Continuing on the recent layoff announcements at Church of God Ministries, General Director Ronald Duncan recently sent pastors an email with a more detailed financial update and a revised budget for 2009 set 25% lower.
Certainly the financial stresses in Anderson are real. From communications I've had with people at our national offices, the last few weeks have been difficult. In keeping with the broader financial challenges experienced across the country right now, there is considerable anxiety as to whether the near future will bring any more bad news. Duncan revealed some of this concern with comments like:
"The manner in which we collectively view these reductions will affect the future of our movement. Some may view these reductions as failure. I certainly have reflected on this point of view. There is an element of these reductions that certainly feels like failure—failure of our congregational system of polity to support and fund the decisions of the General Assembly, failure of Church of God Ministries to adequately challenge and provide the necessary motivation to inspire support for the budget, failure of our leaders and congregations to deal with the gravity of the situation, and failure on my part to provide the leadership necessary for success. ...
"Throughout the Church of God’s 127 years, finding the financial support for the congregational, state, and national ministries has been a constant challenge. We seem to be dealing with an old, yet unresolved, question: Are we living and teaching principles of stewardship from the New Testament? Our future in both the near-term (one to two years) and our mid-term (three to five years) will be affected by how we respond." [emphases his]
I will offer some of my own thoughts on the future in an upcoming post, but for now let me say that I agree with Duncan that this is a critical moment in the history of our movement, at least from an organizational perspective. The current financial realities and trends indicate that there is not a common consensus across North America as to what our cooperative ministry should look like within our polity, in light of our doctrinal convictions, and in response to the challenges of ministry today.
Ultimately this will be resolved. Either by necessity or design. Hopefully, it will be the latter.
Certainly the financial stresses in Anderson are real. From communications I've had with people at our national offices, the last few weeks have been difficult. In keeping with the broader financial challenges experienced across the country right now, there is considerable anxiety as to whether the near future will bring any more bad news. Duncan revealed some of this concern with comments like:
"The manner in which we collectively view these reductions will affect the future of our movement. Some may view these reductions as failure. I certainly have reflected on this point of view. There is an element of these reductions that certainly feels like failure—failure of our congregational system of polity to support and fund the decisions of the General Assembly, failure of Church of God Ministries to adequately challenge and provide the necessary motivation to inspire support for the budget, failure of our leaders and congregations to deal with the gravity of the situation, and failure on my part to provide the leadership necessary for success. ...
"Throughout the Church of God’s 127 years, finding the financial support for the congregational, state, and national ministries has been a constant challenge. We seem to be dealing with an old, yet unresolved, question: Are we living and teaching principles of stewardship from the New Testament? Our future in both the near-term (one to two years) and our mid-term (three to five years) will be affected by how we respond." [emphases his]
I will offer some of my own thoughts on the future in an upcoming post, but for now let me say that I agree with Duncan that this is a critical moment in the history of our movement, at least from an organizational perspective. The current financial realities and trends indicate that there is not a common consensus across North America as to what our cooperative ministry should look like within our polity, in light of our doctrinal convictions, and in response to the challenges of ministry today.
Ultimately this will be resolved. Either by necessity or design. Hopefully, it will be the latter.
7 comments:
Lloyd,
I have not seen Dr. Duncan's letters so I have to believe that you have excerpted the core issues, and there are several that need dialoguing. However, I am not sure that self-flagellation is the solution.
I would suggest that DS Warner began with a message. He and his messengers lived minimally and sacrificed all for the message. Beginning with local churches supporting pastors, the more money we put into ourselves and the less we put into our message. That remains true today.
We are now boxed in by the denominational model and it may be that we need to once more think outside the box and find ways to put more into the message and less into the messengers.
Local pastors are facing the same perplexities as Chog Ministries. Where do we find a biblical balance to help us achieve our mission at both ends of the problem?
Wayne
I have read the whole letter and the previous one. There are many things there that I think need discussed but I feel as if everyone is stuck with an attitude that is part shock. I look forward to discussions on this later.
Hey Wayne,
How much are you sacrificing for the message? Are you living below the poverty line?
Most pastors in the Church of God do.
Thanks anonymous for asking ... I don't brag about it, but I would have to confess to it ... we wonder at times ... but God is good. I have my health, reasonable mind, friends, and things to do; I've had my wife 60 years longer than the doctors said I would, we have two children we were never supposed to have ... we do not face the abuse and persecution that some Christians experience abroad ... no complaints!
I know many are going to be struggling financially in these difficult times. It will affect families, churches, state organizations, the national, community help groups, missions, etc. However money does follow passionate purpose and vision. Let's be about intentional Kingdom ministry. Lets make sure we are passionately bring forth worthwhile purpose and vision. It is certainly not a time for meaningless ministry nor impassionate purpose.
Correction to what I said yesterday. I wrote, "It is certainly not a time for meaningless ministry nor impassionate purpose."
True ministry is never meaningless. However there some of our habits and traditions which can be meaningless. Everthing must flow out of our deep love for God and others. We must passionately live out God's purpose.
commenting on John's word about living out God's purpose.
Jesus died on the cross rather than deny the Father's purpose.
Paul suffered abuse, ship wreck, et al, and died daily, rather than subvert the message of the cross, which he saw as his glory, being strong in his weakness.
Wayne
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