The Director of Stewardship Ministries at the Global Ministry Center of the Church of the Nazarene discusses God's provision, tithing, generous living, environmental stewardship and just about anything else in God's Kingdom that might happen to cross his mind while his fingers and keyboard are in proximity.
Like many men, I am a collector and user of tools. There is no substitute for the right tool as I have proven on those times when I have hammered with a shovel and shoveled with a hammer. Well beyond those “make-do” situations, the right tool skillfully at use in the hand of an expert artisan is a thing of beauty.
Eric Sloane says, “Like the nails on a beast’s paws, old tools were so much an extension of a man’s hand or an added appendage to his arm that the resulting workmanship seemed to flow directly from the body of the maker and to carry something of himself into the work.” Sloan obviously hadn’t observed me opening a can of soup with a pocket knife. Thankfully, I have outgrown that stage in life where I thought every problem could be solved with a bigger hammer and a cutting torch. Even though I learned some lessons slowly, the lesson is that there is no substitute for the right tool in the tool box.
In raising money for the World Evangelism Fund, the local church has a full tool box. The new percentage-based plan, Funding the Mission, opens the door to greater flexibility. All the tools common to the old formula, such as Easter and Thanksgiving offerings and Faith Promise are still in the box. Additionally, Nazarene churches connect with the global mission through a variety of creative new methods, such as partnerships, NCM, Mission Corps, Work & Witness, JESUS Film and a variety of creative Mission Specials. Some interpret the new tithe-like missional giving goal, 5.5% for Nazarene churches across the world, as a “weekly cut” of regular offerings – certainly a tool that some could use, but the variety of tools for raising money for the World Evangelism Fund is far more extensive. The Easter and Thanksgiving offerings and Faith Promise – tools for extending the reach of the local church across the world – are a fit with Funding the Mission.
Nazarene churches have never been more connected to the global mission of the Church of the Nazarene than they are today. Connect by subscribing to Engage, an electric publication rich with current stories of how the Lord is making Christlike disciples around the globe. Use the video resources produced by Global Communications during worship experiences. Explore the teaching and promotional resources offered by Stewardship Ministries and made available at no cost on the Media Library. The toolbox is full and there is a tool that’s right for your church.
Explore the many new ways of getting members to connect with the 600+ commissioned and volunteer missionaries. It is possible that the Wednesday night missionary service is no longer a tool in your box. If it is still useful, then use it. If not, then explore some the new tools. Why not challenge every member of your church to find five Nazarene missionaries and subscribe to their electronic newsletter, add them as a friend Facebook* or follow their updates on Twitter? These tools will connect Nazarenes in the pew with the global mission they support in our very effective denomination.
There are a lot of tools in the tool box with the new funding plan of the Church of the Nazarene, Funding the Mission. My two-year-old grandson went through a spell when he slept with a 3/8 inch ratchet every night. Although he uses it more like a hammer than a wrench, he does love it. Find a mission tool for your church to love and use it.
*Please be sensitive about posting content (especially “spamming” with games) on missionaries’ Facebook pages and profiles. Certain security risks are a reality for many. Don’t be offended if, for these very concerns, a missionary in a sensitive area does not (and cannot) confirm your friendship.
A few weeks ago, I worshipped at Bethel, Ohio, Church of the Nazarene. It happened to be the final Sunday of Pastor Scott Wade’s stewardship series. My first experience through the door was an encounter with a fresh literature display. I immediately knew from the prevalence of Mission Connection, NTS and MVNU literature, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries publications and more that this church is proud to be a part of its denomination. Next, I was warmly welcomed in a clean, bright foyer.
A nice visual of the series theme, One Life – One Love – One Legacy, graced the platform. The worship time was anointed and well-led. After a joke about the denomination sending the director of stewardship to spy on his stewardship sermon, the message began with video testimonies from the congregation. The first was Duke, sporting a 10-gallon hat, talking to his horse about priorities. I know, but it worked, okay? Then two young men shared their paths toward the practice of tithing. The first indicated that it was a result of God’s call. The other conveyed that tithing was easier in college, when income was meager. When maturity and higher income arrived, the decision to tithe was more difficult. Although this was perplexing, the practice has become more meaningful for him and his family.
