Kingdom economics...my 2 cents worth

And this article from an older issue of Christianity today reveals similar statistics to the above image. And, having done the treasures job in a church for a few years I can affirm that those percentages are fairly accurate.

I'm sure by now I've probably scared most visitors on to other spaces by now, because don't you know...in church, we don't talk about sex, politics...or money.

And, no I'm not get ready to twist your arm...and talk tithing.

OK, if there is anybody left reading this, I'm sure you're wondering where I'm going. The quick answer...I'm not sure.

But three thoughts that keep running around my mind like caged mice are, sustainability, efficiency...and Kingdom economics.

No one likes to look at church as a business, but, the way it is set up, you got to call it what it is...if it oinks like a pig, its more than likely a pig. Most businesses would be looking at return on their investment. Of all the money that goes into a church, what is your return. Is your return mission, is your return discipleship...or spectators, and audience participation. The statistics would suggest the return on all the money that goes into the church is an investment of 12-15% for mission ( and I'm probably being overly generous in those figures ), and discipleship likely worse as many churches are declining in numbers.

In terms of efficiency, if the church was a car we'd sell it tomorrow, or give it away. It is costing us to much. And in terms of Kingdom economics, are we really building the Kingdom or something else.

I love the church, it consumes much of my life...I think, I dream about the church. I wonder if there might be another way...that's more sustainable, efficient and reveals and builds the Kingdom Jesus imagined. So I want to toss some thoughts out, and would be interested in your feed back. Remember, these are just musings, fantasies of a mad man.

Get rid of your building...move back into your neighborhoods where you live, meet in peoples houses. ( and no I'm not talking house church ). Meet around a meal, invite the neighbors. Talk about issues in the neighborhood/ community. Talk about life, community, work...weave common threads into the conversation. Talk about the Kingdom, Jesus his redemptive imagination of a new creation. Invite, eat and talk...something very mysterious and communal happens in the midst of food and conversation.

Now if you've spread your church out into the surrounding community and neighborhood like salt and yeast, you're wondering how to keep it all together. Years ago that might have been an issue, but in the world of high speed technology it's not. Find someone who has some techno savvy, a people person, a connector, who can be your community network person. ( this might be your only paid staff person, it would be money well spent ).

Maybe once a month, rent a hall, get together as a larger community...share stories about what the smaller groups are doing. Have an agape meal, a huge potluck.

Get rid of your paid pastor... ( There, that should be good for allot of hate mail ), but honestly in this day and age do we need to pay someone to teach. I've been in the church for almost 30 years, and really I've heard nothing new...it's mostly recycled, and like doing another lap on the track. There is great teaching that can be accessed on the Internet, allot of colleges and seminaries have downloads, pod casts. Again this is something your network guy could set up. And hey, lets release people to use there spiritual gifts. Release people to teach, do pastoral visits, healing ministries...

Make Mission your Mission...Now that you have eliminated most of your expenses build the Kingdom. Make mission a core value, make it apart of the DNA of your community. Mission should not be a ministry, it needs to be relocated into the heart of the community. Think local and global. Make it the responsibility of the smaller groups in the neighborhood/ community to react to any needs they see in there locality. Look at global projects the larger community can invest in. I can't help but think of these words from Isaiah...

This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
   to break the chains of injustice,
   get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
   free the oppressed,
   cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
   sharing your food with the hungry,
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
   being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
   You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.

That's Kingdom economics...thats what we invest in, thats where we see the returns on our investment. This is building the Kingdom now...and at the same time point to the future Kingdom. When the world starts seeing this kind of investment, the redemptive imagination of Jesus...they can't help but be drawn to it.

I leave with these parting words again from Isaiah...

You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

I love the church, honestly...I wonder though, if we can not make it more sustainable, efficient and a greater revelation of the economy of the Kingdom.

Attention !!!! ...some clarification, I'm not suggesting the elimination of all paid Pastors. Churches that are financially viable...carry on. I'm suggesting churches that are struggling financially, or are looking at investing more in mission and outreach might want to explore different options. And if you can suggest other options, please through them into the conversation.

Peace...Ron+

Comments

[jim]

I like what I hear, Ron, and often speak of a desire in my heart for much the same scenario. You are not alone, my friend; but the verse does comes to mind: Except the Lord buld the house, they labour in vain that build it. It will take God to open doors, lay the foundation, and bring it to pass. The hard part is walking with Him, one step at a time, rather than chase our heart headlong into it...

[Jane Mullikin]

Ron: I am continually more inclined to think this is the right path. I am the organizer for an experiment in suburban/inner city community service collaboration.

There will be no building. All the building will go into relationships. It's too early to even say how it will all be structured--or not structured.

We begin a series of five meetings shortly where a ten member committee of lay ministers will decide how its going to work.

I have high hopes. Within the same week I was hired as a Faith-based & Youth Initiatives Organizer in the inner city, this project was handed to me by the local Community Development Corporation. My employer embraced it. The local coalition of churches embraced it. I have long believed whenever anything seems "too easy" it's because God is in control. Jane

[wilsonian]

Yep. I'm with you.

[The Krow]

Thanks for this great post. I'm 100% with you on this. That's why as a church planter I seek to be bi-vocational, and to not buy a church building but create a network of micro churches. I think it's important to see God's money go into kingdom treasures (his children) rather then earthly ones such as buildings and stuff that falls apart.

[ron cole]

Jim, " unless the Lord builds ",a great reminder to keep in front of us.

