Category Archives: Finances

All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Emily’s Story

Posted on by
Reply

Emily joined the African mission work because it “sounded good. It was the way we should be helping.”

The mission hosted an orphanage and had plans to build a school and tech center for women. It was holistic in its service to the poverty-stricken community. 

Emily had just graduated from college and was ready to begin her life in a foreign land, serving people as Christ would want her to serve. Emily bought her plane ticket with the intention of being a career missionary. She was excited to serve the Lord in this way.

Emily began our discussion saying that the mission was “shiny,” but when she had been with the Christian organization for a little while, that glitter began to wear off. She said, “When I saw the other side of the mission, it was like a one way mirror.”

Image

It started with small things.

The soap that they were teaching the nationals to make had a variety of ingredients. But, when it was marketed in the United States certain ingredients were left off the label.

“It was not a big deal,” she said, but she was curious why the ministry was leaving them off.

There was a constant flow of visitors. As Janice (the mission Director) would show the visitors around, Emily heard the same refrain over and over. The orphans they were serving were put on display. Emily said, mockingly, “Come and smile for these white people. Sing songs because they like that.”

Emily noted that there were so many visitors that Janice didn’t even know the children because she was so busy “showing off” the mission. Emily explained, “She didn’t know the culture, the values, important things to raising a kid. Yeah, she knew that in America, but in Africa there was a completely different value system.”

She saw a disconnect from the culture and seemingly little interest in getting to know the people on a real day-to-day level.

It was like the image presented of the organization was all that mattered, not whether it was actually serving the community or not.

Racial Boundaries

One day she was confronted by Janice. She said, “I need you to be in charge of those women in back. Yer the boss.” Emily said she felt so uncomfortable with that. “I was 23 and some of these women had grandchildren.”

Rather than allow the nationals do works of ministry, the “white girl” from America needed to be in charge. Why would Emily, who had so little experience with children, be the “boss” to a group of women who had years and years of experience?

But, there was a disturbing boundary between the Africans and Americans.

They would go to a local church together, but the Americans would be put in the front row seats and everyone stared at them. Emily explained that they would “pretend to cross the cultures periodically,” but there was no real interest in tearing down racial divides.

Laws of the Land

Janice was also breaking the country’s laws in a variety of ways in the name of “ministry.”

The ministry was saving money by purchasing rice on the black market.

They were forging birth certificates. They made up the ages for the children to encourage adoptions.

When Emily questioned Janice, she said, “This is how things work over here. I’ve been here a long time.”

But Emily, said, “As a 23 year-old you begin to think its okay to do all these morally wrong things while saying we are standing for righteousness!” She said, “There was so much truth mixed in with it that over time I began to question whether it really was the way to do it.”

Be Warmed and Be Filled

There is a passage in James that challenges our tendency to do what is expedient rather than providing real, tangible help to others in need.

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:15-17 (ESV)

Emily shared that Janice was gone one day and a local family came asking for help. They needed food or money. Emily told me,

“We said no, we can’t help you right away. Then later that day we had the realization, ‘What did we just do?’ It was almost like we had been brainwashed. We couldn’t help unless we got something out of it.”

She said it was a sobering moment. Emily reflected, “Shouldn’t we be helping – pushing back a bit?” But she said Janice would just say, “We can’t help everyone.”

There were more stories and it seemed to Emily that what they cared about was looking good and making money but didn’t really care about taking care of the kids there.

Emily told a heart-rending story of a two year-old who was brought to the orphanage. The child had a broken leg and was malnourished. She needed traction on her leg, but Janice was too busy and wouldn’t be of any help. Emily spent much time talking to doctors, but finally the child’s mother came and took her to Doctors Without Borders.

Getting Out

When Emily decided she needed to get out, she sought to bring some accountability to Janice by going to the board of the ministry.

She said, “I had a list of all the injustices. I laid it out for the board. But they simply responded, ‘Well, she’s been there so long. We just have to trust what she’s doing.'”

Emily sadly said she was in a long line. There were at least four others who had gone to the board before her.

She moved to a house nearby before returning to the United Stated. Emily explained, “I didn’t want my name associated with the ministry.” One of the boys in the orphanage begged her, “You can’t leave us with her!” She said it deeply hurt. She felt guilt that she was abandoning the children.

Learning

When I asked her what she focused on in the midst of the fire, she said, “I kept thinking about what Jesus would be doing? What would that look like. Thinking about how faith works into this? What does it look like for an organization to follow Christ?”

She said she read the gospels. Her experience put into perspective what the Bible said about the outcasts of society. 

And Emily talked to anyone she could when she came home. She wisely noted, “I knew who not to talk to because of cultural clues.” Her experience like so many was that some people just don’t want to hear about apparent failure on the mission field. Some just want you to get over it and move on. They tire of hearing your story.

Some people had the attitude, “you made a commitment.” That was not helpful, she said.

Healing

I asked Emily what has been most healing for her over the past years since returning from the mission.

She said, “Talking to other people in similar circumstances.” Emily would realize that she wasn’t crazy when hearing other stories. She had been living with that feeling of insecurity.

In addition, it has been helpful to share frequently with a friend that was with her there at the mission. She tries to remember the sweet times. She doesn’t want to throw the baby out with bathwater and forget that there was good ministry there as well. 

She met her husband three weeks after getting back to the United States. Emily said,

“He loved me no matter what crazy thoughts I had. Especially in the beginning. It’s an experience that will never leave. It impacts everything about me. Having someone who isn’t judging was incredibly healing.” 

When she and her husband moved to a small town in the west, she crossed paths with a woman who had had a similar experience on the mission field in Africa. They sat down at Emily’s house and she told some of her story and Emily told hers. Emily said, “That was one of the most healing times.”

Forgiveness

I asked her what her journey of forgiveness has been like. She said it was a “big question everyone asks.” She said, “I don’t care to have a relationship with Janice, but have come to where I can have grace for her knowing her brokenness. She’s a human too.”

But, she added, “I could never trust her again.”

Emily noted, “Not forgiving only hurts me. She doesn’t know I haven’t forgiven. It only creates bitterness.”

But, it has been a slow process. She doesn’t think forgiving is just a “one and done” kind of experience. “I still can find myself getting up and angry again. It is more like a spiral . . . I just keep coming back to it. It is such a complicated thing.”

Some Advice

When I asked Emily if she had some advice for others suffering under toxic organizational leadership she said,

“Get out!”

She has seen others stick it out in abusive church leadership situations and the trauma and pain it has caused has convinced her that she took the right step of getting back on the plane.

“You can tell when someone is being called to do what they do and it never looks like an abusive situation.”

