Crystal Healing

The focus of this chapter is on a book by Alana Fairchild titled, Crystal Masters 333: Initiation with the divine power of heaven & earth, Blue Angel Publishing, 2014, and by going to her website, www.alanafairchild.com, it will be plain that she is fully qualified to present crystal healing. She is, however, different from many of those who identify healing with crystals. She connects with crystals via ascended masters. More on this later. 

On the back cover of Alana’s book is the following:

YOU HAVE WISE SPIRITUAL GUIDES FROM THE

MYSTICAL WORLD OF CRYSTALS AND ASCENDED MASTERS.

THEY ARE READY TO HELP YOU ON YOUR

PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH NOW.

Notice the phrase “Spiritual guides” above. Notice also the phrase “Ascended Masters.” These are very real entities, but they are demonic spirits who are under the authority and control of the prince of demons, Satan. Alana is bowing down to the “god of this world” who has blinded the minds of those who submit to these guides and masters (See 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

On the inside cover of Alana’s book is the following:

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

FROM THE CRYSTAL MASTERS

We, your guiding Ascended Masters, love you without condition

We help you remember and fulfill your divine life mission

We remind you to let go of your doubt and trust yourself completely

We help you remember that you, just like us, are divinity

By use of crystals one can be in touch with divine spiritual entities, and the 128 

reader must ask, what is the nature of these entities? Are they divine, angel like, highly evolved spirits, or something else? Our testimony is that they are demonic spirits pretending to be something divine and desirable. 

And how does it all work, you must ask? Supposedly, it is quite simple. All it takes is obtaining a crystal, trusting in the spiritual power flowing from it, placing it just so, and using your psychic intuition, along with meditation and mindfulness—you are now opened to receive spiritual beings, ascended masters, which are in reality evil spirits. 

We reach to you from within your own heart 

We are always with you, never apart 

We guide you to heal yourself and in doing so, the earth 

You are a sacred mid-wife, helping her rebirth 

Yes indeed, within you now, even at the core, one’s heart. And they will never leave you either. Sounds good? The only way they will leave is if someone who is a follower of Jesus, in the name and power of Jesus Christ, casts the demonic spirits out. 

We speak to you through signs, through intuition and dreams 

We call you to trust in what you feel, all is not as it seems 

We ask you to trust in the divine plan that is at play 

Surrender into it now, let the divine have its way 

The weird cacophony of the demons inside one’s body and brain distorts reality, but one is to trust in the divine plan. It can be said that demons are divine in that they are not human or animal or anything else that is tangible. Demons intend to crush and pervert human beings, since we are made in the image of God. 

It is your job to be all that you can possibly be 

To live, to feel all that you feel, to know you are free 

Choose love over fear, we’ll help you if you ask 

We are always supporting you in your divine life task 

Sounds good? Makes sense? It does, but only if one has a relationship with the Lord Jesus, but such is not the case. Instead, it is a relationship with one or more demons. (However many there may be in a person, there is usually one head demon, the first one to enter into a person who had opened up to the demonic kingdom.)129 

Over the course of four decades now, we have helped those who have unwittingly involved themselves in occultic/psychic processes and who have sought out deliverance from them. Very often, it is communicated to the one indwelt by demons that they will never leave and that no one can make them leave. This is a profound lie. We have found that, if a person begins to seek help, the demonic attacks pick up steam, since the demons know their time is now limited, and they want to derail the deliverance process. 

Fairchild writes that, to become an ascended master means to agree to be an initiate, and when that happens, one is no longer subject to “the karmic law of rebirth” (p. 11). So, rebirths no longer go on; rather, one exists in a spiritual dynamic able to help others become in tune with psychic therapies, among which are crystal healings. And one of the skills necessary to cultivate is being able to move into and out of altered states of consciousness. She says, “I had been doing it in my spiritual channelling and healing work” and the “healing” part was the use of crystals (p. 12). 

The “channelling” above was something Alana would do for hours at a time while she was writing her book. So, the material in it really comes to Alana via ascended masters. She writes, “It is channelling that has created most of this book, and so obviously I hold it in high esteem” (p. 16). 

Her experience is that not all who channel are in touch with true and mature ascended masters. To assure that she connects with only the purest, she prays, “I call upon the true Ascended Master who loves me unconditionally” (p. 16). 