Jane, this new opportunity sounds exciting, and seems to reflect my thoughts. My prayers are with you, and the community...and I hope you'll post the adventure of this new journey on your blog. And thanks for dropping by and adding to the conversation. Peace...Ron+

Erin, I think alot of people are. But I think when you've done it the same way forever, it will be only when we are in survival mode that we'll be willing to pull the church out of the deep rut it finds itself now. Peace...Ron+

Krow, maybe you could send me an e-mail or post your experience of networking, I think the possibilities and opportunities in this area are endless. Thanks for the visit. Peace, Ron+

[don]

thanks, Ron ...

[wilsonian]

"But I think when you've done it the same way forever, it will be only when we are in survival mode that we'll be willing to pull the church out of the deep rut it finds itself now"

Yes, this is true. But I sometimes think so many are waiting for it to happen from some place outside themselves, or for it to take the shape of a "perfect" new church. Imho, it will take all of us recognizing the stirring in our hearts, and acting... before we ever meet anything that resembles a finished form.

[Tim Bailey]

Oh, this is good provocative stuff...

[chris]

Ron, I can appreciate why its important for us to look at how we do church...and that we need to be intentional about all of it. "Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also" - and as churches, our treasure can often be in high priced real estate and hoarded personnel resources. So, I hear your point.
But what if we intentionally choose to be missional with the resources we have? Take our buildings. There are many Churches that have opened their doors to truly be a community sanctuary: from cub scouts to hospital ladies auxillary, preschools, ESL classes, soup kitchens, clothing exchanges...In a region where meeting space is at a premium, the church actually has this great gift to offer. There's not too many other organizations holding premium real estate space available for community groups.

The same can be true of our paid pastoral staff. There is a temptation for churches to hoard even these resources; by entangling our pastors in endless meetings or demanding they devote several days a week to preparing a full hour of expository teaching. What we really need to be doing is freeing our pastors up to breathe the life of the Gospel into our local communities. Freeing them up to participate in neighbourhood block parties, community sports, creation care initiatives, etc. Essentially, allowing them to be ministers of the Gospel - as we all are.

So , I guess now the argument goes - if we're all ministers of the Gospel, why are some paid to do it as a vocation? I guess I look at it as, why am I paid to do my work at the hospital? We are all called to care for the sick, but some of us train additionally, and then contract to be there to use our gifts as they are needed, when they are needed.

I think that can be said of paid pastoral staff. We are all called (at some level) to teach, pray, counsel, guide...but some dedicate years to train and then covenant to use these gifts in the context of a local body, foregoing the opportunity for other (more gainful) employment.

[ron cole]

Hi Chris, I couldn't agree with you more in regards to the missional aspect in utilization of buildings/ space. And I have addressed that in earlier posts about the churches becoming the hub of the neighbourhood...

http://thewearypilgrim.typepad.com/the_weary_pilgrim/2008/02/the-church-as-g.html

The opportunities are endless if we have a little redemptive imagination. But again as to how much money this will generate to keep financially struggling churches a float is questionable.

And Chris your say...

"What we really need to be doing is freeing our pastors up to breathe the life of the Gospel into our local communities. Freeing them up to participate in neighbourhood block parties, community sports, creation care initiatives, etc. "

I think we place far to big of an expectation on Pastors, which in turn they place huge expectations on themselves. It's the community that needs to be in the community...folks need to see " community " not the Pastor.

And again, I can't emphasize this enough. I'm not calling for the abolition of paid leadership...this about churches really struggling with financial deficits, trying to viable and sustainable...when mere survival is a reality. And the other is looking at options to investing more money missionally.

Anyways I'm not trying to be a anarchistic calling for the end of it all, saying this should be a cookie cutter approach to doing church...nothing more than to open conversation.

It would appear I've ruffled feathers.

I agree with you Chris. I also agree with you Ron. I wanted to say pipe dream at first but I'm settling for provocative, interesting and ruffling. A lot of what is traditionally thought of as church stinks. We need ruffling and Ron, you're the perfect gentle ruffler.

Paige Hughes

[ron cole]

Well Paige...it's my prayer, that I've only ruffled and not hurt anyone in the conversation.Thankyou for the encouragement, Peace...Ron+

[joseph]

Thanks for the conversation starter, ron. I've shared this with a few folks who are interested in local mission work here in Edmonton.

[Paul Fromont]

Hi Ron

What if the whole church was missional in its orientation?

What if "mission" wasn't simply 5% of a budget?

What if "mission" was what a churches members did Monday through Saturday, i.e. the ordinary and the everyday activities, people-contact etc

What if 'mission' was less about giving, programmes and evangelism - what if 'mission' was something bigger?

What if the church took seriously its being the "hermeneutic of the gospel" in all that its members did, in its relational life, and in its praxis?

Would you then even need a mission budget, i.e. mission as something distinct that we support 'over there' through funds (e.g. 5% of budget)...

I think its less about buildings and staff and more about values and orientation...

[ron cole]

Paul, I couldn't agree more.We need to recapture the missional imagination that is weaved throughout the gospels. If mission was the indentifying character...the DNA of the community, if it relocated itselfe into every member of the community...I dare say we wouldn't need a mission/outreach budget. But when it becomes a ministry...we can default responsibility to someone else.
But, again Paul we can't loose sight of the expense of the cost of institutional structure...is there ways we can do it more efficiently and sustain it.