Three Minutes of Stewardship

A little bit of intentionality goes a long way.

Most churches are very intentional. The worship set is typically planned out days if not weeks ahead of the service. The sermon is prepared, often practiced and reviewed. The message is so intentional that it is often a part of a sermon series that has been carefully planned and coordinated into a cohesive teaching season. Even the announcements have been planned to maximize important upcoming events. The bulletin, sermon notes and other weekend preparations are all very intentional.

And then comes the offering.

Typically, the offering is three minutes of random musings, some thoughtful prayer offered at the end of the announcements and the ushers come forward.

The offering can actually be a very powerful and rewarding time for all when it is carefully planned and intentionally delivered. With the right amount in intentionality the time for the offering can become, "Three minutes of Stewardship."

It’s often mentioned that Jesus spoke more about money and giving than heaven and hell combined. This is true; for example, 11 of his 39 parables talk about money in some manner.

Throughout the New Testament, there are a number of principles that are related to stewardship. Just to name a few there is the principle of “storing up your treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20), “being trustworthy with worldly wealth” (Luke 16:11), “more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).

Taking the three minutes spent setting up the offering and intentionally teaching one of these reoccurring stewardship principles can transform a local church. Instead of treating the offering as the transition between the announcements and the sermon, three-minutes-of-stewardship introduces one of the most important components of personal worship, teaches biblical principles that cut to the heart of who is Lord of all, and trains new disciples how to not trust in uncertain riches but to trust in the Living God (1 Timothy 6:17).

Over a short period of time, the three-minutes-of-stewardship becomes a powerful weekly reminder that giving is not about meeting the financial needs of the church but a simple and consistent method to keep our hearts aligned with God.

Teaching stewardship for three minutes doesn’t seem like a long time and it isn’t. It is however, plenty of time to introduce one important Biblical principle. Over a number of weeks, the most applicable verses on stewardship can be shared.

In just three months, the three minutes add up to more than an entire 30-minute sermon on how we become true disciples when we understand the manner in which God wants us to honor him with our entire life, including our uncertain riches.

Reprint from Church Executive, June 2011

The Great Wealth Transfer

I was recently talking with a good friend who served as a pastor for a number of years and is now working with various Christian organizations and churches on planned giving, estate planning and capital campaigns.

One of the facts that he shared with me is something that is hard to fully understand. Many estate planning experts point to a study by Boston College that estimated that more than $40 trillion will be transferred from one generation to the next generation in the coming years.

Considering that charities including churches in the United States receive just over $300 billion annually from all sources, being able to participate in some of the planned-giving piece of that transfer would be a game changer.

There are a number of organizations, both for-profit as well as not-for-profit, who provide estate planning seminars and advice. In the church however we have one great advantage and that is that we can offer those that have the opportunity to give or participate in planned-giving a Kingdom perspective.

The early church certainly had a Kingdom perspective. In the Book of Acts, we see the beginnings of the church. After Pentecost, the gospel of the Kingdom was spoken by the Apostles with much boldness. Then in Chapter 4:32-37 of Acts we read about Barnabas, originally called Joseph:

"Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet. This was then distributed for each person's basic needs.

Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement, sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

This is the first time we hear of Barnabas, he went on to be one of the great leaders of the early church. Barnabas was a partner on many of Paul’s missionary journeys and is called an Apostle later in the same book of Acts.

Barnabas sold a field he owned and gave the money to the Apostles. He took a non-liquid asset, a piece of real-estate that may not have been producing income, and turned it into a tangible gift for the ministry.

Gifts to ministry may or may have a tax benefit but they always provide a benefit to the Kingdom. In addition, we can clearly say that gifts given to the church, given to the various para-church nonprofit organizations are all given “unto the Lord”.

Just one example of the Kingdom connection in giving is in the story of the Widows mite; the story of the women that gave two small copper coins. If you recall the widow’s mite, Jesus commended the widow for giving “all that she had”, which Jesus said was more than anyone else had given, though their gifts were more substantial. Jesus commended the woman while at the same time, and as recorded in just the previous chapter of Mark, He severely criticized the temple moneychangers telling them they had turned the Temple into a “den of robbers”.

Keeping a Kingdom focus enabled a man called Joseph, also called Barnabas, the son of Encouragement, to transfer a non-liquid asset, part of his estate, into a gift for the advancement of gospel. Keeping a Kingdom focus not only benefited the early church but took a man named Joseph, also called Barnabas, the son of encouragement and enabled him to become an Apostle of the Lamb.

Belle Glade 2011

This past week, about 450 students and 100 volunteers have been living in Belle Glade, making an impact on the community. In addition, another 100 or more volunteers have been making sandwiches, preparing over 1700 meals daily. It's a big effort but the need is big as well.

