On January 25th of this year the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled, "Churches Find End is Nigh." A copy of it was sent to me by a friend with a hand-written note from him on the top. The note said this:
"What is it about the way we as Christians handle money that shows the world around us that we belong to Jesus? Or do we show them that we are slaves to lenders just as they are?"
GULP! The question is more than poignant, especially upon reading the article. It states that the number of religious institutions unable to pay their mortgage is surging in the midst of the current economic downturn. Like many individuals, churches find themselves upside down in facility debt.
Along the way many of us have gotten swept up by the "success" of our churches. As we grew larger we built larger and rationalized our decisions along the way. Many churches decided to fund debt through bonds rather than a straight mortgage, leaving little room to wiggle when the offerings dropped over the past years.
For all my years in ministry I have been a proponent of renting facilities, something my church in Amsterdam did and continues to do. Renting keeps you "on your toes" and mobile. It allows a church great flexibility and we do not become wedded to inanimate objects.
Whether we like it or not, many churches will be faced with the reality of losing a building and having to rent. From where I sit that will not be such a bad thing for the American Church.
I agree, Brian. I think that it's a great shift, actually. I found this online:
ReplyDeleteAmerican churches spend an average of 22 percent of their budgets on the upkeep or expansion of their physical buildings.
...yikes.