Authorized Unity: Loyalty, Allegiance and Fidelity

Posted on by
Reply
“If you are not trusting me, you are not trusting God…”

When a collaborative church planting network chose Jennifer’s city for a new faith community, she and her husband were excited. They had enjoyed being involved in another church plant years before in another city.

Continue reading →

Wild Grapes: God’s Judgment on Power & Oppression

Posted on by
Reply

People were created to love God and neighbor. They were created to care for and keep the world [Genesis 2:15]. To create flourishing.

They were not created to sow power and reap abuse.

Imagine for a moment that you have purchased a vineyard. You tenderly care for the vines, providing ample water each week, making sure it goes a foot deep into the rich soil. You daily walk through the rows pulling weeds and watching for nasty pests. You fertilize it and prune it yearly to remove all growth except new 1-year-old fruiting canes and renewal spurs.

But then, you discover the grapes are smaller and less sweet than you had expected. They are more prone to disease. They are “wild” grapes.

You did everything to care for the vineyard but the grapes have gone their own way.

God’s Wild Grapes

Apparently, in Isaiah’s time, God’s people had done the same.

God, the one true God, who created all things, is perfectly just and righteous. He is loving in all His ways. He is extraordinarily merciful to a broken people. Despite seeing His love and care, watering and pruning in the lives of His people, they have been more interested in joining “house to house” and adding “field to field” as the prophet Isaiah said of the wild grapes [Isaiah 5:1-10].

The picture Isaiah paints is of a greedy and oppressive people who are more concerned about their wealth than the care of their fellow man. If you ever wanted to know where our anti-monopoly laws come from, you need look no further than Isaiah’s prophetic witness.

However, this picture does not stop with monopolies. Isaiah is presenting a broader principle that cuts to heart of American Christian culture: power and oppression. We are a deeply broken people in the West where fame, fortune, and building at all costs rules so many of our decisions and is used as a means to oppress rather than bless. Consider how we protest a corporation who operates in a way we think is morally repugnant. We boycott. We shoot for the pocketbook. We know money makes the world go ’round.

Because we know that to get to the heart, you go to the bank.

Because people are more concerned about power and comforts than anything else. As long as the stock market is doing well . . . we are doing well. As long as the church’s image is larger than life . . . we are doing well.

The ends justify the means.

But God says there will be a reckoning. Isaiah goes on to say,

The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
“Surely many houses shall be desolate,
large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”

Isaiah 5:9-10

God told Israel (and Judah) He would take away the very thing they were so driven to attain: wealth and power. All those houses they built for themselves, after taking everyone else’s land, will end up empty. The land they invested in, taking it from all the “little guys,” would produce very little fruit.

The oppression they practiced would come back on them. 

and Toxic Leadership?

It is in the context of grabbing after wealth and power that the toxic leader rises up and survives in our power and image-driven world. If the expectations of followers is that there be much cake, then the leader is driven by such demands. If a leader shows an accute ability to build the image of the church, the members greedily hang on his every word.

It does not matter if he is a liar or a sexual predator, or any other kind of toxic personality. If he creates something we can take pride in or supports our priority projects, we are good to go and will support him.

And I am not talking about the government or secular workplace. This is the church.

But if God’s people expect love and care for all of God’s creation, there is more likely to be a use of our resources for care and concern by those in leadership. There is more likely to be a use of power for care and concern. If Christian organizations hold leaders accountable, power becomes the means by which those organizations and churches take care of people. And that power is held very loosely remembering that the first will be last.

Money, social presence, and power are only tools. And they are not to be tools used for an individual’s pathological self-love.

Not at all.

Zero.

and he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry!

Isaiah 5:7

We all need to evaluate what we look for in leaders and those of us who are leaders, consider the cost of self-love.

Only the humility found in the Gospel can save us.

Solomon: From Riches to Rags

Posted on by
1

It all started so well. A good looking and humble guy.

The first book of Kings describes King Solomon as a godly man. He “loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father.”

And if that wasn’t clear enough, when asked by the Lord what his desire was, his response was to ask for wisdom to rule Israel. He humbly admitted that he was “but a little child.” He confessed that he was not adequate on his own to govern God’s people.

What a start.

Dependence

Leadership in God’s kingdom must fundamentally be about dependence on the Lord to gift and guide. Those who lead must be built to lead and then they must be directed. That building of leadership qualities and guidance are from Jesus Christ.

Though a leader may not be born, all that he has has been given by the Lord. His abilities. His material wealth. His opportunities. So, whether a leader becomes a leader after the hard work of study and practice or was a leader since birth, it all comes from the Lord.

It was said of Solomon:

And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

1 Kings 10:24 (ESV)

God had put into his mind all the wisdom he had. It all came from the Lord.

Therefore, the acknowledging of God’s gifting and help are essential to a good leader. Because God expects him to acknowledge God’s gifts to him.

…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)

And, it is by God’s guidance that the leader leads. God has given scripture (special revelation) and a world of wisdom (general revelation).

The good leader is dependent on the Lord for His guidance by His Holy Spirit enlightening the Words of scripture. He studies to know God’s Word as the kings of old were commanded:

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (ESV)

God’s leaders need to be immersed in God’s Word. That is a tall order and an order that Solomon seemed to understand.

And God’s leaders must also be wise to God’s “general” revelation. God has set in course rules of nature that may be studied and applied to act wisely in this life. That which is not clearly contained in His Word may yet be His means of directing a leader in wisdom.

Being a good engineer is founded upon studying God’s established physical universe. Working with the minds of men depends on understanding both the spiritual and physical complexities of his brain. So, the good leader studies God’s world to know with wisdom how to respond to the needs of his stake-holders.

Solomon astounded the people by his wisdom, in one case shocking his attendants by suggesting a baby be cut in half to determine who the correct mother was. He did not know how to do that by God’s law but by the Holy Spirit enlightening him to the events playing out before him.

All Good Things…

But the typical happened. And, it is a lesson for leaders everywhere.

Scripture says Solomon was wiser than anyone around. He was an exceptional leader and blessings of a material nature clearly followed him. Everything he touched, it seems, turned to gold.

And yet, he did what so many leaders do after starting well.

After building a beautiful temple for the worship of the Lord, at God’s direction, Solomon was turned. In his arrogance and power he married any woman he wished and used his subjects for his own ends.

The law expressly forbid marrying women not of Israel. Not out of spite or arrogance but because, as scripture explains, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” [1 Kings 11:2b]

And, he had a boatload of them. 700 wives and 300 concubines. Good grief.

