Giving is a biblical responsibility, not an option.  Disobedience in the area of giving cripples the ability of a church to pursue legitimate mission goals.  If a church member is witholding giving, his problem is often not with the pastor, but with God. If that person leaves the church to go to another chances are his giving will change the moment he finds something “wrong” in the new situation. In a consumer society we have been acclimated to giving to get.  The only legitimate question in my mind is, “Is the kingdom mission being pursued?” My needs are always secondary to kingdom pursuit.  After all God has already made me a promise that He “will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.” Or as Jesus said, “freely you have received, freely give.”

I am in a situation that I know that God has called me into.  I was called off of my job with the Federal Govt. and I also have 13 years in state service.  From Sacramento CA to Edwardsville Ks.  What a change! Nevertheless I vowed that I would serve the Lord where ever he placed me.  The financial buden is hard, yet the Lord continues to supply the need.  Still I wonder is this all that God has for me as his faithful servant?  So, prayerfully I press on in His name.  While the money and change continue to be an ever present issue I am blessed to know the Lord has intrusted me with that which has no monitary value, for the soul can only be purchased by the blood.  I do not have all that I desire and I can not give as much as I would love to give to my family, but the Lord is blessing right now.  I am greatful for the word of hold a multitude of promises for me yet to be fulfilled.  Bless His Holy Name.

I have been a full-time pastor for 22 years, I spent 18 years at my first pastorate and took off one Sunday before starting a new position in my second church. I very seldom new what individuals were giving in the church’s I pastored, the only time I would ask for giving reports was in considering someone for a leadership position in the church.  There were many times in the last 22 years that we had people try to move us out, but we new that if we left for anyother reason than God releasing us we would have failed God and walked out of His perfect will.  This forced us to always be willing to work things out and not run from conflict in the church, is was never easy but was much easier than getting out of the will of God. When God gives you a release from a church several things will happen, but church trouble is not one on them, it will happen in your heart and your vision will begin to change toward somewhere else. Sometimes you are forced to leave, but in that case shake the dust off from your feet and move on, then it becomes their problem and not yours.

This is coming from a lay leader’s perspective: 16 years at the same church and instead of closing the cheque book (I don’t have one and besides I don’t earn any money as a homemaker and because some pastors just don’t listen to their lay people) I have decided to let my feet do the “talking” (instead of my mouth) and walking to another church. Pastors need to watch out for declining attendance and volunteerism too.If only some pastors realise that sometimes it’s time to let go and just go!

The stream dried up for Elijah and if the stream of blesssing and enablement for ministry dry up for us it may very well be time to see what God has for us somewhere else. This has been a tool that God has used in our ministry. Two times our financial situation has become so difficult there was little option left but to go to where He was directing. While we have been in His will at the place He has wanted us to be He has continually met our needs and far beyond. Sometimes you have to leave or die just as Elijah and others have learned.

One important point is that God may not lead us to a bigger and better appearing place. He may lead us to a smaller and less promising place. Our last move took us back to a small rural church that was my first pastorate. Here God has blessed us beyond our imagination.

The faithfulness of a pastor may demand that he stays. But will the congregation be blessed in the real sense? I think the witholding of finances is a sign that they can’t receive and support the Pastor that God has sent to them.

A pastor may have to go when the church elders gather to pray asking God to keep their pastor humble while they keep him poor. When people close up their wallets and purses, they can do great havoc to their finances and the church vision.

However, there’s always a divine solution to every ministry problem. Great if the affected pastor can find it!

Bill wrote:
“How sad it is when people think that by “closing their check book” they can get a pastor to leave. How much more sad when a man, who says that he was called by God, to pastor that church, will have a desire or thought of leaving when that occurs.”

I agree.  Why can’t we talk this out?  It’s just playing games, and dealing in unforgiveness.

...Bernie
http://www.FreeGoodNews.com

I know this to be true. When people are in disagreement with the direction of the church or when they feel the ship is sinking, the pocket book becomes cold. No one wants to stay on a sinking ship! Immaturity, Yes Human reaction, You bet.

