Misgivings About The Building Part 3

This post has been the hardest for me to write. I considered not writing it at all. However, the scenarios I mention have been recurring themes in my experience over the last 25 years and the topic seems to be mostly off limits. Some church members stay so far removed from any church business that they are probably not even aware of what is happening. Some members have no other frame of reference having spent their entire lives in one church. It’s all “business as usual” and “why fix it if it isn’t broken?". Some members understand the “system”, and benefit from it. Some members are uneasy with the “system”, but are afraid to speak up for fear of the repercussions. Some members become disillusioned with church altogether when they begin to understand how church business works.

So, I’m going out on a limb here. Trying to address the elephant in the room. Knowing it will make some people angry. Knowing most will deny it. Knowing many will simply dismiss my thoughts as being spiritually immature or vindictive. But, hoping it will open a dialogue about how we are conducting business while trying to ensure the survival of our buildings.

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Here’s the scenario (the elephant in the room, if you will):

We decide to build a new building. The price tag is in the millions. The church does not have a lump sum to pay for the building in full at the time of construction. The church leadership asks church members to pledge the amount of money they are willing to give over the next X amount of years to pay for the building. Based on the pledges and the money on hand, the church moves forward with the building process. Because the church cannot pay for the building upfront, the building is financed which adds to the total cost of the new facility. The utility bills are in the thousands every month. The cost of maintaining the facility is also in the thousands each month. The payments are easily met as long as there are tithers being faithful with their giving. If, at any point, a significant portion of the tithers or any large sum tithers stop giving, the church will be in danger of not meeting its financial obligations with its creditors.

How do we then, as a congregation, ensure that the money continues coming in to meet our financial obligations? Is it as simple as trusting God to meet the obligations?

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Another scenario:

A church member places his tithe check or cash in the offering plate. If he pays with cash, it’s sealed in an envelope with his name on it. If he pays with a check, his name is printed on the check. This is important because the church needs to keep a record of his gifts to ensure that he gets a tax deduction for his contribution. At the end of each quarter, he receives a statement showing the total amount that he has given.

Because each offering is counted and recorded, certain members of church leadership/staff know which members give…and how much each is giving. When making decisions or addressing conflict in the congregation, who might leadership tend to hear? The member who gives thousands of dollars each quarter? Or the member who gives hundreds? What about the member who has grown uneasy with this system and chosen to place his offering in the plate as unmarked cash…making it look to the record keepers in leadership as though he is giving nothing?

If a “top tither” voices a concern, do we take action for fear that he might withhold his tithe? Or do we search scripture with him and agree on the Biblical basis for his concern before deciding whether or not to take action? Are we willing to upset the tither and risk losing his contribution to the church?

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Another scenario:

A committee member stands behind the pulpit in a church business meeting and makes a plea to the membership to give more money. He reminds the congregation of their responsibility to give regardless of their feelings about how business is being conducted in the church.

If we are trusting God to provide the income we need to maintain our facilities, why must we make a plea for money? Why are we falling short on our budget? Should we address the disease rather than the symptoms? If tithing is an act of obedience and worship between the giver and God as we’ve been taught, why are we getting involved and asking for more? If we didn’t have a large debt to pay, would we feel the need to make the same plea?

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Another scenario:

I meet with a “senior” minister to address the rumors circulating around the church about several other staff ministers. One minister has already been forced to resign in secrecy. I take a list of rumors that I have heard and ask the “senior” minister to respond to each one. I am looking for the truth. He responds to each rumor. Some he says are partial truths. Some he says are false. Some he has no knowledge of and cannot give a response. At the end of the meeting, I ask him if he would be willing to stand before the congregation, as the highest ranking staff member, and tell them what he has just told me in private. I am concerned that the rumors he knows to be false or misleading will result in more ministers being forced to resign if they are not quickly addressed with the congregation. His response: “It’s crossed my mind (addressing the rumors with the congregation), but I don’t feel it’s in my job description. My job is to keep the lights on in the building and keep the church programs running.” Shortly thereafter, another minister is forced to resign amidst the rumors.

What have we, as a congregation, allowed to happen in our church that would cause a minister of the Gospel to choose keeping the lights on in the building over speaking the truth he knows about rumors that might severely wound the families of his colleagues? Would telling the congregation what he told me in private put his own family at risk of being forced to resign? Would saying the truth jeopardize his ability to “keep the lights on”? If so, how?

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After I wrote Part One of this post, I received the following comment from a member of a church:

“Believe it or not, like it or not, we are held hostage to the debt obligations on our buildings. How can we not count heads? How can we not focus on the financial spreadsheets? How can we not maintain a reputation that appears more appealing than others'? How can we not have program upon program to entice people to come to our group when we have to meet the terms of a multimillion dollar mortgage?”

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One final scenario. I’ve never actually witnessed this one. It’s completely hypothetical. But it seems to be our “worst case scenario”:

We begin conducting our church business in transparency rather than secrecy. We refuse, as a congregation, to engage in coffee shop, parking lot or small group meetings meant to craft an agenda pertaining to church business. We begin directing one another to address concerns and problems one-on-one with other members rather than gathering a group of concerned individuals before speaking. We hold each other accountable and are open to being held personally accountable. When the dialogue becomes painful, we press on rather than excusing ourselves and refusing to talk. We are honest with one another rather than deceiving one another when we experience fear. The honesty becomes too emotionally raw and some cannot handle the fallout. Many members become angry. Many members leave the church. The remaining members are unable to meet the budget required to maintain the building. The remaining members are forced to forfeit the building.

How would we feel? Ashamed? Embarrassed? Free? Would we worry mostly about how it looked to the community that we lost our building? Would we be honest with the community about the events leading up to the end result? Where would we meet? How many members would stick around without meeting in that particular building?

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Many are blessed through the use of our buildings. Some are hurt by the importance we place on our buildings. All of us are responsible for the choices we are collectively making regarding our buildings. Are we making choices that please our Lord?