Solomon also made a house…for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had taken in marriage.
All these were made of costly stones…

And, scripture says they turned him away to other gods. After building a magnificent sanctuary for the worship of the one true God, he built places of worship [high places] for several other gods. Abomidable gods it says.

Art Thou the Man?

Are you going to be turned?

After being given opportunity to lead and being overwhelmed by the responsibility, were you humbled? Did you see it as a gift from the Lord to be given that great privilege of leading? Did you fall on your face before the Lord asking Him for wisdom to lead?

Great start.

Now, consider how far you can fall.

God was gracious to Solomon in leaving him in charge until he died (with rough spots along the way). But the Lord explained that Solomon’s legacy would be in rags. After such a great start, the Lord is said to be angry with Solomon.

Solomon’s legacy was the split of God’s people (Israel and Judah). They followed separate leaders and Israel especially followed Solomon’s example. The northern tribes (Israel) chose their own place of worship and ended up falling to conquerors (sooner than Judah).

It was a disappointing end for a thrilling start.

To Africa on a Lark by the Editor of Pearls and Swine Site

Kelly Dehnert, Editor of Pearls and Swine, has written a book about his family’s life in Africa as missionaries. The book provides helpful insights to engaging other cultures.

[To Africa On a Lark] is extremely readable, with an easy to follow flow. The stories are quite engaging…The overall theme of cross-cultural adjustment, with the “razor” image, comes through clearly. I hope that many will read, enjoy, and benefit from your engaging string of accounts.

J. Nelson Jennings, PhD – Editor, Global Missiology – English

What others say about the book:

Margo’s Story: Playing Second Fiddle to a Wolf

Posted on by
1

Timothy Witmer said, “The exercise of authority is designed to serve the well-being of those under its care.”[1] It is unfortunate when those in authority fail to consider that little detail.

The pastor of the local church has been given the authority and responsibility to care for his congregation made up of people often referred to as “sheep” in scripture.[2] The analogy of sheep is apt, as they are particularly vulnerable to predators and have an extraordinary propensity for self-harm.

A sheep rancher in Wyoming responded to a school child who asked if sheep sleep at night, saying, “No, they lay awake thinking up new ways to die!”

On the other hand, the picture painted of the pastor in scripture is that of a “shepherd” who protects the sheep. As a shepherd of these sheep, the pastor is charged with being “motivated by love for the Lord,” says Richard Rardin, author of The Servant’s Guide to Leadership: Beyond First Principles.[3]

Rardin adds that the “servant of God must die to self before he or she can be of much use to the Father.”[4]

This means the pastor is at heart willing to set aside his own comforts for the care of the congregation, putting the interests of the congregation above his own.

Scripture instructs the sheep to consider the shepherds “worthy of double honor.”[5] Witmer argues that God has called congregant members to live in submission to church authorities, specifically those called as “teaching” pastors. He goes on to say that the arrangement of a leader who dies to self and a congregation giving a “willing response of obedience” is an “advantage to all” involved.[6]

That is in the perfect world.

But church members are very vulnerable to those leaders who would take advantage of their weakness as those under authority. The prophet Ezekiel warned the leaders in Israel in the seventh century B.C.,

“You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal.”[7]

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

The people of God are “easy prey” for wolves in sheep’s clothing, as Jesus refers to false prophets. They may look like sheep, meek and mild, but behind the façade of harmless sheep they are “ravenous wolves”.[8] As the sheep, the nation of Israel, was scattered by the “harshness and cruelty” of the leaders, so church members are at times scattered by autocratic pastors and elders in local congregations.

To add to the complexities of such circumstances there may exist “mid-level management” in the form of pastor’s assistants who must navigate between submission to a senior pastor’s authority (giving honor to those who teach) and shepherding the congregation (having been called to a pastoral care position).

The assistant who seeks to lead from the “second chair,” [drawing on the terminology of the position of those in an orchestra who perform under the “first chair” player] must walk a fine line between having authority and being under authority.

This becomes treacherous when the senior pastor is acting like a wolf rather than shepherd. I have been fortunate to serve under a humble and empowering pastor, something not all assistants enjoy.

Margo’s Story

“Margo” served as the Programming and Missions Director in a non-denominational church with 400 members and has a Masters of Divinity. She served in a pastoral role under the supervision of the Senior Pastor of the congregation who, by her description, was the primary authority in the church.

Margo was employed to oversee the development of teams that led all aspects of worship through videos, music, and PowerPoint. Her background in business management provided organizational skills that were invaluable for these administrative tasks. In addition, her love for mentoring was utilized as she discipled individuals and lead teams in spiritual development.

Margo resigned from her position in large part due to the autocratic leadership of Pastor Pete.

The Mission Trip

Margo told me of a time that she was approached by Pastor “Pete” to organize a missions committee at the church and arrange for short-term mission trips to a southern African nation. Pastor Pete wished to begin building relationships with a group of African churches through short-term trips.

Pastor Pete gave Margo much authority to build a team and communicate with the African churches and a missions organization in Colorado, through which they would operate.

As they prepared to sign up members of the congregation for the summer mission, one member reneged on his verbal commitment. He had particular gifts of importance to the team. He explained that he had been asked by Pastor Pete to accompany him on a mission trip to Eastern Africa, a trip neither Margo, nor her committee, had heard about.

When she and a fellow leader (an elder in the church) were told this, the elder was “infuriated” and set up a meeting with Pastor Pete. In the meeting, Pastor Pete simply “laughed” at the elder and said that the elder had gotten his “feelings hurt.”

After the elder challenged the pastor for his lack of consideration, the pastor continued to laugh at him.

Making Matters Worse

Following the trip the team presented an “African worship service” for the congregation and the church gave thousands of dollars and many material items for the southern African churches in which they ministered.

However, at the close of the service, Pastor Pete gave an announcement that all the funds and materials would be sent to the churches he had visited two weeks earlier. It was a complete surprise to the missions committee and team that had been directed to raise the funds and materials for the southern African churches by Pastor Pete.

The Real Power

Margo’s church had an elder board that had the authority to hire or fire the senior pastor. However, the perceived or real power of the pastor overcame that authority and the board adopted a “herding mentality” – “an appeasement strategy toward” the pastor that allowed an environment of pastoral control and poor decision-making.[9]

The practice of leadership by a pastor who considers his vision of primary importance to the congregation creates an environment where there is no psychological safety for the purpose of building a team ministry.

Because strong, authoritative leaders can be perceived as God’s “anointed,” gathering around them disciples attracted to their power, it becomes difficult for a leadership team to reject the autocrat.

Autocratic pastors may provide skills and gifts in many areas, but the overwhelming effect of their leadership is destructive to important relationships and the witness of the body of Christ.

