Entrepreneurial Christianity
I was recently involved in a discussion with someone who spoke of being deeply drawn to and supportive of what they called the "entrepreneurial model of ministry". He was speaking primarily of the mega churches that successfully market their products and services.
These churches often "sell" the name of a donor on having their name on a brick of the new building or a plaque on the new wing of the church. Many of these churches seem more interested in building a monument to the pastor than further the kingdom of God. If you give to certain levels you get a "free gift", usually something suitably spiritual.
They flog everything from "anointed holy water" to "prayer handkerchiefs". There is even one that is now selling miracle manna made from some mysterious element from the middle east (likely flour) and baked in a 200 year old oven (big deal). Most of that stuff is just junk flogged to the desperate by the greedy.
The list of fundraising gimmicks is endless. Churches will bring in a "name" entertainer and rather than operate on faith as an outreach will charge secular prices to attend. What happened to trusting God to cover the costs? After all, if it is of God He will provide.
Other churches raise money through the proceeds of lotteries and other forms of gambling. That is just plain wrong!
Some churches make you pay for prayers, and even extract a toll for the dead. That is more than wrong, it is evil.
Doing ministry costs money. Churches operate in a real world where there are utilities to be paid, wages to be covered and other expenses. Yet, frankly, this reliance on worldly methods of funding ministries smells vaguely like smoke from the pit to me.
Now, I also understand that it costs to produce books, CD's and the like and have no problem with ministries recovering those costs or even raising some of their operating funds that way. Now perhaps my thinking here is a little biased because of my love for books and teaching materials. I confess that I will have to think that through some more.
None the less, much fundraising in the Christian world is done by selling worldly recognition or just plain snake oil and junk. Something is wrong with the whole picture. I am not certain where the lines need to be drawn but we need to examine the issue.
God's Word does not include a successful "sales" plan for churches to raise money. In fact Jesus was angry at the marketplace that developed outside the temple.
Matthew 21:12-13 NIV
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them," `My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers.' God is not against commerce. He is not against selling a product or service at a fair price. Yet nowhere do we read of approval for churches or ministries being funded by commercial solutions. In fact the most successful "church" fundraising project in history relied on just one thing. It depended on people responding to the need.
Exodus 35:4 - 36:6 NIV
Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. "All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary -- both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests."
Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides of sea cows brought them. Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun -- blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers -- all of them master craftsmen and designers. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded."
Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done."
Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
The people were so delighted to give to the work of God that there was more given than the work required. They had to stop people from giving more. When was the last time you heard a church or ministry doing that?
As churches and ministries we need to examine our hearts and teaching. As believers we need to examine our hearts about giving and supporting ministries. The money that Christians alone waste on frivolous purchases and feeding their worldly needs could not only fund every church and ministry, but I suspect that it would leave the churches telling people that they needed to stop giving because the treasury was overflowing.
Until next time, may you give generously and sacrificially to your home church, and other missions and ministries. May the world's hold on your heart and pocketbooks be loosened.
Kevin Corbin
I was recently involved in a discussion with someone who spoke of being deeply drawn to and supportive of what they called the "entrepreneurial model of ministry". He was speaking primarily of the mega churches that successfully market their products and services.
These churches often "sell" the name of a donor on having their name on a brick of the new building or a plaque on the new wing of the church. Many of these churches seem more interested in building a monument to the pastor than further the kingdom of God. If you give to certain levels you get a "free gift", usually something suitably spiritual.
They flog everything from "anointed holy water" to "prayer handkerchiefs". There is even one that is now selling miracle manna made from some mysterious element from the middle east (likely flour) and baked in a 200 year old oven (big deal). Most of that stuff is just junk flogged to the desperate by the greedy.
The list of fundraising gimmicks is endless. Churches will bring in a "name" entertainer and rather than operate on faith as an outreach will charge secular prices to attend. What happened to trusting God to cover the costs? After all, if it is of God He will provide.
Other churches raise money through the proceeds of lotteries and other forms of gambling. That is just plain wrong!
Some churches make you pay for prayers, and even extract a toll for the dead. That is more than wrong, it is evil.
Doing ministry costs money. Churches operate in a real world where there are utilities to be paid, wages to be covered and other expenses. Yet, frankly, this reliance on worldly methods of funding ministries smells vaguely like smoke from the pit to me.
Now, I also understand that it costs to produce books, CD's and the like and have no problem with ministries recovering those costs or even raising some of their operating funds that way. Now perhaps my thinking here is a little biased because of my love for books and teaching materials. I confess that I will have to think that through some more.
None the less, much fundraising in the Christian world is done by selling worldly recognition or just plain snake oil and junk. Something is wrong with the whole picture. I am not certain where the lines need to be drawn but we need to examine the issue.
God's Word does not include a successful "sales" plan for churches to raise money. In fact Jesus was angry at the marketplace that developed outside the temple.
Matthew 21:12-13 NIV
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them," `My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers.' God is not against commerce. He is not against selling a product or service at a fair price. Yet nowhere do we read of approval for churches or ministries being funded by commercial solutions. In fact the most successful "church" fundraising project in history relied on just one thing. It depended on people responding to the need.
Exodus 35:4 - 36:6 NIV
Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. "All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary -- both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests."
Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides of sea cows brought them. Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun -- blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers -- all of them master craftsmen and designers. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded."
Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done."
Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
The people were so delighted to give to the work of God that there was more given than the work required. They had to stop people from giving more. When was the last time you heard a church or ministry doing that?
As churches and ministries we need to examine our hearts and teaching. As believers we need to examine our hearts about giving and supporting ministries. The money that Christians alone waste on frivolous purchases and feeding their worldly needs could not only fund every church and ministry, but I suspect that it would leave the churches telling people that they needed to stop giving because the treasury was overflowing.
Until next time, may you give generously and sacrificially to your home church, and other missions and ministries. May the world's hold on your heart and pocketbooks be loosened.
Kevin Corbin
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