Reason Number Four

At our church, we often have a “stump the pastor” time during part of the morning service. Members of the congregation are free to pose any questions on their mind concerning the Christian faith and see how quickly I can come up with an articulate and biblically accurate response. One Sunday, a younger member who had been reading some work by Shane Claiborne asked, “In order to be fully Christian, do I have to give away everything I have?” Good question. Complicated answer.

How much are we to give? How do we balance giving to God with caring for family and other financial obligations?

This question leads to Excuse Number Four for avoiding worship: “Churches ask for money and I don’t have any to give.”

Most of us know the story of the rich young man who came to Jesus and wanted eternal life. After Jesus learned that the young man already practiced following the commandments, he told him, “Give away everything you have and follow me.” The young man walked sadly away. He couldn’t do it.

Is that a universal request? I don’t think so. But I do know that the story makes a vital point: we can serve God or we can serve money. We can’t serve both.

I have personally made two important discoveries after many years of wrestling with this: First, giving away a minimum of 10% of what I bring in has become one of the most freeing disciplines I have ever practiced. It teaches me deep gratefulness for what I do have, and I find I have little or no yearning for what I don’t have. Second, money and possessions are demanding and ultimately ugly taskmasters. I, as did the rich young man, had to learn that if I possess something I can’t give away, it actually owns me. I don’t own it. This doesn’t mean I must give everything away. It does mean I might need to someday, and it is good to be ready.

Ultimately, I am a steward of my possessions, not their owner. As a steward, I have an obligation to care well for them, to handle my finances with integrity, and to be prepared to hand them over to the real owner at any time. Such a mindset releases joy. It sets me free from the of golden handcuffs of thinking money or possessions are mine. They are not.

Yes, churches do ask for money. They do so because learning to give is an important spiritual discipline. Generous giving teaches us to trust in God, to learn that God’s economy operates very differently from human economy, and to acknowledge that God’s economy ultimately does win.

A church should handle its finances with watchful holiness. That means transparent financial books, including clergy compensation figures, with this information freely available to anyone who asks. If this is not the case, beware.

But a church of people who practice the discipline of giving is able to effectively use those funds for a transformation of the world. The leadership board, instead of sitting around glumly wondering how to get more money out of people, now spends time asking, “God, who would you have us feed today? Who needs clothing? Who needs medical care? Who can we send that would be particularly effective in bringing the good news of Your grace and love to the oppressed, the suffering, the imprisoned? What children can we help? Who needs to be set free and how can we do this?”

This is the mission of the church and the church is remarkably effective at both personal and societal transformation. But its effectiveness depends on people learning the freedom of generosity. It sounds paradoxical, but those who practice it know this: the one who gives freely ends up with far more riches than the one who says, “I have nothing to give.” I have never figured out how it works. But I know it does.