Coping

As Margo pressed on towards her goal of ministering to the congregation, her convictions regarding the Matthew 18 principles presented both difficulty in confronting the problem pastor and in coping with her emotional responses to the senior pastor’s leadership.

She was concerned that sharing her struggles with others in the congregation would be gossiping and missing the point of Matthew 18 where much of the focus is on one-on-one confrontation and reconciliation.

So, Margo focused on sharing her difficulties with family members outside the church. This common strategy in “workplace bullying” environments is helpful for those who are bullied to receive encouragement and, possibly, biblical advice from those removed from the situation.[10]

However, the real problem – the pastor – is left unchecked. The assistant is left alone and isolated because those who truly understand and know what the assistant is facing, the church members, are not consulted and the processing of the assistant’s emotions is limited.

The Matthew 18 principles, taught by Jesus in verses 15 through 18, are given in the context of brothers in the faith with the oversight of a plurality of elders. In Margo’s context, the “brother” had authority to fire her and was under no real authority of elders. And Margo was convinced she had nowhere to turn in her church family to express and process her emotions for fear that it would be gossip.

Two to Tango

Of great concern for those who minister under the authority of autocratic leaders is the view that it “takes two to tango.” Like in the experience of many who have faced domestic violence, a well-meaning brother may suggest that since both individuals involved are sinful, they are both responsible for the broken relationship. This perspective is evident in the writings of Friedman, Herrington, Creech and Taylor.

This simplistic view does not take into consideration either the power structure inherent in the senior-assistant relationship, nor the dynamics of relating to the “ravenous wolves” that Jesus describes in Matthew 7:15-25. Friedman focuses on changing self, however there are times when it is evident that the primary problem lies in the other person.

Having said that, the emotional response of those caught in less than optimal ministry environments must be understood and moderated by principles of self-differentiation. It was clear in my interview with Margo that Pastor Pete could not be expected to change nor be confronted with any expectation of success.

Responding to the Situation

Therefore, how an assistant copes with the daily interactions with this type of pastor is of the greatest importance, particularly if the assistant feels trapped in the job with little recourse financially or vocationally.

Margo took submissive postures with her supervising pastor, limiting her criticism and always recognizing that his word was the “final word.”

It also provided helpful lessons to Margo to work under Pastor Peter.

She was forced to hold firmly to her own convictions, minister to others as God gave opportunity, and recognize that ultimately God was sovereign over the future of her ministry. This was true to Margo whether she remained in that particular church, under that particular pastor, or went somewhere else.

NOTES:

“Margo” is not her real name.

[1] Witmer, Shepherd Leader, 89.

[2] ESV New Classic Reference Bible, v. Psalm 119:176, Isaiah 53:6, Jeremiah 50:6.

[3] Rardin, The Servant’s Guide to Leadership, 36.

[4] Ibid., 102–103.

[5] ESV New Classic Reference Bible, v. 1 Timothy 5:17.

[6] Witmer, Shepherd Leader, 92.

[7] ESV New Classic Reference Bible, v. Ezekiel 34:4–5.

[8] Ibid., v. Matthew 7:15.

[9] Friedman, A Failure of Nerve, 1285–1287, 1306-1308.

[10] Ciby and Raya, “Exploring Victims’ Experiences of Workplace Bullying: A Grounded Theory Approach,” 76.

Businessman Jacob: Pursuing a Kingdom Purpose

Posted on by
1

Jacob is doing kingdom work. But, Jacob is neither pastor, nor missionary.

Yet, he is both.

If every church were filled with Jacobs, the redemptive arm of God would radically change our communities.

Of course, the arm of God is never short…but Jacob’s work as an employer in his community shines a light so bright, the darkness has no chance.

Being God

But, Jacob’s story began with the realization that he had set himself “up as god.”

As a small business owner in a rural community, he felt he needed “to control everything.” He could not trust his employees to do things right. They might steal from him when he wasn’t looking. They might not have the work ethic he has.

This may have come in part from his childhood experience of abuse. His father controlled everything. The kids were in a constant state of seeking to please their father. They in turn had to control father through their behaviour.

Jacob struggles with “extremes with a project, a budget, or raising the children.” Jacob always needed to appear busy when his father returned home or he would get “yelled at or spanked.” Jacob said when his father could be heard coming, “I frantically scrambled to look like I was…doing something productive.” There was only work, no rest, in his father’s house.

He depends on his wife to help him identify those extremes.

The Finance Guy

For several years, Jacob had worked in finance. He had one employee. And lots of clients. He was making a good income.

But he had also been involved in a side business. He enjoyed that work and finally decided he would have more time for family if he moved more in that direction. So he moved into the “side” business full-time.

In the process a new opportunity came up: a retail business was for sale. After much analysis and prayer, he decided to take the plunge.

The Most Terrible Night in Memory

Jacob said he had, as it turned out, “under-analyzed” the business and when the closing date came, he was thrown into incredible turmoil. He had not considered the costs of the inventory side of the business and was shocked by the bill on top of the closing cost.

Jacob said he did not sleep that night. He said he had the “most stressful and terrible night in memory.” He remembered his “mind went to this black abyss.” He was afraid he was taking his family down. He thought he had made one of the greatest mistakes of his life. He added, “I just wanted out.”

But it was not the price tag as much as it was that he had not seen it coming and wondered what else he had missed. He had to have control. He had to be god of his circumstances. He was out of control of his environment.

It was in the midst of this struggle that he realized he could not control all the chess pieces and if he tried he was going to go crazy. He said it was an “unsustainable” way to live and do business.

And he recognized it came out of a deeper problem of idolatry. Jacob was going to have to trust the Lord in this new venture and that in turn led to trusting his employees. He could not try to control every element of the business but had to have the help of his team.

From a leadership model, it is important to give power and responsibility to your team of employees. Getting the right people on the bus, as Jim Collins instructs (“Good to Great”), and then giving them power to complete their tasks is the kind of leadership that Jacob is now developing.

The Aha Moment

In his view this is simply a “kingdom-building” approach to business ownership. When he had his “aha” moment, he knew his primary goal needed to be to care for his employees.

He turned to Matthew 6 where Jesus says on the Sermon on the Mount:


“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

[Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)]

He wanted to get on to Matthew 6:25, the section of Jesus’ sermon where he gives encouragement that God provides for the needs of his children [Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.]. Jacob wanted a “lucky charm” from scripture to help him trust that everything would be alright.

Kingdom Purpose

But he realized as he read on in Matthew 6 that the part about God providing for his children comes in the context of this passage about not storing up treasures on earth.