These middle and high school students will spend a week of their summer vacation in Belle Glade making a positive impact on the community. Students will participate in projects to beautify the city and will participate in other community service projects. There will be a sports camp and Vacation Bible School for the kids in the community.

One of the great developments in the past few years is the partnership with the City of Belle Glade and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department. These government agencies along with local area churches help rally the community support. This year, we are anticipating that we will be distributing school supplies on our last day to over 700 students. During the week, our VBS program will be reaching 100-135 students. Students are helping to clean up our new Ministry Center, a 18,000 sq. ft. open building in the middle of the city. Cleaning out old tiles, pieces of wall board and hundreds of bags of debris will make room for ministry to the community in the near future.

Watch the video: http://vimeo.com/26707956

The Belle Glade Ministry project is a joint project of Christ Fellowship's Life Mission Department, our Student Ministries and our Children's Ministry that had the opportunity to do some advance work in the community with the 4th and 5th grade students and have been collecting school supplies for the community. Our youth leaders and pastors put on a 're-cap' every night, I've included one from Day Three (above).

I had the opportunity today to talk with Belle Glade Commissioner William Greer who has a great heart for the community. He was born in Belle Glade, served over 20 years in the Marines and is now back to make a difference in the town that his dad once served as Mayor.

Partnerships with the local community will help the Church succeed where others have failed. Please pray for our students and for the difference they will make in the community of Belle Glade. These students will have the opportunity to impact our world with the love and message of Jesus Christ - everyone. everyday. everywhere.

The Rule, not the Exception

Many of you have heard the story of the Rich Young Ruler. The story is found in three of the four Gospels. (Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-25; Matt 19:16-24). I believe if it is told once it’s important, if it is told three times, it’s critical that we pay attention to the story.

Here is how it goes. We’ll use the story out of Mark 10:

The Rich Young Ruler

As He (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good but One-God.

You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother."

He said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth."

Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, "You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, "Then who can be saved?"

Looking at them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God."

Some will say that Jesus says this because the man was very unique and that he was looking to the law, trying to earn his salvation. Some will say that the idea of the man being told to give up everything he had to follow Jesus was the exception, not the rule.

I doubt that is the main reason for this passage. I believe, these verses are not about the exception but the rule. Let’s look again at the passage and find FIVE RULES that Jesus emphasizes

1. LIVE A MORAL LIFE – Jesus said, “You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother." It is the moral code that provides the guidelines for ourselves, our families and our society. This has been the foundation of the Jewish and Christian communities; these are those guidelines that have been given to us by our Creator.
   
   These moral guidelines are also the bedrock of this nation. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
   
   
2. JESUS LOVES US! We are His creation. He loves us unconditionally. At this time every good religious Jew was trying to earn salvation by works. Jesus points out this very clearly with Nicodemus. You need to be born again, a new work via the Holy Spirit.
   
   
3. FORESAKE ALL ELSE: giving to the poor, giving up everything to follow Jesus, having treasure in heaven is the rule….Jesus mentions these often:
   
   "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters -- yes, even his own life -- he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27).
   
   "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)
   
   "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:44-46).
   
   "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:24).
   
   "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (Luke 17:33)
   
   
4. Jesus say’s FOLLOW ME: This is not an empty challenge but the opportunity for a great reward. Jesus had said it earlier to some fisherman: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22)
   
   
5. Finally…ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD. Jesus was challenged by His disciples.Jesus had made the comparison of a camel going through the eye of a needle to a rich man entering the Kingdom of God, and the disciples wanted to know then who could be saved? Jesus assures them however that with God, all things are possible. Jesus would soon be entering Jerusalem to pay a price that He didn’t owe, to pay a debt that we couldn’t pay. All things are possible with God.

The Great Recovery

I was recently invited to a seminar on the 21st with Dave Ramsey called, “The Great Recovery”. He and a number of church leaders are calling people to embrace Biblical Principles regarding debt, spending, and consumption.

I’m not sure exactly what the seminar will propose but I can assume it won’t be political. We have tried political solutions to problems for years but politics is not the answer, God is the answer.

We certainly need God in our finances. If you are like most Americans, home equity was the source of most of your net worth. As home prices have shrunk the equity Americans have in their homes to nearly the lowest percentage since World War II.

According to the Federal Reserve, average home equity plunged from more than 61 percent at the start of 2001 to 38 percent in the January-March quarter of 2011. For years, Americans have put their hope in a financial plan that said to borrow money, leverage a small down payment and reap a huge windfall on rising home prices.

Over 4.5 million foreclosures have dashed that dream. Millions are looking for a better way.

The better way is and will continue to be the Biblical principles that many of us have advocated, even if we haven’t been really good at following our own advice.

In the news each morning is the continued debate regarding the US Debt limit and the antics by our elected officials. What is interesting to me is that by looking at spending and debt, our elected officials and the news media are ignoring the most important side – Revenue.

