Another thing I am very passionate about the church that Jesus founded. On Monday, I wrote about the stupidity of churches having debt, and I wanted to expand on those thoughts.
It is extremely easy to convince ourselves that our church needs a credit card or a loan in order to do business. After all, if your church is bursting at the seams, and you've maxed out all space, and gone to multiple services, you really need a new building - NOW - right?
It's easy to convince ourselves of this, but I would suggest that going into debt for the purpose of doing ministry is the wrong choice for any ministry. The much better option is to check out other options. Just because all the businesses (and many churches) around us live with debt, doesn't mean our church has to.
I think it's easier to wrap our mind around these ideas if we break these ideas down to the personal level. Consider Mr. Smith. He brings home a good wage every week, but unfortunately has a house payment, two car payments, student loans from ten years ago and several thousands of dollars in credit card debt. Eventually, he reaches the tipping point.
Now, Mr. Smith is a faithful Christian. He takes his wife and kids to church every week. He loves Jesus.
Unfortunately, because of his mounting debt, he cannot fully live out God's call on his life. Mr. Smith can't give a tithe (10% of his salary), because it's already headed toward the minimum payments on his debt. He can't commit his time to volunteer at the church, because he has to work extra hours to make more money to feed his debt. And, because he is spending his time and money on his debt, he's too emotionally and physically drained to use his talents for his church.
Debt is having a major negative impact on Mr. Smith's spiritual life. And, since money issues are one of the leading causes of divorce, it's a pretty good bet that Mrs. Smith may be considering life without her Mr. Oh, and because Mom and Dad are on the outs and in debt, the kiddos sense the hostilities in the home and begin acting out.
Without intervention, the Smiths may end up in bankruptcy court and/or divorce court. And, they're kids will need lots of therapy to cope with the dysfunction ... which they'll pay for with their credit cards.
Okay, this may be an extreme, but it isn't far fetched.
Go back a few paragraphs to where Mr. Smith began. Remember how, because of his debt, he couldn't use his tithe, time and talents for Jesus and the church? That applies to the church as well. If a church has debt, they automatically need to have a certain amount of money each week just to make payments on their debt.
That debt money probably looked good at the time of purchase. But, after a few years, the item bought with it might be worn out, lost its value or has been rendered useless. The debt, however, remains.
That debt, no matter what it was for, will prevent a church from spending its financial resources for actual ministry work. Part of the regular board or business meetings will go to address the debt. Our sharpest minds will have to devote their talents to figuring how to pay off the debt.
To summarize, debt is not a good option, especially for churches. I know this next thought is very debatable, but let me suggest that by taking on debt, a church is, in a way, showing a weakness in faith. I know some might argue that my points aren't valid for their situation.
Instead of arguing, I would submit to you that God told us in Proverbs 22:7 that debt enslaves. It reduces our effectiveness. It gets our focus off of what God wants us to do, and onto what the banker wants from us.
But, what are you supposed to do if your church has expended its options, the building can't seat anyone else, and the only thing you see is a loan to build a new facility. Well, I don't have a magic formula to tell you what to do. A super-low interest loan may be what you have to go with. Or, perhaps you'll open your Bible to Matthew 6:19-34 where Jesus talks about money and possessions.
I like verses 31-33,
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we
drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of
unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek
the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need."
Did you catch that? Jesus says 1) Don't worry about these things; 2) Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs; and 3) if we seek the Kingdom of God above all else (including the itch to gain debt), He will give you everything you need.
Tell me your thoughts on debt. And, if you're in debt, personally or commercially, I recommend Dave Ramsey's materials. It's really that good.
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