Let’s be honest, most of us don’t love it when churches talk about money.
I’ve always thought it sounds kind of manipulative. And for me most of those conversations bring to mind a slick huckster who wears fancy suits and wears out the idea that Almighty God needs 10% of your income to accomplish his plans.
That’s why it is ironic to me that part of my job is to oversee the budget of our church.
In doing that these past few years, something has changed in me. I was recently trying to put my finger on what has changed and why.
In a sentence, the shift that has happened in my heart is this:
I no longer believe the money conversation is about money. I believe the money conversation is really about purpose.
The reason that shift has taken place in me is because I’ve seen first hand what happens when generous people are focused on a worthwhile purpose.
I’ve seen amazing acts of generosity from you.
I’ve seen people giving consistently, and sacrificially. I’ve seen people work hard to change the way they manage their finances so they would have more money to invest in things that matter. I’ve seen people decide to give knowing that they would have to cut something out of their lifestyle to make that happen. I’ve seen time and time again people giving joyfully instead of out of obligation and compulsion.
I’ve seen our church fund things that deeply matter.
- Surgery for a little Ethiopian boy who could never afford it.
- Beds for children in our city who have nothing.
- Training for believers overseas who just want to understand Jesus.
- Salaries for people who care about teens and want to help them navigate the complicated journey of adolescence.
- Electronic equipment that helps identify human slaves, so they can be rescued.
I could write pages about what this church invests in, but you get the point.
And in all of this stuff, my family has been able to play a role. We’ve found ourselves investing in all these things in ways that years ago I would have never thought were possible.
At some point God convinced me of something.
It’s not about money.
It is about investing our hearts in God’s purposes.
There are hundreds of things that we spend money on in a given month at Pulpit Rock. (If you want to understand it more, read these posts.
But really, there is only one thing we spend money on at Pulpit Rock.
We want to create space for people to come to Jesus just as they are.
So they can discover the unconditional love of God (revealed in Jesus).
Because there is nothing else that changes the human heart.
That is the purpose that gets us out of bed in the morning. That is how we help people journey with God. And that is the purpose that drives every check we write.
We create space here at our church. We create space all over this city. And we create space all over the world.
I will be honest – I would love it if you would invest in this place. If you are investing in this place THANK YOU!
Our budget ebbs and flows and there are always more projects and opportunities that we’d like to invest in than we can afford.
So without apology, I’m asking you to give to our church.
I care about these purposes. I care about the space God is creating here. I want to ask you to invest your heart in God’s purposes with me.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me. I (now) love to have the money conversation, because ultimately it is not about the money.
Give to Pulpit Rock and help us crease space for people to come to Jesus.