Jacob was challenged by this reading. He said, “Don’t set your hope in what you prize…in those things that are temporal. Don’t put your hope, desire, and joy in things that drive you in the place of that which is eternal and secure and won’t go away.”

He believed God was speaking to him at that moment and that his focus had been entirely “on the numbers.” He explained he had to give up his idols but realized that God “doesn’t ever say, don’t freek out about losing your idols, God will take care of it!” 

He said God was in essence saying, “Jacob, love people well. Be a good employer and I will take care of everything else.” He said, “That is kingdom purpose! Use this opportunitiy to be a good employer, taking good care of the people.” Jacob said, “That’s how [God] provides for his people to be about kingdom work – caring for, loving people is kingdom work.” He added, “My getting rich isn’t a kingdom focus.”

Jim Collins described his research into the most successful corporations to determine what made them tick. One of the common denominators between these diverse companies was a leader who cared for the company so much that his pay was not the driving factor in his commitment to the company. These CEO’s wages were often much less than CEOs of other comparable corporations that did not perform as well.

In addition, these CEOs had the humility to practice what Collins called the mirror and window approach to leadership. When things were not going well for the corporation, the CEO would look at the man in the mirror and take the blame. When the company was producing well, the CEO would look out the window and give credit primarly to his employees.

Though “Good to Great” is not an overtly Christian text on business management, the research identified what can be understood as biblical principles of management.

That perspective drives everything Jacob does as an employer including the wages he pays. He has spent much time struggling through what God would have him pay his employees, always mindful of the world’s standards.

Kingdom Wages

In the 1950s the average CEO made nearly 20 times the average worker. Today, the average S&P 500 Index firm paid their CEO 361 times the salaries of the “rank-and-file worker” according to Forbes. Jacob wants to serve his employees with above-average pay and he wants it to be a living wage.

Jacob has a redemptive, dominion-taking mindset that is sorely lacking in our wealth-driven society.

It is the Jacobs in our cities that truly make them communities. They point the spotlight on the God who has gifted his people and given them opportunity to tend and cultivate our world.

Susie’ Story: The Care & Feeding of an Autocrat

Posted on by
Reply

“Susie” was employed as the Programming and Missions Director in a non-denominational church with 400 members.

She served under an autocratic pastor.

Susie was an assistant under the supervision of the Senior Pastor  who, by her description, was the primary authority in the church.

He was a highly authoritative pastor who limited her abilities to use her giftedness and sense of effective ministry. In the end, she finally considered the ministry “vision” of the senior pastor to be in conflict with her own and resigned her position, leaving with damaged emotions that would take years to heal.

Developing Leaders

Susie spent three years at the large, multi-campus church. She was employed to oversee the development of teams that led all aspects of worship through videos, music, and PowerPoint.

Her background in business management provided organizational skills that were invaluable for these administrative tasks. In addition, her love for mentoring was utilized as she discipled individuals and led teams in spiritual development.

Unique Opportunities & Challenges

The position of an assistant to a senior pastor provides unique opportunities and challenges. There is real pleasure of “working together with people who believe the same thing you believe,” as Susie noted. Working with others called to the ministry can provide great satisfaction.

Susie took great joy in using her gifts to serve people in the church. She explained that she was supported and encouraged by most in the congregation where “you are seeing people’s lives grow and be fulfilled in a way that has never been fulfilled before.”

“I was a little bit nervous about going to the church setting because my background is in management and typically churches don’t manage themselves very well,” she said. But her work administratively in organizing the various teams for worship resulted in the development of leaders (where there were none when she arrived) and helpful procedures for all the teams.

“I wrote all these procedures and taught everything…everything was set up so they wouldn’t need me at all.”

The African Debacle

Susie explained that she was approached by Pastor Pete to organize a missions committee at the church and arrange for short-term mission trips to Africa.

Pastor Pete wished to begin building relationships with a particular group of Sub-Saharan African churches through short-term trips. He gave Susie the authority to build a team, communicate with the African churches, and partner with a missions organization in the United States through which they would operate.

The title of a novel written by Nigerian, Chinua Achebe comes to mind. The book describes the experiences of an 1800s African dealing with colonialism. Susie’s experience with the senior pastor reminded me of the title, “Things Fall Apart.”

As they prepared to sign up members for the summer mission, one member reneged on his verbal commitment. He had particular gifts of importance to the team, but he explained that he had been asked by Pastor Pete to accompany him on a mission trip to another African country, a trip neither Susie, nor her committee, had heard of previously.

When she and a fellow leader (an elder in the church) were told of this trip, the elder was “infuriated” and set up a meeting with Pastor Pete.

In the meeting, Pastor Pete simply “laughed” at the elder and said that the elder had simply gotten his “feelings hurt.” Susie explained that after the elder expressed his concern for the lack of respect shown by the laughing pastor, the pastor just continued to mock him.

Money Matters

After the very successful mission trip, the team presented an “African worship service” for the congregation. Members of the church gave thousands of dollars and many material items for the African churches Susie’s team had visited in an offering that Sunday.

At the close of the service, Pastor Pete gave an announcement that all the funds and materials would be sent to the other African churches he had visited two weeks earlier.

It was a complete surprise to the missions committee and Susie’s team who had been directed to raise the funds and materials for the African churches by Pastor Pete.

Unity & Peace

Susie observed multiple times when her supervising pastor was highly authoritative and hurtful to those under his care. The frequency of such events were instrumental in Susie’s resignation from her position.

Susie said she never felt that Pastor Pete respected her though he “handed [projects] freely over” to her, rarely checking on her to ask how they were progressing.

The lack of respect shown by the senior pastor created significant hurt. However, Susie only realized the significance of the emotional injury later. She explained,

“I didn’t realize at the time but now looking back and going through some spiritual abuse healing, there’s no question that I was deeply hurt. I felt betrayed.”

Mediating

Susie’s concern for the authority of the pastor was evident in the interview. Her desire for unity and peace in the church was unmistakeable in that she was very careful with whom she spoke during the crises and when leaving the church.

As noted in other articles, it is imperative for those having been traumatized to tell their story often and in safety.

However, Susie sought to limit the relational damage of the pastor by speaking with few people in the church about their experiences. In order to cope with the emotional struggle, Susie explained, “I reached out to some family in [another state] because I really wanted to respect the church and I didn’t want to create any division.”

Susie was cognizant that her response to the pastor and to members of the church could “create a schism” or “division” and so restricted her communication to those either outside the church or directly involved in the conflicts.

Self-Differentiation

Her self-differentiation was evident in her challenging the pastor during two meetings with him. She warned Pastor Pete that she expected the Lord to “get his attention” at some point if he didn’t change his behavior.