Pastor Wade complimented the congregation on their generosity and shared Scriptures from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Luke 10:27: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” He defined strength as giving all our available resources to his purposes.
After a scriptural exposition from Psalm 116, the message turned practical. This congregation is joining Nazarenes from all over the world in the mission of making Christlike disciples in the nations through the Easter offering for the World Evangelism Fund – only nine weeks away. Sprinkled throughout the congregation, Sunday School class leaders shared how their class plans to take the matter of global mission seriously. They each shared plans for their class’ participation in the Easter offering. The point of the message was clear: use what you have for the purposes of God.
Nearing the end of the service, as the offering was received, two worshippers testified spontaneously about their own tithing experiences. One said that her practice for years was to pay tithe at the end of each month. But one month there wasn’t enough money left for the Lord’s 10 percent. Going forward, she decided that tithe would come from her first check every month. This has become the new pattern for her life. Another reported a financial crisis and the decision to give anyway. The Lord came through with a series of blessings. Literally, the doorbell rang and a financial solution, in the form of a buyer for some real estate, was on the other side of the door.
This congregation and its pastoral leadership take their responsibilities seriously. They recognize that their mission is larger than their own community. They are willing to discuss financial stewardship openly, honestly and biblically. It was a blessed, refreshing stewardship Sunday.
A morning meeting with the insurance agent was all about possessions. She encouraged me to buy a policy so that if anything happened, my family could replace our possessions. I thought to myself quietly, if she could see my possessions, she’d think losing them would significantly improve my quality of life.
Even though my junk is junk, it is my junk. Like most people, I’m attached to it; the Bible instructs us to not get too attached to our possessions. In God’s Kingdom, ownership is about stewardship and is in the context of God’s ownership of us. Christians are simply caretakers – stewards – of the Lord’s possessions. The Lord blesses us with resources. The blessed then steward or manage the resources. “And remember, the land is mine, so you may not sell it permanently. You are merely my tenants and sharecroppers!” (Leviticus 25:23, TLB)
Three kinds of behaviors are associated with possessions: hoarding, collecting and giving. Hoarding is a sickness. Hoarders make themselves, as well as others around them, miserable. Hoarding is the acquisition of and failure to use or discard such a large number of possessions that it causes clutter and impairment to basic living activities. The hoarder feels best when piling up stacks of worthless stuff that makes life difficult and is in the way. A new reality show on the A&E channel explores the lives of hoarders. The show captures the deep emotions of people whose attachments to worthless possessions seem irrational. It is scary, rather than entertaining, for someone like me who is borderline dysfunctional in this area. The devil would like to prey upon my weakness and make me a hoarder. Possessions can become precious beyond all reason.
Our possessions must not possess us. We are warned in the Bible, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” (Matthew 6:24, NIV). Jesus also instructed, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” (Luke 12:15, NIV).
A step removed from the hoarder is the collector. Collecting is a hobby. Collectors experience joy in ownership and perhaps share that with others. Collectors can spend years locating, acquiring, organizing and displaying items of interest. I recently met a man who wanted to purchase a cast iron skillet that I owned. We negotiated a price and exchanged the skillet. I wished him well with his skillet and told him that it would make his bacon and eggs especially tasty. He informed me that he wouldn’t be cooking with it, but would be adding it to his collection that already consisted of 5,000 cast iron skillets. My question, “If you already have 5,000 cast iron skillets, why mine?” was obvious. Apparently mine was rare because it had grooves in the bottom and dimples on the sides. He had never seen one like that. For him, it was satisfying to find and own a rare skillet. For me, I now had enough money to buy a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs, which are just two eggs short of a Saturday morning breakfast in the Lail household.
Distinctively different than hoarders and collectors are givers. Giving is a lifestyle. Givers produce joy in themselves, in their recipients and often in others. Former president Bill Clinton wrote a book about them called “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.” A gift is a transfer of property, without any need for compensation. Giving is a voluntary act that requires nothing in return. Scientists have proven that the good feeling derived from giving is biological. The reward center of the human brain actually doles out a dose of euphoria called dopamine along with a hormone called oxytocin that stimulates love and trust. Most Christians don’t need neurologists to explain the obvious – giving is enjoyable.