Crystals and their cleansing 

“How do I work with the crystals?” is a short piece that is most relevant to what we hope to present in this chapter. The whole of it is that crystals have energy in them, and sometimes they need to be cleansed. She writes, “You can cleanse all crystals by visualizing a vibrant violet light, flecked with white” (p. 18). The cleansing removes that which is not pure in the crystal. That which is cleansed is negative energy. And one should not expose a crystal to water or sunlight. 

While cleansing a crystal one can say, “I call upon the beings of unconditional love who can assist with cleansing my crystal and transmuting negative energy into unconditional love. Through my own free will, so be it” (p. 18). 

Crystal Angels 

Every crystal has its own angel, Alana states, and may be called a nature spirit, an oversoul, or deva. “These crystal angels are the spirit, consciousness, wisdom and vibration of the entire crystal ‘species’” (p. 19). And these beings are called upon to perform healings. 

So then, when holding a crystal, one works with the energy of that 130 

particular crystal, its angel. And the practitioner calls upon the crystal angel for the healing. And it need not be that the actual crystal be present, since the angel of the crystal will be present. Alana writes, “Through connecting with the angel we can call on the healing energy of the crystal anyway” (p. 19). 

Energy healing is a term that describes working with crystals, it is all about energy, and the vibrations and energy of crystals can be the healing agent. This is the core of working with crystals, and each crystal has different energy. 

This is not dissimilar to Reiki, as it also has to do with moving energy and vibrations around, or releasing energy, or unblocking energy. 

The Crystals 

From page 23 to page 339, Alana describes one crystal after the other, 18 of them. Each section looks like these examples: 

ASCENDED MASTER LAO TZU (Eastern Wisdom) 

ZINCITE (power) 

INITIATION INTO BALANCE 

And 

BUDDHA (Compassion) 

PERIDOT (Increase) 

INITIATION OF THE BODHISATTRVA VOW 

And 

ASCENDED MASTER MOHER MARY (Protection) 

CELESTITE (Serenity) 

INITIATION OF TRUST 

The first line states the name of the personage—each one is identified with a figure in history or fantasy. The second line states the name of the crystal, here Zincite, Peridot, and Celestite. And the third line has to do with the need or act. 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia, July 4, 2022 

Crystal healing is a pseudoscientific alternative-medicine practice that uses semiprecious stones and crystals such as quartz, agate, amethyst or opal. Adherents of the practice claim that these have healing powers, but there is no scientific basis for this claim. Practitioners of crystal healing believe they can 131 

boost low energy, prevent bad energy, release blocked energy, and transform a body’s aura. 

In one method, the practitioner places crystals on different parts of the body, often corresponding to chakras; or else the practitioner places crystals around the body in an attempt to construct an energy grid, which is purported to surround the client with healing energy. Scientific investigations have found no evidence that such “energy grids” actually exist, and there is no evidence that crystal healing has any greater effect upon the body than any other placebo. 

Where the practice is popular, it fosters commercial demand for crystals, which can result in environmental damage and exploitative child labor to mine the crystals. 

Origins 

In Plato’s account of Atlantis, crystal healing is also mentioned. According to Plato, the Atlanteans used crystals to read minds and transmit thoughts. The first historical documentation of crystals originated from the Ancient Sumerians (c. 4500 to c. 2000 BC). The Sumerians used crystals in their magical formulas. 

Writings dating back as far as 400 BC make observations about the powers different crystals were believed to emit. Often if a negative incident occurred, a specific stone would be used in an attempt to counteract the negative effect. This was done by wearing amulets or other talismans around the neck with specific stones. 

The origins of crystal healing is tied to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, India, Ancient Greece, or Ancient Rome. 

Ancient Egyptians mined for crystals and used them to make jewelry. Crystals or gemstones were also used in practice, for their metaphysical properties. Specifically, they used crystals as aids for health and protection. They often would bury a lapis lazuli scarab with their deceased, with the belief that it would protect them in the afterlife. Additionally, in Ancient Egypt amulets were used to ensure the well-being of the individual. The amulet’s shape, decoration, inscription, color, material, or ritual performed with the amulet dictated its power. Amulets were worn or placed on the body, in the form of stones, piercings, rings, necklaces, or other jewelry. The Egyptians used amulets to benefit their afterlife, often representing an Egyptian deity and their specific powers. Amulets were also placed on mummies or in between the mummy’s bandages, with funerary pieces usually being larger than those worn by the living. In funeral practices they also used headrest amulets, these were full-size headrests placed in tombs to protect the dead, they also symbolized the deceased rising and being revived, and the sun rising between two hills, which 132 

symbolized resurrection and rebirth. 