Susie believed her ultimate authority was God and not the senior pastor. She said this helped her respond with a significant level of self-differentiation. She was able to challenge him knowing that God was her real authority.

Despite having been placed in an uncomfortable position of telling churches in Africa that all commitments made to them were off, Susie recognized that the onus of the failure was the senior pastor’s. She explained that her concern that her reputation was damaged was limited by her knowledge that others knew her character and integrity. It was not Pastor Pete’s respect that she needed.

Serving the Congregation & Confrontation

Susie noted that most of the leadership (Deacons, missions committee, and Elders) have since left the church primarily due to the abusive leadership of the pastor.

Because the frustration Susie experienced was not unique to them, there was difficulty determining how to respond to the congregation in those times. Susie said she counseled others to “try to understand that even though you are part of a church and you are a part of a Christian organization, sometimes your first answer is to God and to God alone and you need to first and foremost seek Him.”

She also encouraged those who were struggling with Pastor Pete’s decisions to go to him directly as a brother in accordance with Matthew 18.

But there were complications. She explained that the pastor was unlikely to respond to any confrontation by her or congregant members. She had seen others seek reconciliation and fail.

Susie considered Matthew 18 to be the model. On the other hand, she noted that “there’s nothing you are going to do to change this guy.” Pastor Pete rejected any exhortation he was given, shifted the blame, or said he would try harder to no apparent effect. His only real accountability was to himself as the primary authority and no overarching denominational authority.

Susie expressed frustration with having had her “hands tied.” When other mission team members sought Susie out to encourage her to talk to Pastor Pete, Susie told them, “He knows the situation we are in and he has clearly told me ‘this is the decision I’ve made…this is where it’s going, and this is what’s going to happen.’ And so I have no control.”

However, upon her advice several mission team members continued to work with the African churches and mission agency, making other arrangements to continue in their commitment to the churches despite their own pastor having removed the church’s support of that particular mission.

In the End

Susie did extensive work to leave a legacy of organizational structure, fulfilling the purpose for which she was employed. Following her final worship service, she said, “I left my keys right in the middle of my desk and I walked out and I never heard a word from [the pastor].”

On a positive note, ministry happened that may have had long term effects on the congregation she served. However, the frustrations encountered dulled her hopes that she had effective ministry during those years of service.

The Narcissist Pastor: Jacob’s True and Painful Tale

Posted on by
Reply

Jacob simply described his Pastor as a narcissist.

But, it took much longer for him to describe all the destruction wrought by his Senior Pastor while Jacob served the burgeoning church plant.

Jacob had studied for two years in college before he and his wife joined a church that had been a church plant, but was now ruled by an elder board.

Gifted Preacher

The pastor, who was an excellent speaker, had planted the church and he had been effective in ministering to its members through his pulpit ministry. When he and his wife joined, Jacob was determined to be an encouragement to the pastor, knowing that often pastors have no one to go to for help and encouragement.

They struck up a seemingly close relationship and within six months, Jacob was asked to come on staff as the “Executive Ministry Director” and also serve as an elder on the board. He brought much organization to the young church and the growth in the following twelve to eighteen months was stunning.

The school cafeteria, in which they were meeting, was filling up.

However, Jacob was sensing what he interpreted to be an apparent consequence of the rapid growth, a lack of shepherding on the part of the leadership.

Jacob said he “started a conversation about it.”

But the pastor was “increasingly focused on gathering people around himself to hear him preach.” Jacob said, “It was getting to be unhealthy.”

He believed the purpose of church leadership to be the Ephesians 4 model of training the members for the works of ministry, not gathering them to hear one uniquely gifted teacher.

The Confrontations

Jacob determined to discuss the issue with the pastor in a non-judgmental way; something Jacob considers his modus aperandi when confronting. Having grown up in an abusive home, he was particularly sensitive to “being wrong.” He was quick to “take the log out” of his own eye as Jesus, in Matthew 7, instructs.

He was not prepared for the pastor’s manipulation. Jacob described his reactions as “narcissistic.” He immediately shifted the blame to Jacob.

The confrontations came like clockwork. Every three to four months Jacob would sense that he was responsible before God to encourage the pastor to get off his high horse and shepherd the congregation rather than basque in his growing fame.

Never once did the pastor admit fault, according to Jacob. He would ask the pastor to consider what he had said, whether it was valid or not, and the pastor said he would. But the pastor’s response was always half-hearted and he “was never very convincing.”

Shepherding the 1%

Jacob described the church as being in a very wealthy area and had several millionaires in the congregation. It appeard to Jacob that the pastor would drop whatever he was doing and visit a wealthy member when called upon.

However, when someone less afluent or less influential sought counseling from the pastor, he would schedule them two or three weeks out.

Jacob remembers a young couple, who had just married, having marital struggles of a serious nature. They asked for an appointment with the pastor. The pastor scheduled them for two weeks later. However, a woman who was wealthy, attractive, and good friends with an influential pastor in their denomination asked for an appointment to discuss some of the well-known pastor’s teaching. She was immediately given a hearing…at her home…with just the two of them there.

An older couple was having marital difficulties and ended up calling Jacob to come counsel them. Jacob recalls physically shaking on the way to their house, knowing he was much younger than they were and had very little experience in counseling. He was convinced it was not for him to be in this position, but knew the pastor would not meet with them.

It ended well and years later, the couple claimed he saved their marriage. But Jacob was angered by the shepherding failure of the pastor that was not getting any better.

Money Matters

The pastor’s self-centeredness also was apparent in his handling of the church’s money.

He hired a personal assistant, paying him $40,000…without elder approval.

He gave himself a $10,000 raise…without elder approval.

He signed himself up for a medical plan that cost $5,000…without elder approval.

And when the church purchased office space, the pastor spent $20,000 on the remodeling…without elder approval.

According to Jacob, the building had a luxurious office for the pastor and a long countertop along one wall for the five other staff members. The fact that he and the other staff members had a countertop did not bother him. He was happy with his countertop office. But, “It was a glaring representation of [the pastor’s] heart” that drove Jacob to speak with him about it.

The pastor, in response, suggested Jacob take over the kitchen space for his office. Jacob told him that was not the point.

Keeping the Head Down

It was getting to the point where Jacob did not trust the pastor. He said, “It was almost like he was hijacking God’s truth for his gain.” He explained that he would sit under the pastor’s sermon and realize he did not trust him. The pastor did not “have his best interests at heart.”

Jacob tried to keep his head down and do ministry.

