the personal comfort of individual salvation. With both regulars and once- and twice-a- year visitors present, the opportunity is ripe. Which story will you tell?
I remember the Epiphany sermon I preached that gave some interesting background to the story of the Magi. Where they were from, what their culture was like, and when they actually arrived with those gifts. I told them Jesus was already back home with his mother, no longer a newborn. That their encounter took place far from the shepherds and angels. I’ll never forget what Hetta, a 70-something year old, said when she came through the line to shake my hand. “I’ve been going to church all my life. I actually learned something new today. It’s been a while since I have.”
What I preached wasn’t exactly earth-shattering. But some things we can say about the incarnation of God are. At least for the church goer who is exposed only to the sentimental stories.
What might shake things up? Try these biblical messages on for size: Salvation, or communal well-being as its understood in the Hebrew Bible, is not just intended for Christians, but for all humanity. In fact, salvation is not just for human beings, but for all of creation. That means ensuring each other’s well-being is a Kingdom value. As is caring for the earth. Or this: Being a disciple of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, means to be an active peacemaker, rather than a captive to fear or suspicion. That means we can’t kill our way to peace. Or this: Jesus, the very incarnation of God, and his family were soon to be refugees, fleeing from the mad tyranny of Herod. That means shutting out strangers, aliens, and those in need is unbiblical. Finally there’s this: God risked all, placing God’s own self in the imperfect hands of mortals. That means we, as bearers of the image of God, are called to risk ourselves for the Kingdom.
The upside of sticking with the safe, feel-good story is that people feel, well… safe and good. At least for the moment. The downside is that we don’t expose them to a narrative strong enough to equip them for the risk, fear, and change in our rapidly changing and complicated world. That void makes them more susceptible to the fear-mongering and violence of the everpresent talking heads.
Fear-based violence has already given us a horrific year of domestic and international terrorism, a 14% rise in violence against Muslim Americans, the senseless killing of both young black men and cops, never-ending violence against both Israelis and Palestinians, the displacement of millions of innocent Syrian citizens, the cold-blooded killing of Planned Parenthood staff and patients, students and teachers, innocent Charleston SC church-goers and hundreds of others whose names and stories have now faded from the headlines.
What does the church, if anything, have to say about all this?
Yes, it’s safe to stick with the tried and true, the sentimental, the cute. But it’s also a missed opportunity to preach a Christmas story that goes beyond cute.
Peter Sawtell writes:
The Christmas story is one of great good news when we tell it in the context of God who is with us to transform sin and evil, to overcome oppression and exploitation, to renew community and establish right relation. The Christmas story is relevant good news when it is put forth as an absolute contrast to money and markets, to a mechanical world of objects to be used, to a mysticism that allows us to ignore suffering — and even as a contrast to a distant patriarch who doesn’t really care about Earth and all of its life.
But that Christmas story — that transformational, liberating, joyous story — needs to be explicit. In a world seduced by wealth and power, a world where the “other” is feared or used, where individualism smothers community — in our world, the Christmas story loses meaning if we don’t push the challenging message.
The baby and the cute animals can just let us feel comfortable. The gifts of the magi can be warped to look like our excessive gift-giving to ourselves. Herod can look like an isolated bad guy, instead of the face of empire. The story can be sanitized, and its transformative power hidden and denied.
Peter goes on to say that he wonders which story he’ll hear in churches this week. Me too. As I worship in a variety of churches this week, I wonder what message I’ll hear.
Personally, I’m looking for a Christmas that goes beyond cute. Like Hetta, I need to learn something new to stay engaged, to hear something new in order to grow. I want to be challenged to live a new way, a Christ-like way this year. I want to be called to wake up, to grow up, and to show up as a disciple in this complex world. I want the prayers and the preaching to be a sign that the church cares about more than “just us” but also about “justice.”
Otherwise, Jesus himself is reduced to cute—a babe who never leaves the manger. And the church loses one more opportunity to align itself with the essential Gospel message: peace on earth, good will to all.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 3, 2015
Money gets a bad rap in some churches. The thinking goes something like this: Even though we ask for money every time we collect an offering, the truth is, we shouldn’t need it; we shouldn’t want it; we should be able to get by without it, just like Jesus did. After all, money is the root of all evil. We talk about money too much as it is, especially given that Jesus threw the money changers out of the Temple. That meant he was calling for a separation of church and plate. And his preference for the widowed woman who put 2 coins into the Temple Treasury over the rich folks who gave a lot more means it’s better to get by on less. Right?
