Money, Missions, and “Ministry”
Sep 20th 2007Jeremy MyersChurch & Church Planting & Life & Mission & Theology
A pet peeve of mine has been how much churches are willing to spend on buildings, all in the name of “ministry.” I currently live in Dallas, the mega-church capital of the world. There are more mega-churches here per capita, than anywhere else in the world. One street I was driving down recently contained four mega-churches in a one mile stretch.
I don’t mind the number of churches so much. What gets me going is how much these buildings cost. One mega-church in downtown Dallas recently spent close to $50 million to construct a new “ministry” building! They say this will help them better reach the residents and people of downtown Dallas. Truly, I hope it is money well spent, and I wish them well.
But I often wonder what that $50 million could have bought in Africa or Papua New Guinea. If they answer by saying they were trying to reach the people in Dallas, then I wonder how many meals for homeless people in Dallas that $50 million could have bought? If they answer that they were trying to build a place for people to come for education and instruction so they could better their lives and get a good meal, then I have to ask why the building has “clever accessories” (that’s their term) along with 9000 square feet of exterior glass, state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, wi-fi hotspots, beautiful stain-glass windows, comfy couches and lounge chairs, etc., etc.
Don’t misunderstand. I am not condemning mega-churches. I attend a mega-church. Many mega-churches are doing a lot of good in their communities and around the world with spreading the gospel. I just wonder if all of us (big churches and small churches alike) could be a little wiser with our money.
I wonder if this church in Dallas could have built their building for about $10 million less, and sent the extra $10 million overseas to plant about 2000 churches (It costs around $6000 to build a church in Africa). OR, what if they said to their donors, “This building will cost $50 million, but we need to raise $100 million so we can build churches overseas as well.”? What would happen if a church plant, from day one, decided to give at least 50% of it’s budget to missions?
The issue, of course, is “How do you define ‘missions’? By “missions” I mean anything that is helping you accomplish the mission of the church, which is to make disciples of all nations. If you can really, honestly say that you need a $50 million building to accomplish the mission God has given you in Dallas, then I say “build away!” It’s not what I would do with $50 mil, but if it is truly what you believe God has called you to do, go for it.
But here’s what really gets me angry. I read today about a church that has alerted its missionaries that after this year, the church will not be able to support them any longer. Why? Because the church needs a new auditorium and can’t do both. You can find our more about this here. Certainly, I don’t have the whole story, and this church definitely does not answer to me for how they use their money.
But one thing I know. American churches are the richest churches in the world. If our primary use of the funds God has given us is to construct bigger and nicer buildings for ourselves and our “ministry,” Jesus will not be pleased with us when we stand before him at the Judgment Seat. So what does your church budget look like? What does your church raise funds for? Whose kingdom are you building?
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drotsap on 27 Sep 2007 at 8:23 am #
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this Jeremy. Well done mate. I think you have given one of the more balanced take on this issue. Our church is in the middle of a building project ourselves. And we keep asking ourselves the same question over and over again: “What is necessary to accomplish God’s mission through our church?” Yes, we need to consider our “Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” but I think we need to remember our “Jerusalem” as well. I don’t think God mind spending, say, $10,000 to save one soul in Dallas, if that’s what it takes. However, many I wonder if that’s the real mindset of some of the mega churches. I wonder, as you said, if we could do with $10 million building instead of $15 million. I just wonder if thicker carpets would make any difference in the church’s mission to reach the lost.
Jeremy Myers on 27 Sep 2007 at 2:32 pm #
Daniel,
Thanks again for the encouragement. You are right that no value can be put on saving someone. But we must always be asking ourselves if the cost of building is the best way to spend the money to reach people. And if we do decide to build, we need to decide how nice it should be to make it attractive and usable, but not wasteful.
Difficult decisions. Keep me informed how you and your church wade through this issue.
brian on 28 Oct 2007 at 6:33 pm #
hay jeremy, good point, check out cornerstone simi valley, you will find a church that loves its neighbor as themselfs. quite simply by giving half of the money they take in, as a starting point. I challeng you to find a church that even comes close to that, there is somthing going on here in so cal that only GOD make happen. This is no small church 4000 members and growing curently giving about $4,000,000 a year. theres no dout in my mind this may become a true mega church, the mega being GOD.
brian
Jeremy Myers on 29 Oct 2007 at 11:46 am #
Brian,
Wow. This is the kind of thing I like to hear and read about. For those of you who want to see what Cornerstone Simi is doing, check out this link:
Church Outside
Here is a small sample:
On a practical level, Cornerstone has been unable to grow numerically for the past five years. This is due to lack of space. While many would be content to keep our church at the current size, our mission statement reads that we seek to reach “every individual” in our community.
The obvious solution would be to buy more property and build a bigger building. However, this would require spending an amount of money that none of the leaders feel peace about spending. This lack of peace primarily springs from a desire to give more to the poor who are suffering around the world.
The idea of building an outdoor amphitheater rather than an auditorium sprung from a desire to save millions of dollars. It came from a belief that God would rather we spend that money in other ways. It comes from a thought that God would receive more glory from seeing His children sacrifice for others- namely, those around the world who lack basic necessities. The idea then evolved into developing the property into more of a park-like setting that could be enjoyed by the community throughout the week. In this way, we would be giving to our community as well as to the needy around the world.
In reality, this is about more than a building. The park/amphitheater is an expression of a mindset. It represents a group of people who are willing to sacrifice their own comforts in order to better care for others. The following are not just reasons to build inexpensively, but they are the reasons why Cornerstone strives to be a “giving” church.
Amen!
Manfurion on 29 Feb 2008 at 8:03 pm #
Good take on the mega church industry as it is definitely already a growing American trend unlike anything seen before. On one hand, all of these people need to sit somewhere to worship. On the other, 50 million for a church in a country already densely populated by other Christian churches seems close to, if not completely, ludicrous. Of course, they are also much more than a place of worship, they are a testament to the success of the religion. Monuments of strength and unity. I just wonder how it is imperative to God’s work. For example, 1 dollar will buy an African water for a month. A months supply of water is on average 16 gallons. That 50 million could supply 4,166,666 ((thats 50 mil/12 dollars (months)) Africans with 16 gallons of water a month for an entire year! The other fellow commented that 10,000 dollars seems like a fair price for the souls salvation in Texas. I say, if this staggering amount of impoverished people in Africa were to receive 12 dollars for a year of water you can bet that there souls will listen. They will listen for much less and the message will be spread astronomically farther. So, I suppose the decision remains: comfy seats and a enclosed parking structure for rainy days, or the possible conversion of millions. (p.s. kudos to those organizations who do take such considerations seriously)
Jeremy Myers on 01 Mar 2008 at 10:43 am #
Manfurion,
I agree wholeheartedly.
Of course, although it is easy for me to become too critical of the way other churches spend their money, I need to look at my church’s budget and my own personal budget to see where I am wasting money as well that maybe could be used better elsewhere. As you point out, every dollar matters.
Thanks for the comment.