The Ancient Greeks assigned a multitude of properties to crystals. The word ‘crystal’ is derived from the Greek word “krýstallos” which translates to “ice”. The Ancient Greeks believed that clear quartz crystals were a water that had frozen to the point where it would remain in its solid form. The word “amethyst” in Ancient Greek language means “not intoxicate.” Amethyst was worn as an amulet that they believed would aid hangovers or prevent intoxication. 

Precious stones have been thought of as objects that can aid in healing— in a practice known as lapidary medicine—by a variety of cultures. The Hopi Native Americans of Arizona use quartz crystals to assist in diagnosing illnesses. Both Pliny the Elder and Galen claimed that certain crystals had medicinal properties. In Europe, the belief in the healing powers of crystals (and in particular crystal amulets) persisted into the Middle Ages. The alleged medicinal properties of precious stones, as well as other powers they were believed to hold, were collected in texts known as lapidaries, which remained popular in Medieval and Early Modern Europe until the 17th century. 

Across cultures, different stones can symbolize or provide aide for different things. An example of this is rose quartz. In Egypt, it was believed rose quartz could prevent aging, but the Romans used rose quartz as a seal to signify ownership, while in the Middle Ages it was used in healing potions, today rose quartz is known as the “love stone” and is used to balance emotions and heal anger and disappointment. 

Introduction to the New Age movement 

New Age crystal healing ties to three cultures, British, Indian, and Native American. British culture has a Pagan history which has inspired many people who practice modern-day witchcraft. Indian culture uses crystal healing as a form of holistic healing and is written in the holy texts of Indian culture. 

New-age healing in the Western world has ties to the British, and more specifically paganism. While many people may not want to practice animal sacrifice, modern practices have simplified many ancient rituals and practices, making them more available and attractive to those in Western society. Western astrology is also used with crystals, and ties into modern paganism. Practitioners believe certain stones align with and share properties with certain planets. Using astrological birth charts someone may also use types of stones that are compatible with their star signs. 

In the Vedic texts of Hinduism, specifically the Garuda Purana and Graha-gocara, there is a lot of information about the importance of crystals in Indian culture. In these texts Hindu Demigods trick the Vedic demon Valla into attending a pretend sacrifice ritual and after allowing himself to be tied to a stake, Valla learns the demigods are not pretending and the Demigods 133 

dismember Valla, whose body parts turn into gem seeds which contain talismanic powers, made more powerful the purer the gem. Vedic crystal practices is still alive in modern India and are used by both the older and younger generations. 

Tibetan refugees practicing Buddhism used crystals in meditation as malas, or prayer beads and many other people in Indian culture still use crystal healing when modern medicine does not work or is unattainable. 

Native American culture and crystal healing have been passed down through generations through word of mouth, due to this many traditions and secrets have been lost due to the extinction of many indigenous languages. In native cultures there are two important principals when it comes to crystal healing, meditation, and respect. Meditation varies from person to person but usually includes good thoughts and a healthy mindset when handling crystals. In Native American culture crystals are considered an entity and you must show respect to the stones, you can also show respect to the crystals through respect of the Earth. In native traditions they can use the crystals by wearing them to benefit from healing vibrations, either one at a time or several but the stones should never touch, or tinctures can be made with the stone and water and then administered internally. 

Contemporary use 

New Age 

In the English-speaking world, crystal healing is heavily associated with the New Age spiritual movement: “the middle-class New Age healing activity par excellence”. In contrast with other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), participants in crystal healing view the practice as “individuated”, that is dependent on extreme personalization and creative expression. Practitioners of crystal healing purport that certain physical properties such as shape, color, and markings, determine the ailments that a stone can heal; lists of such links are published in commonly distributed texts. Paradoxically, practitioners also “hold the view that crystals have no intrinsic qualities but that, instead, their quality changes according to both participants. After selecting the stones by color or their believed metaphysical qualities, they place them on parts of the body. Color selection and placement of stones are done according to concepts of grounding, chakras, or energy grids. 

Crystal healing today is often featured in jewelry and is used side by side with yoga, meditation, or mindfulness. Often people turn to crystal healing when they become dissatisfied with modern medicine and people are looking to revive cultural traditions from older generations. Today the use of crystal healing is typically used by middle and upper-class individuals because they have the time and resources to seek out this type of alternative medicine. More affluent people are also able to afford better quality crystals. 

Twenty-eight

What Title to Use

“How shall we refer to you on the wedding

announcement?”