But, though he received great encouragment from the elders and congregant members when he would periodically preach or teach, the pastor would “pull him aside and make him feel like he had totally failed was the worst preacher ever.”

Jacob found out later that when people would ask the pastor for Jacob to teach a Sunday School class the pastor would tell them Jacob had “personal problems” and “doctrinal issues.” Jacob believed the pastor was jealous and afraid of anyone else in the church that was gifted. He could not stand to see “anyone else in the congregation celebrated.”

He knew at “some point he would be cut off.“

The Firing

When the pastor told Jacob he was firing him, he said he could remain on as an elder.

The pastor wrote a letter to the elder board explaining, “Jacob has acknowledged his faults. Jacob was abusive to [me]. He was so oppressive to [me].” It was not at all what had passed between them.

When Jacob met with the elders, they were very encouraging to him and asked what he wanted to say to the congregation. Jacob said he “didn’t want to control it.” Later the elders sent a draft of the letter to Jacob.

Apparently the draft was quite different than what was read to the congregation. Following the congregational meeting, a senior member called him and said Jacob was “trashed” at the meeting. The member was very dissapointed. The elders had said just enough to raise suspicions, but did not raise a single failing of Jacob’s.

They gave him a good severence that Jacob interpreted to be “buying him off,” being they had not actually raised any issues with his work with the church.

The Learning

Jacob explained,

“This felt well beyond circumstantial difficulty. It felt like spiritual warefare against my soul. Like a deliberate attack against the deepest part of who I am. It is hard to describe the level of woundedness I experienced.”

Like others with whom I have spoken, he said, “One of the hardest things to face besides the death of loved one is betrayal.” He said he was ready for the pastor to act in unbecoming ways, but not the elders. He was not prepared to see them “manipulated as weak men” by the pastor.

When it happened, “something snapped.” He said it has taken a long time to overcome.

The Healing

When asked what was most healing to Jacob, he mentioned “time” and “God’s sovereignty.” Of particular interest was his struggle with God’s sovereignty in the situation.

He explained that knowing God is sovereign was “both a barrier and ground for healing.” It was a barrier because “God has brought this upon me so he must be displeased with me and bringing discipline.”

An easy interpretation for any of us, let alone one who has been raised being told he is worthless and always wrong. He says,

“My disposition is to believe others don’t care about me. I know its not true. It is an ever present lie. I was force-fed it as a child.”

On the other hand, the knowledge of God’s sovereignty also meant, “If God wounds me, its because he loves me. And if he heals? Its because he loves me.“

He has popped back and forth between these views, knowing all the while God loves him dearly and the first interpretation is not biblical. He takes great comfort in this self-talk based upon the truth of God’s Word.

Following a year working as a barrista and working towards an undergraduate degree, Jacob moved across country to attend seminary. He had not preached from a pulpit since leaving the church.

Within a week of arriving he was asked by the president of the seminary to fill in for a retreat speaker at a nearby Christian camp. The speaker had become ill and was unable to attend.

Jacob was given the task of preparing a sermon and a devotional each day for the retreat on very short notice. Rather than an overwhelming experience, he said he felt the Lord was saying to him despite his experience, “I trust you to handle my word. I did not discard you.”

It was healing to know the Lord had more for him than what a narcissistic senior pastor had sought to impress upon him.

Moving Forward

Jacob still struggles with the insecurities common in my research to those who have been under abusive leaders. There is a palatable sense of self-doubt that accompanies the trauma from such abuse.

I have yet to meet someone who was “self-differentiated” enough to remain free of the harm. It is what drives me to encourage those under abusive leadership to get out. The long-term impact I have seen is not worth manning up.

Jacob has told his story to others and faced the disapproval of those who do not understand abuse. When I first asked him to share his story, he shared some hesitancy. He explained,

“My wife and I have…learned the hard way to be much more cautious in choosing to share our experience and the insights we have gleaned. On multiple occasions, my willingness to be vulnerable has resulted later in others immaturely attempting to use my vulnerability to their own advantage by assuming that these experiences somehow encumber my abilities in some way…something like making me seem like ‘damaged goods.’ Needless to say, this has been hurtful, but alas, we are broken people who live in a broken world. “

Even as Jacob came before a group of elders to be taken under the care of a denominational conference in preparation for ordination, he was fearful. He struggled to determine if the telling of his story would create backlash.

I hope and I pray that the bride of Christ to which he wishes to minister will in turn minister to him as he continues to experience God’s gracious love in healing.

Do you have a story to tell? We need to tell our stories and others need to hear them for healing to truly take place. Contact PearlsAndSwineSite for a confidential interview.

Jabez & An Enlarged Heart

Posted on by
Reply

A number of years ago, the “prayer of Jabez” became the in thing. This short prayer recorded in 1st Chronicles 4 became the subject of books and articles globally. 

The chronicler tells of Jabez, a man more “honorable than his brothers.” Jabez prays that God would bless him and “enlarge [his] border.” In addition, he asked that God’s hand would be with him and he would be kept from harm “so that it might not bring [him] pain.” [1 Chronicles 4:9-10]

Scripture says Jabez’ name means pain. His mother gave him the name, she said, “Because I bore him in pain.“

1st Chronicles says, “God granted what he asked.”

Before the Story Begins

But, before this story even begins, we understand that Jabez was truly a God-follower. He was “honorable.” And he was seeking God’s help through prayer, not his own ability, to get more wealth—in essence what enlarging his border would do. He was dependent on the Lord.

So, how did Jabez get to that point?

I would suggest that it came from an “enlarged heart.” The psalmist in Psalm 119 says,

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!

[Psalm 119:30-32 (ESV)]

Notice, the psalmist says he had chosen “the way of faithfulness” and was clinging to the Word of God. But, note that he ends this paragraph saying he will follow God when He enlarges his heart. What an interesting way to put it, don’t you think?

It is important firstly to note that the word, “heart” [לֵב] in Hebrew means “feelings, will, and even intellect.” The scripture writers do not really distinguish between thinking and feeling.

The enlightened West, and even the Greeks, have done much to separate emotion and thinking, but this comes more from experience than scripture or even neurological studies. Though they come from two different parts of the brain, their interaction is almost as if they are one.

The psalmist is suggesting he follows the Lord because his whole inner man, in the language of scripture, is enlarged by God.

Returning to Jabez, he prays from an enlarged heart for an enlarged territory.

If we love the Lord and therefore, have enlarged hearts, we may wish to seek to have enlarged territories. As leaders, there is much to be seen in the model of Jabez.

