Tuesday, September 16, 2014

If I Can't Be Smiley, Call Me Barnabas


Smiley - that was my nickname in high school. When every guy on my basketball team had
his picture taken by the local newspaper, everyone put on the "tough guy expression." Except me. I was the goofy guy smiling from ear to ear. The nickname was easy and it stuck. I became known as Smiley. I'm actually proud to be known as Smiley because it sort of captures who I am - a positive, happy, goofy guy who refuses to grow up.

One of my favorite nicknames in the Bible belongs to a guy named Joseph. He had the cool nickname of Barnabas, "son of encouragement."  (Acts 4:36) If I could trade my nickname, Smiley, for another name, I'd definitely choose Barnabas, son of encouragement. 

I like encouragers - they lift people up and they make their corner of the world a better place. Let me encourage you to try your hand at being a son or daughter of encouragement by doing these five simple things everyday:
  • See God at work around you
  • See possibilities in others
  • Choose to be positive
  • Be a person of integrity
  • Point out the good in people
The good news about being an encourager is it takes no special talent. You don't need money. You don't need a special skill. You just need to be willing to invest in people - lift them up and build their hearts. It's almost as easy as smiling!

Who has been a Barnabas in your life? Leave a comment and tell me about your "son of encouragement."



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Mega Money Ministry Myths



           When it comes to money and church we tend to get a little nervous.  We know we need to talk about money, but most of us don’t look forward to it. Some of us avoid the “M word” altogether. Sometimes we’d rather avoid talking about money, even if it means we hurt the church in the long run.
            I suspect part of the discomfort with talking about money is we’ve bought into some myths about money that simply aren’t true. How do I know this? I’ve bought into these myths myself over the years.
            I don’t have any scientific proof these are myths. I’ve never conducted any sociological studies proving them wrong. But in my heart, I know these myths are just that, myths. They aren’t true. And they keep us from talking about the very thing that holds so many hearts captive.
            Let’s bust a few mega money myths:
  1. People don’t want to hear about money in church.  In reality, many people are desperate to find help with money and finances. Financial problems create amazing stress in marriages, families, and communities. If we can’t offer hope and help to people with their money problems, we aren’t adequately connecting the Good News to a major life issue.
  2. Preaching a yearly series on giving adequately addresses the money issue. You’ve heard it before, “Jesus talked more about money than heaven and hell combined.” Guess what? It’s true! Because our hearts and our money are so closely connected, Jesus spoke often about the good, bad, and ugly of wealth.  A three-week series on stewardship in November won’t get the job done.
  3. Increasing attendance will solve your church’s money problems. If this were true, big churches would not have financial problems. (I can hear some large church pastors laughing right now.) More people will not automatically solve your church’s income problems for at least two reasons.  First, new people are slow to become generous and consistent givers.  It takes time for new people to build trust in a ministry. Secondly, more people means increased ministry expenses.  It’s not unusual for a growing church to be unprepared for the very real gap between increased expenses and increased giving.
  4. Money follows vision. I’ve heard this one for so long, I’ve believed it and repeated it over and over. But it’s not true. Money doesn’t follow vision. It follows changed lives. Do you want to increase giving?  Tell stories of changed lives!

For those of you who preach and teach, I encourage you to be comfortable with talking about money.  It’s vital to your people’s spiritual vitality. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” --- Jesus

Have you run across any other money myths in ministry? Share them, leave a comment.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Cows, Coffee Cans, & Paddles



      (Dealing with a church financial deficit)


You’ve just been hammered in your third consecutive board meeting about the church’s finances. You’re behind budget, the financial report is bleeding red, and your treasurer has lost the little hair he had. What do you do as an effective leader?
  • Count the cows.  During a deficit, people tend to panic. Do yourself and your leaders
    a favor, step back and take a deep breath. Look up into hills and count some cows.  In Psalm 50:10 God reminds us, "...for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." Guess what? God is in control. Always has been. Always will. Don't tell your Board I said this, but God doesn't need our money. Seriously, he doesn't. So everyone take a breath and chill out.
  • Try asking. OK, this is Jesus' idea, not mine. In Matthew 7 Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." There are two ways to attack a deficit: cut costs and increase income. It's amazing how our first and only reaction is to cut costs. How about increasing income. Try it. Ask God and ask his people for more income. You might be surprised at the results. 
  • Get rid of the coffee can. One of my favorite parables is the one about the three stewards in Luke 19. You know how it goes. One turns ten bucks into twenty. Another turns five bucks into ten. The third hides his master’s money in a coffee can and buries it in the backyard (BJV – Big Jim Version).  In the face of a deficit, your advisors will always urge you to be cautious, to play it safe. Heed your Master’s words, “Put this money to work until I come back.”  (Luke 19:13)
  • Preach it!   Get out your Bible and start preaching 2 Corinthians 9. It’s a great passage on generous giving. And while you’re at it, be an effective leader - smile and quit frowning over the deficit. If you haven’t heard, God loves a cheerful giver!
  • Pick up your paddle and get on your knees – Have you seen the cartoon of two people in a canoe going over a waterfall? One asks, “Should we pray or paddle?” Financial troubles are usually a combination of spiritual and situational issues. Financial troubles are spiritual in that they reflect the condition of our hearts. How does one address spiritual problems? You get on your knees. In the face of a deficit lead your people in prayer and the study of Scriptural teaching on finances and giving. But deficits are also due to situational issues – people leave, there’s a downturn in the economy, perhaps you simply did a bad job budgeting. You deal with situational issues by picking up your paddle and doing the hard work of making the wise financial decisions a good steward makes.
     
Have you ever faced a deficit in your church? What worked for you?