Wrong.
To start with, this kind of thinking isn’t very helpful. First off, it puts us at odds with Jesus’ own life. Secondly, it doesn’t square with what the Bible actually says. Third, it doesn’t reflect good Biblical scholarship. And fourth, it misses the point!
Read on to see the upside of money and churches. And what your church can do to develop a better relationship with it.
Let’s start by looking at Jesus’ own life. First off, Jesus was a tradesman. He was a working man who made an income and used money. His saying, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” suggests he tithed and paid taxes like other Jews of his day. When he began to travel widely and teach, with a bevvy of disciples in tow, he began to rely on his network of supporters, many of them women. That means his supporters used their monies to support him. In this case, money was the root of tremendous good.
Secondly, nowhere in scripture does it say money is the root of all evil. Here’s how the NIV translates 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” It goes on to say “Some people, eager for money, have
wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” The truth is people wander from the faith for lots of reasons. Love of money is one of them. But any obsession can be a stand in for God—whether we’re talking shoes, sex, a perfectly shaped body, power, or even too many cats or dogs! This passage is hardly a wholesale condemnation of money. The truth is, we need money to live. And the church needs money to survive and thrive, and to do good in the world.
On to the next passage. Recent New Testament scholarship shines additional light on the money changers passage which appears in all four Gospels. It’s not that money or money changers were forbidden in the Temple. Offering sacrifices was an important part of Second Temple Worship. Rather than haul sacrificial animals with them long distances, though, pilgrims brought their local monies with them, changed it into the coinage used in the Temple, purchased animals for sacrifice, and made their sacrifices to God. It’s thought that what enraged Jesus was not the existence of the tables, but their placement; they were located in the wrong part of the Temple—the Court of the Gentiles. This may have prevented their ability to worship God fully. If money is getting in the way of the church’s relationship with God, that’s a problem. If it supports and nurtures the church’s ability to cultivate godly relationships, that’s not a problem. That’s a blessing.
Finally, we know Jesus didn’t call for a separation of church and plate because of how he approved of the widowed woman putting her meager coins into the Temple Treasury. Rather than this being a sign that we should get by on less, he commended that she gave all she had. Proportionally, she gave much more than the well to do. This is not a condemnation of wealth, but of lack of sacrificial giving. Wesley called us to this when he counseled, “Earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can.”
In visiting with churches, I encounter many faithful people who suffer greatly over the perceived disconnect between needing money and the challenge of asking for it while at the same time being afraid of it, lest they violate the Bible’s teachings. My perception is this: money is a neutral tool that expresses our values. In the hands of a visionary, compassionate and faithful church, money can be the source of tremendous good.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Aug 17, 2015
The power of affirmation is well known in human relationships. In fact social scientists have identified the ideal ratio of positive to negative statements for happy and healthy marriages 
and work environments; it’s 5:1. The same applies to churches. Robert Schnase, author of Just Say Yes! outlines critical ways individuals, systems and congregations can say yes to insure church health. As he points out, there are all kinds of ways that yes empowers growth.
But yes isn’t the only one-syllable word that creates health and happiness. Equally important is the word no. Too many yesses can spoil children, and churches. Jesus said no at key points in his life. Each no furthered and focused his ministry. In the same way, no can sharpen your ministry and inject new vitality into your leadership.
Discover if your church is suffering from too much yes and not enough no. And the 4 ways you can get back on track.
Saying Yes to Avoid Hurt Feelings
Does your church say yes to everything for fear of hurting feelings or offending people? Chances are this tendency means you are not actually able to affirm your vision. Or that you have no vision. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it. Your activities need to line up with your vision. Otherwise, they dilute your efforts while giving the congregation the false sense that you are accomplishing something.
