US churches find no salvation from bad economy

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100330/lf ... 0330232800



WASHINGTON (AFP) – Nearly 40 percent of US Christian churches saw a drop in offerings from their flock last year, according to a survey on contributions compiled by the group Christianity Today International.

"For the first time in consecutive years there is a notable decline for a significant number of churches," said Matt Branaugh, one of the report authors.

Branaugh, editor of "Your Church magazine" -- part of the CTI group -- told AFP that one of the most important factors in the drop in donations was increased unemployment.

According to the survey of 1,000 churches across the United States taken for a second consecutive year, 38 percent of churches registered a drop in donations, against 29 percent the previous year.

The "State of the Plate" survey did not report the value of the offerings.

One third of the churches surveyed -- 32 percent against 14 percent the previous year -- cut expenses between one and 20 percent, which included cutting back on trips, conferences, renovations and parish expenses, according to the report.

Nevertheless, 45 percent of the churches surveyed increased their budget allocated to help people in need, Branaugh said.

Especially hard-hit were the "megachurches" surveyed -- churches that have room for between 2,000 and 5,000 faithful for a typical Sunday service.

Forty-seven percent of the "megachurches" saw a drop in contributions, compared to 23 percent in the previous year.

West coast churches -- those located in the states of California, Washington and Oregon -- were also hard-hit, the survey reported.

Representatives of Evangelical, Baptist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches, along with a small percentage of Catholic churches, responded to the survey.

According to a 2007 Pew Research survey, nearly 80 percent of US adults identify themselves as being Christian.

Sound like the media has taken a hit, too, if they're scraping the bottom of the barrel to report on church finances!

I don't think that should come as a surprise. A proper tithe is 10% of gross income. Well, if people aren't making that much, they aren't obligated to give as much. Also, a lot of wealthier church people often give more than the requisite 10%, and depending on the denomination, there might be additional gifts that go towards home and foreign missions, community programs, and other internal church ministries. The Church as a whole isn't ever in danger financially. But just like any other not-for-profit organization, it's capable of doing more provided it has the financial freedom to do so. Even though I'd do it for free, my church has made it very difficult for me to seek work elsewhere because they are able to pay their musicians. Very few churches are even able to have dedicated paid staff members on that level, and I feel blessed to work for one that does.

I have to confess, though, that I'm somewhat suspicious of the "megachurches." While they do some great things, it bothers me that so many people will flock to one person. I'm not talking about influential leaders like, say, Billy Graham or the Pope. My opinion is that those churches and their pastors are SEEKING a large following. Christians have traditionally understood that the message of the Bible is often not pretty (the book of Judges, for example, is the kind of stuff horror movies are made from with it's graphic depiction of war, the wrath of God inflicted both on His people and His enemies using people to exact His vengeance on each other). I appreciate that pastors no longer try to scare the hell out of us, but it's not right to water down the message, either. People don't want to hear about the torture of Jesus, They don't want to be reminded of their sinful nature and NEED for atonement. It's like atonement is a dirty word or something. And we're all good people, right? What do we have to be forgiven for?

There are megachurches that gloss over these important details for the sake of telling congregations what they want to hear to keep attendance up. People go to church to get their weekly warm-and-fuzzies. Churches like that aren't any better than a massive support group, led by a motivational speaker, and taught self-help strategies.

I think it's when a church starts looking more like a business that it really loses its witness (when the focus is on the money, not tending the flock). There are certain charismatic TV evangelists out there who promote "healing" as part of their ministry. But when someone rolls up in a wheelchair, we're suddenly out of time, see ya next week. Or maybe they get told "If you want a bigger blessing, you need to give a bigger gift." But the healing never comes, and these people suffer more heartbreak because they're led to believe that their faith is inadequate. These preachers can't heal anyone. They're just running a racket.

Those are the kinds of fake churches and preachers I'd like to see hit hard by bad economic times. They'll always have money coming in because of the people they've fooled and hooked into the scam. The money coming in doesn't go towards helping anyone. Just take a look at the mansions they live in and the cars they drive!

It does my heart good to know about that 45% number that uses offerings to help people with nothing to give has actually increased what they're doing.

I think it has to do with people having to sacrifice tithes and offerings to save their homes, rather than decreased church attendance.

Since tithes are directly tied to income, it would be expected for income at churches that encourage percentage tithes to see a drop.

Our church has actually seen an increase. But, then, they've never preached tithes. They've always talked costs and trying to cover them.

Same with the school. Fundraising is down from last year, but not from two years ago. We don't ask for a percentage of income, we tell people what we need on a per child basis. From there, they decide what they can afford and are willing to do.

People had no trouble going deep into their pockets for Haiti relief, because they saw a need greater than their own. When you give money based on what you have, rather than the value of what you will get, the formula works differently, and the non-profit should set aside in the gravy years for the lean years. Hmm ... I wonder how many of the churches at issue did that?

The squeeze is on. Most of the devout Christians are out there serving Mammon. We find out what is important to us during a Squeeze.

ruveyn