Giving feels great in most situations, but especially when possessions are shared with those in need. Christianity and generosity have walked hand-in-hand since the earliest days. “And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. They worshipped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness,” (Acts 2:44-46, TLB). Giving is spiritually healthy. It is in the nature of the redeemed to give with gracious hearts. Those who walk with Christ have possessions, but they put them in their proper place. Possessions aren’t necessary for being happy and content. While possessions are a necessary fact of life, they don’t have to be a distraction. Paul said, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power,” (Philippians 4:12-13, TLB).
I bought the insurance. Now, in the event of a catastrophe, I can replace the Lord’s stuff.
Sports and I have a strange relationship. Through the first 12 years of my life, I was distant from any sport that didn’t involve a dirt bike. In 8th grade, my sudden growth spurt made me a candidate for basketball. I proved early that awkwardness and enthusiasm does not make an athlete. While it took a couple of years for the coaches to harness that energy into substantial playing time, I wound up more of a fouling machine than a scoring machine. By varsity, I helped lead the Felicity Cardinals to a 2-18 record.
As a not-so-involved sports fan, I determined that as a pastor, I would learn enough to interact with the sports fans in my congregation. The connectivity was important and worth my effort. It also yielded its own form of embarrassment. I once engaged in an Ohio State conversation with the question, “Is Woody the quarterback?” Ugh! And another time, “Is the Masters [Tournament] going to be in Kansas City next year?” Ugh! After enough dumb looks, I learned to check and recheck every sports-related fact prior to using it as a sermon illustration; I probably never fooled anybody.
However, if giving were a sport, then … the billiards giver gives strategic, precise and well-calculated gifts. The skeet giver responds very quickly to needs and hits the target with a bang. The soccer giver gets an enthusiastic celebration for a long-anticipated, momentum-shifting gift. The marathon steward gives very consistently and for the long run – and in the end is entirely spent. A baseball giver sometimes strikes out; sometimes hits a grand slam. The football giver gets a kick out of giving. And the Nascar giver goes round and round about giving, rarely taking time for a quick pit stop.
The Apostle Paul, a sports fan himself, told the Corinthian church about a particular kind of giver of which God is a fan! In fact, God loves the cheerful giver:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work,” 2 Corinthians 6-9.
The great apostle had other nice adjectives at his disposal, such as BIG giver, faithful giver, consistent giver, regular giver, or champion giver, but he chose the simple word “cheerful.” Cheerful, from the Greek, hilaros, means merry, happy, prompt, willing and even hilarious! Now there’s what giving and sports have in common. They are joyous, merry, often hilarious events. God loves the hilarious giver! I realize it’s a stretch of the imagination, but please allow me a little slack here – I have pastored many nice sports fans and personally witnessed them on the edge of their seats, physically moved to jump up and make some noise at a great moment in sports. The joy is universal, whether it is the Major Leagues or a parent watching the bat make contact with the T-ball.
Does the Lord get a kick out of our generosity? Imagine the Lord, along with some of the heavenly host, watching over the earthly kingdom, preferably on 60 inches of HD. There’s a young couple that just tithed their income for the first time and God is on the edge of his seat. There’s a retiring farmer who deposited life assets into a charitable gift annuity and the Lord stops clapping just long enough to do one of those ear-piercing whistles that requires two fingers. A family on a modest income, barely above poverty themselves, sacrifices their own needs in order to help a friend and the Lord gets so excited he spills his Diet Coke on some nearby saints.
If giving were a sport, if donors were athletes and if generosity were a game, the Lord would invite us to a game we can all play. God loves a cheerful giver. The cheerful giver learned to trust the Lord with the gift. The cheerful giver trusts the church with the gift. Let’s win one for the Lord!
