Removing the Mysteries about Church Finance. Jerry L. Johnson

      When a church gets in serious financial debt, it is the culmination of wishes, wants and wrong thinking. This book will show you:

      What was the goal that originally lured you into this debt?

      How to get out of the debt pit,

      How to stay out,

      Why you do not want to go back.

      Understanding that unmanaged debt is a prison, which can make the debtor a prisoner. No one is exempted from the consequences of unmanaged debt. The interest you pay on a debt is a penalty, the interest you earn and are paid is a reward. Rewards are always better than penalties.

      When you believe that what your church is doing is not working, push for change, for examination. It may be that your church is working on the wrong things or the wrong priorities. When you realize your church has dug itself into a hole, stop digging.

      Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Egos are bruised but need not be life threatening. When a church continues to plunge into debt, even after you understand more debt is not the answer, it is time to stop being pridefully stubborn. Improvement requires action and change. It is time to examine why your church was in so much debt, examine attitudes about debt.

       Entrepreneurship and the Church

      While the term “entrepreneurship” is not found in the Bible, there are plenty of references to such activities, along with the scriptural guidance to support it. Some of these will be addressed in various sections of this book. First, let’s think about who an entrepreneur is: a person who creates an enterprise by organizing activities, assuming risk, and creating benefits in excess of cost. The unnamed woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 is a model of organization, balancing faith, family and action. The Church does this, with various outcomes, as we will see.

       Apostle Paul Was an Entrepreneur

      When the Apostle Paul embarked on each of the three missionary journeys, he did so at great cost, enormous risk and peril to his own life. But his mission was clear to him: establish congregations, build churches, encourage and teach, and continue to inspire through letters, promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even after he moved on. This means the Church is not only an entrepreneur but also an enterprise. Its foundation is based on faith, as Paul’s was.

       Cast thy bread

      Preparation and generosity -

      In Ecclesiastes 11, we are told: "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. 4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."7

      Simply put, prepare:

      Be generous without an expectant reward.

      Have a backup plan, if one fails maybe the other will succeed.

      Prepare for more than one outcome.

      Work with the conditions that you presently have, no wishing.

      Don’t wait for perfect conditions; they may never come.

      Don’t get paralysis through analysis, work.

      You can’t know everything that awaits; there will be a surprise.

      Perhaps all pursuits shall prosper. Prepare for success, but

      most of all, trust God.

      We are given God’s injunction to be active, both church and as an individual. Be enterprising, in the morning and in the evening (all the time). Not knowing what the weather will be tomorrow cannot be justification for doing nothing today.

      I will show there are levels of devoutness that define a church’s preparation and readiness for a long life. Churches on the lowest level are struggling to maintain life. Rather than plan, they react like touching a hot stove, have forgotten the joys of youth, even as a young church. Churches on the high end of performance are strong, vibrant, a presence in the community, the congregation growing in faith, full of joy. The question is how does a church get to that level? The leadership of a church should know where their church stands and why. This is not simply referencing church size; congregations will follow devout leaders.

      5The Crystal Cathedral Ministry, Garden Grove, California, founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller, filed for bankruptcy in 2010. The 2248 seat structure was sold in 2013. It was unable to overcome the debt burden of $55 million. Jesus paid our sin debt, but all other debt is paid by the people, the congregations, the leaders. Jesus paid our debt; he did not go into debt. One wonders about the plan that included a debt burden of $55 million, how it was formed, how it was justified.

      Consider what God spoke in Exodus 14:14 “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” The Lord will fight for you, while you are moving in faith.

      6As students of statistics know, the bell curve applies to virtually all groups, and that would include churches. A small percent will be in the lower three statistics; about sixty-eight percent in the middle, and a percent in the high performing end, equivalent to the percent of the lower performing three standard deviations, plus or minus. However, a church member, leader or pastor does not need statistics to understand if their church is not doing well.

       Basic Assumptions

      But sensing the church is not doing well is not enough. It has gradually morphed away from the shinning fresh church it once was, almost without specific notice. It is no longer vibrant, overflowing with praise for Jesus Christ, now moving by rote. Without being consciously aware, they assume this is the way it’s always been. This condition is not discussed (in church) because it is not recognized as something that should be confronted or changed.

      Church members have a natural tendency to accept things as they are. They choose to say nothing that might be perceived as provocative or criticizing the leadership of the church. That is easier and safer. Some churches are fortunate to have in their congregation a contrarian. This will be the person who will bring up things most others are reluctant or silently constrained to bring up. There are times when this person will be irritating to your own views. This person will cause other church members to recoil at the idea that anything is amiss with their church. Bless the contrarian. We should be tempted to reread Hans Christian Andersen’s classic, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. We also should not forget how provocative Jesus was.

      What, you may ask, does being a contrarian have to do with church finances, the main theme for this book. Glad you asked. Low performing churches, those that are failing or sliding in that direction have achieved complacency.

      Contrarians may ask questions that others (1) Have not thought of. (2) Have thought of the questions but had their own reasons to remain silent. (3) Afraid (there's that word) it will affect their friendship of others who are silent. (4) Assume that if it has not be brought up already, it must be of little importance. Well, now!

      Why not acknowledge there can be contrarian thoughts or questions that are not heretical or blasphemous or antibiblical, but simply seeing a bird in flight, disagree with , others as to how high it is flying, or how fast. Many years ago, I sat close to such a man in church who had contrarian views about some things, that were often ridiculed, or at best ignored. He was considered a nuisance by many, wasting time in meetings. As it turns out, many of his insights were very helpful but sad to say I think he passed on without the congregation