Let’s take a look at Jesus’ ministry here. Early on in his ministry, Jesus was ministering in the Galilee, healing people and upgrading the quality of their lives. “Stay,” the people begged him, “please!” “Nope, no way, can’t stay.” Jesus replied. “I have to share this with the other towns too.” (Luke 4:40-440) That’s a paraphrase of course, but you get the idea. This no allowed him to focus his efforts, share his vision, and expand his impact. The locals wanted nothing more than to keep Jesus for themselves. Understandably so. But staying would have prevented Jesus from living his dream, and fulfilling his purpose in life. Since he couldn’t send out Kingdom tweets, or Skype into the next town, he said no, laced up his sandals, threw on his backpack, and kept on going.
This no requires clarity, courage, and the willingness to disappoint or even offend people. The upside is it frees people up for ministry that matters, and aligns the church with its purpose. You can get back on track by surveying your active ministries. Weigh each one against your vision statement and against your available volunteers. See if it really advances your mission or not. If it’s just for the locals, see about re-engaging them in something with a greater return on investment. If it advances the mission but you don’t actually have the people for it, give it a rest, at least for a season. Don’t be afraid to disappoint people for the greater good.
Saying Yes to Reduce Fear and Avoid Risk
Do you say yes to anxiety and fear and no to a necessary risk? One church I know of feared the potential negative impact of hosting a Spanish-speaking ministry in their building. “What if we can’t understand each other?” they worried. “What if something breaks or breaks down and we can’t solve the problem because we don’t share a common language?” Those anxieties weighed down on the Church Council and ultimately the pastor. This church ended up saying no. A second church opened up their doors to the ministry, and has experienced renewed vitality because of it. The first church said no to a necessary risk. The second church said no to the naysayers.
In the Gospel, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from taking a necessary risk; one that would end up getting Jesus killed. On the surface, Peter’s concern was well-founded, laudable even. But Jesus saw through the false comfort it offered and said no, forcefully, “Get thee behind me Satan!” Jesus knew he must take the risk of moving forward. Otherwise, once again, his vision would not be fulfilled.
Where are you letting people talk you out of taking risks? It’s time to say no to the naysayers so you can take necessary risks. As one of my favorite sayings goes, “Nice girls rarely make history.” In other words, too much caution takes you out of the game. So press on, trust God, and take risks to advance the cause.
Saying Yes to Keeping Things Small
Are you a “just us” church? Saying yes to keeping things all in the family? This can mean only looking toward people who share your primary ethnicity, socioeconomic status, generation, world view, educational background or even religion.
Jesus famously said no the people closest to him. His mother and brothers wanted to see him while he was holding court with his disciples. (Matthew 12:47-49) As much he loved them and as great a value as family was and is in Judaism, Jesus put them off. He was building a larger community. It incorporated Pharisees and Zealots, poor and rich, saints and sinners, friends and enemies, the exploited and the exploiters. Eventually it even incorporated Gentiles into a distinctly Jewish movement.
It’s time to look and see if you have been saying yes to subtle pressure to keep things “in house.” Time to say no to shutting out the other. Intentionally welcome gay, lesbian, and transgender persons. Begin a prison ministry. Open up your aging congregation to kids from the nearby school. Create an outreach to immigrant or refugee families. Let your building be used by other groups. Even if some of your people grumble, groan or leave, God will remain faithful.
Saying Yes to Everything
Do you have a hard time saying no to requests? If you can’t say no to some things, you’ll never have the time or energy to say yes to the things you are absolutely called to do. Maxie Dunnan famously said, “Not every need is a call.” Sure, people have needs, and lots of them. But there are over 7 billion people and countless creatures on the planet. God has plenty of other options beside you and your congregation.
Jesus wasn’t always on. He wasn’t always available. He insisted on protecting his time to keep intact his spiritual unity with God. He took time away from teaching, healing, vision-casting, and disciple-making. That’s when he went away to pray, to talk with God, and maybe just to rest.
Church leader: don’t let your heart of love bleed you dry. Or talk you into staying past your effectiveness. Take your Sabbath. Take your vacation. Take your continuing education time. Then, when the time is right, take your leave.
Each time you say no, you run the risk of sharpening your vision, calling people to greater faith, and upping your game. Yes, there may be disappointments. Yes, people may leave. Yes, you make be taking on more risk than previously. But what are we here for after all?
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.