–
Mark E. Lail, director
Stewardship Ministries
The last 19 days of travel included lots of interaction with friends, family and co-workers. Several conversations centered on people or things in either a state of restoration or deterioration. My brother-in-law is down to the finishing touches on the frame-off restoration of the vintage Jeep and is anxious to get started on the 1952 pick-up truck. Restoration! The barn is in bad shape, but its usefulness doesn’t merit paint and repair. Deterioration! My nearly 81-year-old dad presented me with a set of old carving chisels sporting his distinctive, hand-turned walnut handles with leather rings and brass ferrules. Restoration! Three times, I learned that friends are in some stage of dismantling their marital vows. Deterioration! An aunt and uncle, after a 40-year diversion, made their way back into a Christian church and are involved in leadership. Restoration! My sister has cancer. Deterioration!
Restoration is so much more pleasant than deterioration. Not everyone is as “born to restore” as the Lail family, but the gratification of a genuine rebuild seems universal. Perhaps it is a reflection of the image of God in us. The Bible indicates that God is both a restorer and a destroyer. While his wrath is real, harsh and certain, his plan for death-deservers is restoration to life – full, abundant and eternal. As soon as we brought death upon ourselves, the Lord graciously implemented a plan for restoration to life. He spent centuries patiently bringing the nation of Israel back into its glory. Jesus restored withered hands, reversed deafness, corrected eyesight without surgery and even straightened out the confusion of the mentally ill.
Stewardship means to take personal responsibility for the care of someone or something. Our heavenly father demonstrated his care for us by including us in his plan of restoration. As Christlike disciples, we have the privilege of engaging in the Lord’s restoration project! A Sunday School class gathers at a hospital for pre-surgery prayer. Restoration! A child prays for salvation at Vacation Bible School. Restoration! A young couple intentionally commits to tithe their income. Restoration! The Church of the Nazarene restructures itself for organizational efficiency. Restoration! A local church insulates and shifts to low-consumption light bulbs. Restoration! A couple on the edge of marital disaster allows love to overcome hurts. Restoration!
“Restore us, O God;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.”
(Psalm 80:3)
In this world of constant change, everything is either improving or wearing out. Yesterday it was our home’s AC that displayed its state of deterioration. The prognosis is probably going to be the dreaded not-worth-fixing-may-as-well-just-replace-it. Thankfully, the Lord who restores, also never gives up!
One of my mentors, Rev. Blair McKim, a great steward, shared a bit of wisdom today:
“Don’t give God what’s left, give Him what’s right.” If you are wondering what is right I direct you to Leviticus 27:30, “A tithe of everything….belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”
Spending a little time with my dad, Charles Lail, and hearing the stories of his dad, Charles Lail, May 7 1888 to September 7, 1955. He was know to have repeated the following quotes several times in life. Read closely and you’ll see the connection to stewardship:
I wear this world as a loose fitting garment.
Keep going, you can rest when you die.
This world is a goose and those that don’t pick, don’t get any feathers.
If you don’t work, don’t expect to eat.
If liquor was free, I still could not afford to drink it.
I would want to be a Christian even if there was no hereafter.
Thank the Lord for a glass of good, cold milk.
If it’s somthing too bad to tell to a child, don’t tell it to me.
Hope this blesses! Do you have grandpa quotes to share?
I fondly remember the days of working on the farm and the accompanying lessons. One such lesson occurred at corn picking time. Erase the image you have of giant air conditioned combines, automated grain transfer augers and semi-trucks. Replace those images with a one row pull type corn picker, a flat bed wagon and a wide aluminum scoop shovel. The concept was to use the shovel to scoop the ear corn off of the wagon and into the elevator at such a rate as to have the wagon empty and moved before the tractor came out of the field with the next one-hundred bushels of corn. You can imagine my excitement when we upgraded to a gravity bed wagon. That’s the kind of wagon that’s shaped like a funnel with a gate at the bottom. This eliminated the scoop shovel and transformed the whole unloading process into a very enjoyable game of grain surfing. I now know that swimming in a bin of grain that’s forming a seed-tornado as it swirls out the gate is dangerous by any standard. Those were different times. Don’t try it now!
