Lewis Center for Church Leadership Leading Ideas: Should a Pastor Know What Church Members Give? | Expanding a School Partnership through Community Dinners for Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Should a Pastor Know What Church Members Give?
by Ann A. Michel
Every time I teach a stewardship workshop or class, this question invariably comes up: “Should a pastor have access to contribution records?” In some congregations, pastors are prohibited from knowing what people contribute. In others, pastors choose to shield themselves from this information.
The stated reason often is the concern that a pastor might show favoritism to those who contribute more generously or fail to minister adequately to the less generous. But really? What pastor is so obsessed with money that he or she is incapable of ministering fairly and compassionately to all? Anyone that crass would probably play favorites with those who attend worship and Bible study more regularly, too. Yet no one suggests that pastors wear blindfolds in the pulpit to prevent them from seeing who is in the pews on Sunday morning.
A good pastor pays attention to all the signs of spiritual development. And someone’s giving is one important fruit of spiritual maturity. Growth in giving can signal a deepening faith commitment. And an unexpected drop in giving can be a symptom of other pastoral concerns, such as illness or unemployment.
Pastors who do not know what people give cannot help but make assumptions. And those assumptions are almost invariably wrong. The quiet shut-in who has not attended church in years might not seem like a key player in the life of your church. But if she is the congregation’s most faithful tither, doesn’t she deserve affirmation and thanks? It is easy to assume that an active church leader is also a faithful steward. But what if that leader was never taught the fundamentals of faith and generosity? Isn’t it better to know than to guess wrongly?
There are valid pastoral, spiritual, and developmental reasons why pastors, and sometimes other key church leaders, should know what people give. But money can be a touchy subject. And people might be upset if they assume their giving is unknown to the pastor or others and then find out otherwise. If this information has always been tightly guarded, think carefully about the best ways to begin to pierce the veil of secrecy. Here are a couple of options.
Establish a Policy
Some churches find it helpful to formulate a clear policy around access to giving records. Begin by asking the question, “Who already knows what people give?” Even in churches where there is a high level of secrecy around contributions, somebody knows what people give. Is it the teller, the church treasurer, the office bookkeeper, the church administrator, or all of the above? Then ask who else needs to know and why? Do the clergy need to know for pastoral reasons? Do finance or stewardship leaders need to know to promote better stewardship? Formulate a clear policy and ask your finance committee and your governing board to approve it.
Give People an Option
A church in New England had the idea of adding a check box to their pledge card that said, “It is all right to share my pledge amount with my pastor.” At the last minute, they decided to make it an opt-out box instead, reading “Please do not share with my pastor my pledge amount.” This alerts people to the fact that the pastor knows, but gives them a choice in the matter if it causes discomfort. The pastor reports that very few people check the box.
Leaders Can Model the Way
Ultimately, the best way to foster a culture of greater transparency around giving is to talk about it more. Pastors and other key leaders can model the way by openly discussing how much they give and why. This sharing should be done in thoughtful and appropriate ways, of course. But when we share testimonies about our giving, when we take encouragement rather than offense when someone learns about our generosity, we teach and inspire others about the importance of faithful giving.
I am not suggesting that a church print pledge or giving amounts in the newsletter. Although strangely, many people who insist on secrecy regarding church giving don’t object to their names and giving levels appearing in the annual reports of other charities. In fact, they would be upset if their alma mater, the local hospital, or even the denominational seminary left them off their contributors’ list!
But the conspiracy of silence around money and giving in our churches is contrary to responsible stewardship. Accountable discipleship requires that we be far more honest and transparent around everything having to do with faith and money. And being a bit more open about our giving and a little less uptight about who knows, are good steps in that direction.
Ann A. Michel is associate director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and teaches stewardship at Wesley Theological Seminary. The church in New England referenced is First Church Somerville UCC in Somerville, MA, as reported in Real Good Church: How Our Church Came Back from the Dead, and Yours Can, Too (Pilgrim, 2014) by the pastor, Molly Phinney Baskette.
Expanding a School Partnership through Community Dinnersby Connie Cole Jeske
For the past 20 years, First United Methodist Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been in a partnership with the Eugene Field Elementary School. About ten years ago, the school announced it was going to become a “community school” that attempted to serve the whole child by expanding the focus beyond academics to include a wide range of health and social services, youth and community development, and real-world learning. First Methodist eagerly embraced this idea as a way of expanding the impact of our school partnership into the broader community.
We recognized that the Eugene Field students had a serious hunger problem. Many of the parents were on welfare, and they often struggled to put even a basic meal on the table for their children. So we stepped up to sponsor a free community dinner at the end of each month, which was the time food stamps ran out, family funds had been spent, and the need for food was the greatest.
The last Friday of every month, the members of First United Methodist began to invade the Eugene Field campus with food! Not only did they provide the food and serve the meals, but they also spent time listening to those who came and volunteered to pray for those who expressed a willingness to receive prayer.
The event now involves 200-400 people. It is a mainstay community-involvement event in the community. It is a social and spiritual event, far more than a feeding event. Bingo is now played after dinner. The prizes are household items — from food to large jigsaw puzzles to diapers to cleaning supplies to paper goods. Various school choirs perform during dinner. Those who have volunteered for this ministry have told me repeatedly that they receive even more than they give.
The community school initiative also led to a First Church member establishing Global Gardens, a community garden, and another member opening a low-cost food market, and also a home repair project for the benefit of the Eugene Field community. It is an active example of church, school, and community coming together.
Dr. Connie J. Cole Jeske is executive minister at First United Methodist Church in Tulsa Oklahoma.
Connect
A congregation can only have two or three big things on its agenda at a time.[Dan Hotchkiss]
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Feeling pressure from members and the example of other comparable evangelical churches, LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, considered starting their own school. Pastor Rick Rusaw reports that their decision to become heavily invested in partnering with their local public schools emerged partly because of the questions they asked, including:
Could we have a greater impact in the lives of students by finding ways to be more helpful to teachers, coaches, and staff rather than continually pointing out all the flaws in the system?
Want more Right Questions? Check out “Right Questions for Church Leaders, Volumes 1–3.”
Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Ann A. Michel. Production: Carol Follett
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary.
4500 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016 United States
lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016 United States
____________________________
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment