Balancing needs and wants: an examination of resource allocation and stewardship in local church ministries.

I. Resource allocation

The church has the mission to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-20). This is our FFMC vision. We are to baptize people (a one-off event) and to teach them to observe all that Jesus has taught (a continuing work).

All local churches therefore have ministries that focus on outreach to non-believers as well as ministries to disciple believers. In addition, there are ministries of the church that are administrative or operational in nature.

We affirm that all these ministries are of value, although the importance of particular ministries may differ according to institutional factors (e.g. mandated ministries in the Methodist Book of Discipline) as well as with the needs of the moment (e.g. China CN ministry). We have previously said that all ministries must be aligned to the overall disciplemaking vision of the church (LCEC retreat May 2013). We said that:

•          All activities and ministries must have a disciplemaking purpose

•          All activities and ministries must be constantly evaluated with regard to their effectiveness in disciplemaking.

•          No activity or ministry can be stand-alone, without consideration for its overall place in a disciplemaking church and its relationship to other activities or ministries in church

All ministries are to work harmoniously together for the good of the church as a whole. The needs of one particular ministry cannot be given undue prominence over the needs of the church as a whole.

Each local church must prayerfully seek how to balance its available budget and manpower resources to keep its different ministries going. Depending on the situation and calling of the church for a particular season, resources should be channelled to different ministries in different proportions. There may even be occasions when some ministries need to be closed while others are started. The need for some ministries will change over time (e.g. Kindergarten, FFPP). If a ministry is not self-sustaining and growing because of lack of leadership or lack of members, this may be an indication that it is no longer fulfilling a needed role in disciplemaking in the local church The LCEC must not operate like a parliament where members represent the narrow interests of particular constituency. We must strive to think of the good of the whole church even as we represent particular ministries in the LCEC. This will mean that we should not need to feel resentful or ashamed if the ministries we lead are closed for various reasons.

The people of God are also gifted differently (1 Cor 12:27-30) and the local church must encourage all its members to join the different ministries for which they are individually gifted. No single ministry should require or expect that the congregation as a whole have a special concern for it. Ministry leaders must to move away from a position of always feeling the need for and asking for help “from the church” and feeling disappointment when such support is not forthcoming. We should instead be exercising independent leadership by asking how we can work together with other ministries, identifying and equipping members of the congregation who fit into our ministry, training leaders to succeed us and praying for our ministry, and so on. Each leader should also be thinking about the role their ministry plays in church and ask hard questions of themselves if things seem difficult.

II. Stewardship

FFMC is a largely-middle class church. In our daily lives we are accustomed to a certain standard of living. Many of us own cars. We work and live in air-conditioned environments. We often take holidays overseas. We may eat in restaurants rather than only in hawker centres. We take this standard of living as a norm. We then have to ask ourselves how we can justify this level of comfort and convenience in a world full of suffering and poor people.

This issue extends to our level of comfort and convenience in church. Why have an air-conditioning in church? Why have free buffet dinners for the LCEC? Why go overseas for various ministry retreats when we can meet for free in church? Why not encourage our members to ‘live simply so that others may simply live’ (Ghandi). Are we not to be like the rich young ruler (Lk 18:22) in selling all we have and giving to the poor? I think the simple answer is that this is not warranted by an examination of Scripture. We are told not to desire to be rich (1 Ti 6:9), but at the same time, that there are rich Christians (1 Ti 6:17). The wealthy are encouraged to share their wealth with the poor (2 Cor 8:13-14), but they are not commanded to share their wealth so that there will be equality among all people. They are commanded instead to do good works and to be generous in giving (1 Ti 6:8). The economy of the kingdom of God is not communist!

This leads me to think of the following principles with respect to our spending practices that may be construed as being overly lavish and imprudent.

1.       Our self-indulgent ‘luxuries’ must be outmatched by our giving as a church

2.       Our current practices must not be to reach a level beyond our usual standard of living, lest it be seen that we are using church funds to gain us unwarranted privileges.

3.       Our practices must not exist for their own sake, but in order for effective and joyful fulfilment of the ministries of the church. (‘beneficial’) (1 Co 6:12). Here, efficiency is not the same as effectiveness. For example, much may be accomplished at a stay-in retreat that cannot be done in meetings in church.

4.       Our practices must not be clung on to (1 Co 6:12) as a right that cannot be taken away, but as a privilege.

5.       They must be of a nature where we can be thankful to God for them (1 Cor 10:29-30) without needing to make excuses for them to others.

6.       They must be able to be done to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).

7.       They must be done so as not to give offence to the church of God (1 Cor 10:32) or to unnecessarily stumble others who are weaker in faith (Rom 14:13-23)

8.       The level of luxury we permit ourselves then must be one that is commonly agreed on as consistent with the culture of our church. Once this is discussed and agreed on, all should accept it in unity.