“I like ‘Most Holy Reverend Doctor’. It has a ring

to it don’t you think?”

         

Just what or who are we? The usual titles are

“reverend,” “minister,” or “pastor,” and some like

to use “Doctor” if they have an earned doctorate.

Though I have an earned doctorate, a DMin., (not an

academic, but practical degree) I do not use it. It sounds

pretentious. I reserve “Doctor” for medical doctors,

dentists, and other medical specialists. But I will use

the term, also, for university, college, or seminary

professors if they have an earned Ph.D. or Th.D., but

that is about it. I restrict my use of the title because I

noticed that I was too pleased with being called “Dr.

Philpott”.

One day I introduced myself as Doctor Philpott to

a small group that included a rather well known medical

doctor. The M.D. gave his name, Doctor so-and-so. It

embarrassed me. He intended, I felt, to embarrass me.

He knew my doctorate had something to do with

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What Title to Use

theology, and he could, I think, sense the kind of selfimportant

way in which I announced myself. That was

the last time I pulled that. I do not use the title in the

Yellow Pages of the telephone book, and I do not use

the term on my stationary or my business card. I have

no quarrel with others who do use it, however.

“Pastor” is the designation I use. I do not like the

title “reverend” maybe because I do not feel very

reverent most of the time. And I do not know what

“reverend” means exactly except that it is a ministerial

designation. The term “minister” is appropriate. When

I sign a wedding document (at least the ceremonial

certificate) I declare that I am a “Minister of the

Gospel.”

Essentially my function is to pastor a church, so

that is the title I use. When I meet people for the first

time they often don’t know how to address me. I will

generally extend my hand and say, “My name is Kent

Philpott” thereby letting them know how I prefer to

be called. If people ask “How am I to introduce you?”

or “How am I to list you on the program?” I will say,

“After my name should read, ‘pastor.’” And if they

want more than that I say, “Pastor of Miller Avenue

Baptist Church.” But generally, upon introduction, I

give my full name without title.

The question comes up, “How are kids to refer to

you?” I may not have the right spin on this, but I just

introduce myself to them as “Kent”. If a parent wants

to say, “This is Pastor Philpott”, or “Pastor Kent”, or

“Reverend Philpott” I let it go at that. However parents

wants to instruct their child to refer to me I will accept.

I will not correct a child but will let them call me

anything they want to.

Robes, clerical robes—though not the subject of

this chapter, I do not want to come up with a separate

134

For Pastors

chapter about robes—deserve some comment. I have

worn robes yet never felt comfortable with them. One

Sunday morning I tripped on the stole on my way up

to the pulpit and thereby generated a chorus of giggles.

I would not mention this topic except that I have met

too many ministers who take what I consider to be too

great a delight in dressing up in robes and other

religious garments. Robes were developed in an era

when the office of minister was undergoing a transition

from servant to shaman, or servant to magician. Special

garments symbolized extra ordinary powers. That is

one theory anyway, and another is that robes help set

the ministry apart or call attention to the specialness

of Christian ministry. I have little objection to this latter

view, but clothes should not be what makes the

ministry special.

If a particular denomination or church traditionally

uses robes, fine, ignore what I have said here all the

while keeping in mind our tendency to think of

ourselves more highly than we ought.

         

  What title do you prefer?

  What does the old term, “puffed up” mean to you?

 Sarah Young: Jesus Calling

The following is repeated from our own book, The Soul Journey: How Shamanism, Santeria, Wicca, and Charisma are Connected, in which we propose that the “connection” between these spiritual paths is actually the mediumistic practice of attaining a trance state and contacting spirits, be they supposed spirits of dead ancestors (shamanism and Santería), spirit quides (various occult renditions), lords and ladies of the Realm (Wicca), or even the supposed Jesus of Sarah Young’s series of books that started with Jesus Calling in 2004. 

******* 

Sarah Young practices “listening prayer,” in which she hears messages directly communicated from Jesus. She describes her technique in her bestselling book, Jesus Calling, which has sold over nine million copies in twenty-six languages (as of the end of 2013). This book was the fifth bestseller for the first half of 2013 for all books, not just Christian books. Through it all, the author maintains a low profile, partly due to physical disabilities, and thus she is relatively unknown. She has experienced chronic physical difficulties for many years and writes inspiringly of her loving connection with whom or what she thinks is Jesus giving her comforting and encouraging messages. 