Enlarged Influence

Enlarged territory means enlarged influence. Some leaders seek that influence that they may be enlarged. They will be powerful. They will rule with authority. They will control. They will gain fame or fortune. They will be important. [see article]

But, that is not how Jabez’s prayer should be applied. He apparently had an “enlarged heart” to follow the Lord before he ever asked for territory.

Because the Lord answered his prayer and there is no more spoken of Jabez, we can assume that Jabez had motives that were coming from that enlarged heart – from an honorable man who had godly motives.

Though no man is sinless in his motives, and Jabez most likely had some desire to spend it on himself [as James says], he apparently had good motives as well.

And I would imagine those motives were to enlarge his ability to minister to others:

  • His family
  • His servants
  • His world

Do you, as a leader, wish to expand your influence?

First, seek that the Lord would enlarge your heart to follow Him. That you would, with the Psalmist, choose the “way of faithfulness,” cling to God’s Word, and run in the way of His commands.

Secondly, seek greater influence for the good. The good of your neighbor not your own greatness. Make it your motive not to spend your enlarged territory on your pleasures, but on the edification of those around you.

Liberty U: Slaves to Image [& $]

Posted on by
2

A friend of mine who suffered under abusive leadership recently said, “I have come to believe that it all comes down to money.”

It is said of Commissario Guido Brunetti,

He had also learned, during the years he had practised this profession of his, that the important trail to follow was the one left by money.1

Awfully cynical don’t you think?

Unfortunately, there is little doubt that many organizations, businesses, and churches have become toxic because of just that: money. 

The God Who created the universe and sent His Son to redeem it from the brokenness of sin talks a lot about money in His revelation to men and women. He would encourage us to get our sights off money!

The writer of Ecclesiastes had much wisdom. He said, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

In the West we have largely bought into an economic view that idolizes anyone or anything that builds wealth. We believe that human development and flourishing is mostly about economics.

In fact, a little known law to most Americans states that a stockholder may sue the CEO of a corporation if he makes a decision that is not the most beneficial financially to the stockholder. Not community. Not employee. Not environment.

However, scripturally we are warned not to pursue wealth. Men and women have a real bent (sinful tendency) towards reliance on the creation (including money and things) rather than God Himself. He takes great pains to bring us to dependency on Him.

What is Our Purpose?

God created, sustains, and will bring to fruition. He wants us dependent on Him, not driven to gain wealth.

The Fall of Man (and woman) in the Garden of Eden did not change His purpose. God still creates, sustains, and promises to bring to fruition His good and holy will. This is our starting point. This needs to be at the forefront of our passions and actions.

We must ask ourselves if our passion is in serving God’s redemptive plan for this world or gaining wealth. There is a very distinct difference in motive and it will completely change the way a Christian organization or church operates.

If money is the goal, motivator, or assessment tool in our ministry and work, our ministry may be toxic.

You probably understand what I mean by “goal” and “motivator,” but be curious what I mean by “assessment.” Often we “assess” our ministry by our donor base. We may determine the validity or effectiveness of ministry by where people put their money. That can be through a donor list or tithing in the church.

Solution Through Marketing

Therefore, when the funding begins to slip the leader’s first reaction is to look for a marketing-type fix. He does not necessarily ask himself if the ministry is doing what God wants it to do, but asks what he can do to get those funds pouring in once again.

Using money for assessment often creates ministries that are image-driven rather than service-driven.

One particular example is Liberty University’s journalism debacle. As reported by World Magazine, Liberty is so caught up in their image they have gone to new lows to rid their campus of honest people. As Bruce Kirk, Dean of the School of Communication said to the school newspaper staff, “Your job is to keep the LU reputation and the image as it is.”

I must have missed something? I always thought an organization’s reputation and image should be built on truth-telling and how it serves people, not asking its stakeholders to coverup the ministry’s failures. Apparently, Jerry Falwell Jr. and I have differing views. It begins to smell a lot like a donor base to me as I read about the firing of student journalists.

Consider the ministries that have been propped up by leaders who were destructive, but to the media world were stars: Bill Hybels, Mark Driscoll, Jim Baker. The assessment of their ministries were in part conducted by the finance department. People flocked to them. People opened their checkbooks.

Therefore, the ministry leaders figured they must be blessed by God. And the rush was on to keep that image alive…to keep those finances flowing.

But, money is not fundamental to ministry.

Money is God’s Job

Continually, the pages of scripture tell us to get our sights off money as motivation, purpose, or goal. And get our sights on God’s provision.

Jesus was speaking to the crowds and challenging them with difficult sayings. He challenged his hearers to turn to the Lord rather than their own abilities. In Matthew 6:31-34 he says,

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Wow! When taken in juxtaposition with other passages that command a good work ethic [Proverbs 12:14, Ephesians 4:28] it becomes apparent that men and women are called to work, as a part of seeking the kingdom of God. But, ultimately, they are to trust that God will provide for their economic needs. 

We need not worry about our ministry’s image…we need to trust in the Lord and do the job He has called us to do.

So What is Work For?

This article is not intended to provide a complete treatment on this subject. There is too much to say in answering this question.

However, I would suggest the big-picture-purpose of work is to make something of this earth. God gave man work when he was perfect…man was called to cultivate and tend the garden [Genesis 2:15]. As men and women were fruitful and multiplied they were to spread throughout the earth cultivating and tending. Work was not a result of sin but a good gift from God.

With the advent of sin, work became difficult [Genesis 3:16-19]. We were driven to depend on the Lord. It also became a means of reversing the curse the earth faced from the effects of the fall. The broken things (from sin) can to some degree be repaired. Weeds can be pulled. Wheelchairs can be created along with medications and prosthetics. And beautiful things can be made…buildings, art, music, patio furniture.

But, work is still good and has God’s original purpose. He did not withdraw that purpose.

Primarily, Work Provides for the Needs of People

This may sound antithetical to my comment that Money is God’s Job, but there is a distinction I want to make. Work provides for other people. My needs are secondary.

I serve others as I work. If my work has no purpose in cultivating and tending the needs of others, my work is likely all about me. Though my work provides income for my family, I must remember that it is God who is ultimately providing both the work and the income.

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. [Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (ESV)]

God does not just provide the money, but the job for making the money, and the ability to have a job. 

When an organization or church moves away from this goal and focuses on its own needs primarily, it is slouching towards Gomorra. It will do all it can to build itself up…marketing, self-preservation, and image become the focus of the ministry.

Rather, it must keep its sights on the stakeholders the ministry serves and truly seek their good…

Not the ministry’s checkbook.

 

Notes

  1. Leon, Donna. Quietly in Their Sleep (Commissario Brunetti Book 6) (p. 30). (Function). Kindle Edition. ↩︎