In this issue:

New Ways of Viewing Faith and Money

Yours for the Asking

The Right Question

Nonprofits need management even more than business does, precisely because they lack the discipline of the bottom line.

Peter Drucker

New Ways of Viewing Faith and Money
By Ann A. Michel

Many Christians tend to oversimplify the essence of scripture's teaching with regard to money in such statements as "Christians must tithe" or "the faithful will prosper." In Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis (Brazos Press, 2010), New Testament scholar Ben Witherington suggests that neither maxim accurately reflects the Bible's message. His thoughtful biblical analysis seeks a more nuanced, holistic, and contextually informed understanding of faith and money.

Putting Things in Context

The tendency to pluck a single Bible text out of context and universalize its meaning has distorted beliefs about money and possessions, according to the author. He counters this selective misuse of scripture by applying three contextual lenses. The first is the canonical context. Recognizing that scripture is not monolithic, one must honor the diversity of perspectives within the biblical witness. For this "whole Bible" perspective, Witherington draws deeply on the work of Wesley Seminary scholar Sondra Wheeler, author of Wealth as Peril and Obligation: The New Testament on Possessions (Eerdmans, 1995).

The second lens he uses is understanding how the economic world of antiquity, based primarily on barter, differed significantly from that of today. "It was entirely possible for an ancient person to be prosperous and well-off while having little or no money at all," writes Witherington.

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Yours for the Asking
by J. Clif Christopher

Recently I talked with a pastor about how to fund a $6,000 need beyond the resources of the church budget. I felt he had an excellent case for the funds. The ministry sounded important. I asked, "Do you have a layperson or two who are passionate about this need?" He answered, "Yes, I can think of a couple of leaders who understand exactly why we need to do this." My next reply, "Well, why don't you ask them to fund it?" He paused and said, "I have just never been able to do that. It may be a weakness in my leadership, but in thirty years I have never asked someone directly for money."

This was not an altogether surprising response. Most clergy tell me they have a very difficult time asking people for money. Some do it as a necessity while others never do it. A few actually discover the joy in making an ask. Their churches benefit as they get quite comfortable with sharing a passion for ministry and seeking someone's partnership in doing it. What everyone needs to know is that it makes a lot of sense to learn to ask.

The Right Question

Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

Many things must be cared for in a church's budget. Olu Brown of Impact Church in Atlanta helps churches remember how much they depend on human capital with this question:

How much do you budget each year
to show appreciation for staff and volunteers?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution: Carol Follett