It all began with Sarah wondering if she could receive messages during times of prayer. She hoped God would talk to her personally. And it began to happen. And yes, she believes that Jesus is really and actually speaking with her. She prays then listens, and He answers. This has been her experience for many years. 

As she hears, Sarah journals what she hears, and after a number of years she published some of what she heard. Readers and prayer groups are encouraged and comforted by the messages, and as sales of books demonstrate, she has a growing audience. Many thousands are now taking up the practice of listening prayer. 

The key question which must be asked is, who is speaking? Jesus or 125 

someone else? Is it possible there is clever counterfeiting here? 

Over the centuries Christians have thought that God does speak to them. Richard Foster, who champions contemplative prayer or meditative prayer, defends Young’s practice. He has modeled his own recommendations for deep meditation and contemplation on what Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, and many others practiced and experienced centuries ago. What Young does is the same as or quite similar to the exercises of these Christian mystics. 

Sarah Young describes her own custom as meditating on Scripture and then waiting quietly to hear a reply from Jesus. When Jesus speaks, she writes down what she heard or was placed on her heart. She insists that the words or messages are not revelatory in the sense of prophecy or fortune telling; the content of the messages is fairly ordinary and biblically based. The Bible plays a major role in Sarah’s life, and she firmly believes it is the inspired revelation of God; however, and this is a huge “however,” she wanted more than what the Bible offers. She indeed got more and has come to rely on these communications, the “encouraging directives from the Creator,” as she originally said before that phrase was removed from her 2013 edition. 

But there is a worrisome twist. When Young journals the words supposedly spoken by Jesus they are written in the first person with Jesus as the person speaking. She does not, for instance, write, “Jesus said,” but rather, “Focus on me.” Since she purports to write down whatever Jesus says, her readers must logically conclude that her journal is as authoritative as the Bible, almost a fifth Gospel. If this is not so, then Jesus Calling is pseudo-biblical, an imitation, albeit very clever, of a revelation from God. 

Young’s error is therefore serious and similar to that of the Course in Miracles, supposedly communicated by Jesus to Helen Schucman in the 1970s. Schucman’s Jesus dictated profoundly spiritual concepts to her, which she wrote down, and one of the most successful new age cults was born. Schucman’s Jesus bears little resemblance to the biblical Jesus, unlike Young’s Jesus, but could this make the counterfeit even more difficult to detect? 

Young’s book sales are phenomenal, and again I cannot help but be reminded of Helen Schucman and the Course in Miracles; however, Young’s book is far more biblically Christian than Schucman’s. The difference seems clear, and many Christians are tempted to embrace Young’s claim to hear the voice of Jesus. But it will not work. There is neither biblical precedent nor warrant for quieting oneself, praying, and then listening for Jesus to speak. Young’s techniques fit into the broad spectrum that is Charisma today, emboldening yet another dangerous counterfeit practice. 

The Jesus supposedly speaking to Sarah Young is very affirming and encouraging, but little else. The messages lack the doctrinal content of the real Jesus found in Scripture. Encouraging promises found in quotes supposedly 126 

from Jesus’ appeal to those who are easily dazzled by assurances of personal satisfaction and are therefore attracted to purveyors of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. 

Nowhere in Scripture does God promise to speak individually to believers or answer prayer by speaking directly to the one praying. This is the critical point. What I discovered in my decades of ministry is that, if you want to hear things from God, you eventually will hear something. But the communication is not from God, however real and spiritual the communication might be. 

John 10:27 is quoted by proponents of Young’s book as proof that Jesus speaks directly to His ‘”sheep.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” To “hear” is to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd as distinct from a false shepherd or a wolf; the literal application of “hear” does not work here. It is the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer at conversion who “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). 

An instruction for believers to listen for the actual audible voice of Jesus, be it solely in the mind, is foreign to the New Testament writings. There is nothing in Scripture about praying then listening for a response. It is surprising that so many do not know this. Churches across the country have instituted prayer groups devoted to Young’s methods. Again, it illustrates the fascination with feelings and direct experiences rather than seeking to learn what the Word of God actually teaches. 

We are all hungry to know more of God, and little by little we do grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ (see Ephesians 4:1-16). Following Jesus is a lifelong process and there are no shortcuts. Quick and easy methods of “going direct” to the source can be addictive and difficult to disengage from. Christians are yet sinners and living in a sinful world; we are pilgrims traveling the straight and narrow road that is often filled with pain and sorrow. God hears our prayers and does strengthen and comfort us, but He speaks to us through the Scripture. That is enough for us. We do not need more. Eve wanted more and she got it, but it brought disaster upon her and all of us. 

