The Next Step, Giving, & the Recession

A frequent topic of conversation among pastors is about how the current recession is affecting giving in the local church.  The bottom line answer is that it is affecting the church.  Some churches are having to cut staff, salaries, and ministries.  Others are just being a lot more conservative, and some are delaying any new initiatives. 

At Rock Bridge we are right in the middle of a major campus expansion at our Dalton campus and the people at the campus are in Year Two of a 3-year pledge campaign.  All of this while Dalton has record high unemployment and our local industry, carpet, is struggling.  What do we do with this information? How do we process it, keep our vision for connecting people to Christ and His community, and maintain a biblical world view at the same time.  Here are some initial thoughts I have:

1) God knew we would be in a recession.  He knew this when our church voted to expand our campus.  He knew this when the Dalton campus collectively pledged $4.5 million over 3-years to fund this vision.  He knew this when He sent more and more people to our church who needed Him and needed care.  He knew this when we started Rock Bridge Calhoun.  Why? Because God is sovereign and omnipotent; therefore, He foresees things like recessions and either causes them or permits them.  What God causes or permits He does so with a greater purpose in mind (i.e. He permitted Judas to betray His Son for the greater purpose of defeating sin & Satan on the Cross;  see also Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 46:10).  We must TRUST in God's greater purpose.

2) God is always asking us the question, "Is Jesus enough?" We are so prone to lean on our own understanding and to seek to increase our self-sufficiency.  God aims to increase our Christ-sufficiency.  Recession helps crucify the god of money so the Son of God is seen in His sufficiency and supremacy.  In tough times, if God is our treasure, we endure;  if our treasure is something temporary or vulnerable, then we faint.  God wants His people to endure so He is always working to be the source of our endurance and joy. (Hebrews 12:3; Isaiah 40:31).

3) Hard times force us as a church to really care for and love one another.  We must always remember that buildings exist for people, and as a church one reason we exist is to care for and love people.  So a rececession during a building campaign & expansion forces us to keep our priorities straight, practice wise stewardship, and love each other in tough times.  Acts 4:34 must be our model in good times and in bad.

4) When human resources are scarce and God's work still moves forward, it's gotta be God!  His grace is sufficient and nothing shows that like times of adversity!  In this way, we won't be able to look back in a few years and say, "Look what we did!"  Instead, we'll drop to our knees in humble worship and proclaim, "Look what God has done!"  God is not glorified when we are so self-reliant that we don't have to depend on Him.  However, in tough times, we have no choice but to trust God's sovereignty, faithfulness and provision and just obey Him even when it doesn't make sense.  In this way, God is honored by our trust and glorified by the results of our radical obedience ... to God be the glory!!