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?