******* 

We strongly suggest acquiring Brenna E. Scott’s book, Christian Journaling or Psychic Channeling? A Critical Comparison of the Jesus Calling Series with Occult Training Literature. You will find in this book a brief history of how Sarah Young encountered a devotional book, God Calling, written in the 1930’s by two women who practiced waiting in God’s Presence in a mediumistic manner. Ms. Scott is quite thorough in her analysis of the contents of Sarah Young’s books. There is a foreword by Chris Lawson, and it is published by Brenna Scott Publishing, LLC, 2022.

Hello All, I will be starting a Bible study by Zoom, this going through the Gospel of Mark, starting September  8, at 4pm Western time. Will last one hour. Expect to get a nice looking invitation with a link in it for the Zoom class. If you don’t get one by Monday let me know.

First time ever doing this, so their might be some clitches, but we will work it out.

Kent

Twenty-seven

Limit Promotions

“I just got a letter from our missionaries in South

America and they need a new computer and a new

truck. I figure it will run about $12,000. Pastor, what

are you going to do about it?”

“I think I will simply scrape a little bit more gold

off the chandelier.”

         

Pastors are asked, sometimes expected, to promote

many important and worthy causes: in some

instances it seems more like a demand than a request.

Before I learned how to say “No,” I spent an inordinate

amount of time begging for money. Squeezing money

out of people seemed like a major feature of my job.

Of course I present the need for giving tithes and

offerings. In the Sunday morning bulletin I routinely

have an offertory theme. Sometimes the theme

coordinates with the sermon, sometimes it does not.

The offertory theme provides an opportunity for a brief

teaching on giving. In addition, a record of the week

by week giving is presented in the Sunday bulletin.

The monthly newsletter contains a complete

accounting of the giving and spending for the past

month.

129

Limited Promotion

Miller Avenue is part of a particular denomination,

and the denomination has four offerings a year. We

participate in the “The One Great Hour of Sharing”

offering, an America for Christ offering (home

missions), the World Mission offering (foreign

missions), and an offering for retired ministers and

missionaries. This is characteristic of American Baptist

Churches. Prior to the date of the offering, I receive a

box of promotional materials, videos, cassette tapes,

posters, and bulletin inserts. A financial goal is set, an

educational and motivational process is set in motion,

and the goal is usually met.

Beside the four basic denominational offerings

there are others we promote as well. Several of the

missionary organizations we give to usually send a

representative around once a year to promote their work

and take up a love offering. In addition, there are other

important groups who make requests to come before

the congregation and present their ministries. And then

there are the local charities and outreaches; they too,

look to churches for support. The over-riding need is

money, sometimes money and volunteers.

It is difficult for me to make evaluations about the

worthiness of a ministry or outreach. What makes it

even more stressful is that friends will be entreating

me to support their ministry. However, limitations must

be made, pastors must learn to say, “I wish I could”. If

not, the pastor will continually be asking the

congregation for money.

A common perception, for Christians and non-

Christians alike, is that the church is simply after

money. This perception is not far from the truth. We

are too often either taking an offering or preparing to

take one.

130

For Pastors

It is essential to limit promotions. There will be

some promotion certainly, and my suggestion is to

select one or two or three a year and do a sensible

promotion. And be very straightforward about it: “We

are going to raise money for _____ and here is the reason

why.” Giving, I have found, will actually increase when

the constant selling, promoting, and persuading is

limited. Above all, reject any tactic that tends to make

people feel guilty for not giving.

Though this does not logically belong at the end

of this chapter, I want to include a tangential issue. I

think it is extremely important that no one know what

anyone else in the church is giving. Certainly the

church treasurer is going to know, and consequently

that church treasurer needs to be a confidential person

who will not divulge information. And the treasurer

must not act towards someone in a deferential manner

on the basis of giving.

Pastors do not want to know who gives what! I do

not know who gives what and I do not care who gives

what. It matters not if a person gives a dollar or a

thousand dollars a month; I will not pay attention to

the one person over the other. It is a mistake to do so.

Too easily we can get into a situation where we are

afraid of losing somebody we know is a substantial

financial contributor. Such a person can then wield an

unhealthy power over us. We want to reject that kind

of fear and entanglement.

131

Limited Promotions

         

  Do you have strong feelings about money and the

church?

  Perhaps the worst experience is having to promote

an offering for a cause you do not care for. Have you a

plan for limiting promotions?