We are still living in a very blessed country. Revenue to the US Government continues to increase. The graph above illustrates that total Government revenue has increased in the US geometrically in the past forty years growing from less than $900 billion to over $6 Billion. This increase in revenues couldn’t keep up with the insatiable appetite to spend which resulted in our $14 trillion debt.

God has a better plan.

If you are interested in hearing more about the Great Recovery seminar coming up in a few weeks, here is the link http://www.thegreatrecovery.com/

Tithe Redux

What is Tithe Redux?

Well, ‘Redux’ [ri-duhks] is an adjective. It’s taken from the Latin word from the Latin ‘reducere’ that means to bring back, reconsider, or restored. It’s used in literature and film titles. ‘Acocalypse Now Redux’ was directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 2001 and was a reconsideration of his original 1979 movie.

So ‘Tithe Redux’ would be to reconsider the tithe, or bring it back. The practice of ‘tithing’, of giving the first 10% of a person’s or household income is a Biblical principle. The word ‘tithe’ is an Old English term that is used in the Bible to represent a one-tenth part. While it has been talked about for many years and in many churches, both the concept and the word are not used in the true Biblical principle.

People often use the word ‘tithe’ when they refer to giving money to the church, regardless of the amount or percentage of the gift. For example, someone may say, “I’m tithing but not giving anywhere near 10%”. While we may understand what the person is saying, this is not the concept of the tithe.

A person attending a Christian church should be under no obligation to give any particular amount or percentage to any church or charity. Many however understand that as a spiritual principle, the practice of giving regularly, cheerfully, sacrificially and proportionally honors God and aligns their hearts with a very important spiritual principle. (1 Corinthians 8; 2 Corinthians 8-9)Giving a ‘tithe’, or the first tenth of income is one form of proportional giving.

Putting God first place in our lives is extremely important to practice if we are to grow as a Christian. Its also important to be able to trust in God for our financial well-being, particularly if we happen to reside in a wonderfully economical advantageous country and have incomes that exceed over 90% of the people in the world. Jesus understood that handling money was important a well; it’s why He spoke more about the stewardship of resources (i.e. money) more than any other topic.

One legitimate reason to not talk about the Tithe is if you believe it was done away with in the Old Testament. I don’t believe it has been done away, seems like Jesus affirmed it at least once in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23) that should be enough for us.

I certainly understand that many people think that talking about the Tithe is uncomfortable for some. Yes, it likely is but we don’t avoid uncomfortable topics. I also understand that many preachers have misused the concept of the tithe, trying to guilt people into giving to their local church. However, we don’t stop doing the right thing because others abuse their privilege.

I believe the principle of the Tithe is similar to the principle of the Sabbath. We no longer adhere to a Saturday Sabbath, don’t feel required to walk rather than drive one day out of seven and certainly don’t condemn people that have to work on any particular day. However we continue to encourage people to understand the spiritual principle of Sabbath. Honor God by finding a time for rest. There are lots of smiling faces when we talk about people needing rest in church.

The tithe is similar. Honor God with your first and your best. Contribute generously to your local church. Give regularly, sacrificially, proportionally and cheerfully. Be a good steward of everything that God has entrusted to your care.

10% is a good place to start.

Selling the Sizzle

After a number of years on the finance side of a Fortune 100 company, I was offered the opportunity to get involved in sales.

Sales…now that seems a lot more fun than crunching numbers.

In sales, you learn how to be approachable, how to identify the benefits and the value of the product or service you represent. In sales, you learn that at any given time, there are a number of other products and services that are competing for the attention of your potential clients. The objective in sales is making sure that you make the best of every opportunity to clearly identify the unique value proposition that your product or service offers. The really good sales approach is what the legendary “greatest salesman in the world”, Elmer Wheeler, called, “Selling the Sizzle”.

Churches could learn a lot from Elmer Wheeler. He defined ‘sizzle’ as the biggest selling point, the main reason why people would want to buy.

What is it that churches all too often try to sell? What occupies the best vantage point in the church lobby, the biggest announcement that is made on the stage? If you’ve been in more than a few churches you know that all too often, churches do a horrible job of selling the sizzle.

The Church is the personification of the Body of Christ. The Church has the unique opportunity to offer the hope of forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. No other organization can offer what the Church has to offer. The Church is not as some have proposed, some get-rich-quick or heavenly multi level marketing opportunity. The true sizzle that an Elmer Wheeler would want the Church to identify and utilize in reaching the greatest number of people is life change.

New life in Jesus Christ is the compelling opportunity for young and old, rich and poor, single, separated, divorced and married. It is the most unique value proposition that any organization could possibly offer to anyone.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” —2 Corinthians 5:17

The objective for those of us that in the Church is to make the best of every opportunity to clearly identify the life changing proposition that only we, as the personification of the body of Christ, have to offer.

Sell the Sizzle!