During the shoveling experience as well as other monotonous duties that included cutting firewood, loading hay and pitching the stuff that accumulates on the floor of the feed lot, my dad taught and repeated a valuable lesson. He said, when we work together, we accomplish more. He often reminded me that every ear of corn which I shoveled, was an ear of corn that he didn’t have to shovel. The Bible says it like this, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Our mission is to make Christlike disciples among the nations. That’s a big load of corn for one preacher, one congregation, one missionary, one educator or one donor. As a Nazarene, my mission is far bigger than my abilities or resources. But as a Nazarene, I am not alone. Like my dad taught, when we work together, we accomplish more. I am teamed up with 4,611 churches across North America and 15,210 across the world. A chord of 15,210 strands is not quickly broken. A denomination of 15,210 churches can make a lot of disciples.
There is no better illustration of the effectiveness of our denomination than the use of pooled finances. Through Faith Promise, Thanksgiving and Easter offerings, you and I put our money together last year and gave about 48 million dollars to the World Evangelism Fund. Not only is that more than most of us could give alone, it did more than any of us could do alone, a lot more. We are good stewards of our money when we work together. Today, through the World Evangelism Fund, you and I are teaching the Bible in Brazil, we area planting a church in the Horn of Africa, we are making arrangements for the General Assembly in Orlando, we are administering medicine in Papua New Guinea, we are resourcing a Pastor in West Virginia, we are providing a General Superintendent’s leadership in Lenexa, Kansas and, quite literally, we wrote this article. I believe in the Church of the Nazarene. I believe that 15,210 are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.
When money and economy are at the top of every news headline, people and churches
are affected. As Christians, our response is a call to pray.
I recently read an academic work by an economics professor at Texas State University
who concluded that recession increases involvement and giving in evangelical churches.
His conclusion was that recession has positive spiritual effects and, consequently, it
would be beneficial to pray for a recession.
Well, I’m not ready to pray for disaster, economic or otherwise, simply because there
might be positive spiritual consequences. Rather than praying for a recession, we need to
pray our churches through recession. The following are tips for praying for your
congregation during times of economic challenges.
1. Pray thankfully. If the hope is for a $5,000 offering and the reality is a $3,000
offering, then you have 3,000 reasons to be thankful.
2. Expect to learn. The Lord probably has a spiritual lesson that outweighs the
current financial crisis. He’ll teach if we allow him that opportunity.
3. Believe in miraculous multiplication. The same Lord who turns bites of food into
baskets full and who makes good wine out of water can increase the contents of
your offering plate.
4. Learn to sacrifice. It is a spiritual discipline that will help us become more like
Jesus. In prayer, let the Lord know that while you and your congregation are not
thrilled with the idea of sacrificing, you are willing.
5. Ask the Lord to send you people with the gift of giving. I recall once praying like
this: “Lord, I know we’re supposed to be winning the lost, discipling them and
developing them into maturity, but could you just send us a nice family that’s
already mature, knows how to tithe and willing to serve?” The Lord clearly and
immediately answered that prayer.
6. Pray for prosperity. David prayed in Psalm 51:18 “In your good pleasure, make
Zion prosper.”
7. Ask the Lord to help you eliminate waste. In every life and church, something
slips through the cracks, but the Lord can help you reduce this. The Lord will help
us see the areas of waste and eliminate them – from unnecessary bank fees to the
copy machine.
8. Acknowledge the Lord as sovereign. We are under the Lord’s provision all the
time, everywhere. We should acknowledge it and take comfort in it.
9. Pray for jobs. Ministry to the jobless can be very effective. Seize this opportunity
by involving your church in the ministry of praying for jobs, even to the point of
asking the Lord to anoint resumes.
10. Keep hope. Money – or the lack of it – can be depressing in hearts, homes and
churches. Financial woes are a challenge that will lead to victory. Always keep
hope.
I am writing today to point you to a helpful resource, available on the web and free. Evangelist John David Hicks has written his winter newsletter article called, “God’s Economy Or The World’s–It’s Your Choice.”
This educational message is scripture rich and is sure to inspire pulpits across the world. It boldly states the purpose of God’s giving plan for his followers, the tithe. You may find it here: http://www.faithencounter.org/Newsletter.htm
It is worth sharing with your pastor if he hasn’t already seen it. But give it a couple of days before sharing with Steelers fans…..they’re a bit distracted right now!
