On The Business of Church

A large percentage of people hold bitterness toward the church regarding the idea of tithing.  Let me join the argument by saying that this makes me uneasy as well.  I think we are all overly conscientious when it comes to allocating our money.  This is especially true when it comes to giving money to the church. We have the image of numerous televangelists burned into our brains and the numerous monetary scandals that have come to light over the decades. I think that the concern is legitimate.  Can we discuss this a little?

I don’t get the business of church. Honestly? I think it is poisonous to the intended message. How can one lead a church and expect that the business involved will not have an affect on the intention? While there are many pastors who have done this effectively (through the use of administrative staff and a separation from the business end of it all), numerous others become way too involved in the bill paying process and have allowed the "business" to take over the overall motivation of the intended church.  Allow me to explain.

The church has to worry about overhead and cannot function without money.  This is the reality. Money comes through tithing so it is important to have a decent amount of “butts in seats.”  So when a church grows, it must maintain its numbers or possibly face financial ruin.

A church can deal with this in one of two ways. They can overcompensate by being cutting edge, overly-culturally relevant with a message that bends under the weight of pop-culture, and through cunning business strategies.  Or, they can hand the reigns over to God and allow Him to do His work through an intended message and a crowd of transparent, broken people. I have seen churches grow in both ways. So which choice is legitimate?

Lets think about this for a moment.  Jesus was homeless.  He didn’t have a regular meeting place (church), a worship band, or a microphone.  He had stones to sit on, a mountainside for a venue, and thousands upon thousands of people eager to hear His word. 

Do you see where I am going with this? I don’t understand the business of church because it was never a business to begin with. It is a message that everybody needs to hear. Matthew 18 v. 20 says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” This is your church! Where you are has no bearing on what Christ will do!

What about tithing? There have been long-winded debates surrounding this issue. Tithing is an issue of heart. It is about letting go of everything that is important to you. Money is important to a lot of people including myself. I spend more money on vinyl and tattoos then I do at church. This is a flaw that has plagued me for years.

Ten percent of your income is the popular figure pushed by the church.  Lets compare this with the widow’s offering as seen in Luke 21 v. 1-4. “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

The widow in Luke 21 didn’t give ten percent. She gave everything she had. This story has a profound impact on the issue of tithing. 

So what does this look like? Do we give ten percent, or do we give everything?  My answer would be to give something. Time, effort, money, or whatever it is you’ve got.  When you start to give, there is a change of heart. That is the point.  We don’t give out of obligation. We give because we want to. Giving out of obligation is religion. Giving out of total willingness and complete submission to a Savior is the realization of undeserved grace.

Let me wrap this up. I feel the church is very important. For me, it is a place where I go to recharge my batteries.  There are guys at my church who can explain the Bible to me in ways that I cannot comprehend on my own. These leaders supplement my own study and help me to grow in Christ in ways that I never have before. So giving, in my opinion, is important. Churches should survive. It is where the sick should be healed.

Finally, Christ will grow his church naturally. There doesn’t need to be a human push, or unnatural nudge. To do so, is to hold a proverbial hand in God’s face while telling Him that He isn’t working fast enough. When it is time to grow, we will know. It won’t be a secret. It will be completely obvious.  That’s how powerful God is.

Crucifixion at Galgotha