First, communication is a must. Many ministers can communicate biblical truths but often lack in imparting vision and direction. People become discouraged because they don’t know the direction the church is headed. How can people follow if you don’t give them a clue as to what is expected of them as a church member. We fail to talk about the vision and purpose of the church and we leave our congregations in the dark.. We seem to think our members can know this by osmoses. The Word Of God say’s in
Habakkuk 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run”. You have to clearly communicate where your congregation is going and what your purpose is for the churches existence. If you can’t accomplish this step you might as well give it up!

Secondly, lets talk about transparency. In all my years of ministry I have run across very few ministers that have the ability to be transparent. Transparency does not constitute a weakness but on the contrary it shows practicality and strength in leadership. It takes the pastor off his pedestal that many try to put him on and helps the congregation relate to him as a real person. You can’t lead people if they can’t relate to you. Transparency demands integrity. How can you be transparent if your life doesn’t model integrity? All ministers should guard there integrity. This means being the “real McCoy” so that people can see God in your life, not that you’re perfect by any means but that they can see that you are the genuine article. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 say’s “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts”. NIV Transparency can be a real big issue if you lack integrity.

Problems such as finances are often systemic. It’s not always the heart of the people and quite possibly can boil down to leadership. A lack of transparent leadership, the feeling of an aimless sinking ship coupled with immature believers is enough to stop giving dead in its tracks.

The hearts of people have basically been the same since the fall of man. I have found that from church to church people are basically the same. They all hunger for truth and crave to belong ( to know and to be known). They congregate according to these two things. What makes one church flourish and another in the same community stagnate or even digress? I believe it boils down to leadership and meeting the needs of the people. After all, what are we in ministry for? We must be willing to meet the needs of the people and minister the uncompromising truth of God’s Word. I’m not saying that a congregation can’t be unhealthy even with good leadership. Godly council and honest evaluation is always in order. My suggestion is this, “before you move” take a good look at yourself and evaluate.

The church I have pastored for 5 years is over 50 years old.  EVERY TIME, WITHOUT FAIL, that some of the people have wanted to get rid of a pastor, the finances “dry up.” When he consents to leaving, miraculously the treasury has plenty of money. 
We have been enabled by God to see more people saved, baptized, and added to the church membership than in any other 5 year period in the history of this church.  The people who were already here have been saying, “This is MY church,” meaning of course it is not the church of the newer converts.  The older members have said, “We need more QUALITY instead of QUANTITY.”
So now for the first time, half of the church body has left, and has asked me to start a church with them.  Before, money was always an issue.  Now, 70% of the finances have left with the people who have been saved and added under our ministry.  Is this irony, or is it catch-up time for God?  This church has treated pastors like they were undeserving of the slightest help from God, and now the word ICHABOD can be seen over the ministry. 
Why did this happen?  It all boiled down to the people who have responded to the Spirit of God in the last 5 years, and to those who would not and will not.  It is a people of a Laodicean church-bent; and the word of Jesus to them is the following: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!
17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, Rev. 3:15-17 NLT. 
This is a church whose members have told poor children at church dinners, “Get away from there, you’ve had enough.” This is a church whose “board” members have said, “I can’t stay tonight for the board meeting, but whatever you’re voting on, my vote is NO!” Do finances dry up at times?  Yes, they do.  God have mercy on people who would withhold tithes and offerings from a man of God and his family who they had promised to support, and would rather see them in the gutter than allow the Spirit of God to change their hearts!

Maybe we need a simple reality check sometimes.  The economy goes up and down.  Most churches were not discussing this issue during the .com boom in the 90’s.  Certainly there are times when a drop in giving is a sign of problems, but pastors can also take on blame and responsibility they shouldn’t take on.  It is true that people give to a vision, but sometimes economic realities diminish the size of a local church or even shut it doors.  This has happened throughout history, but the Kingdom continues to grow.

Good call, Jim. I am a senior pastor and I agree that when you get cynical and set in on being a cantankorous person, make like a tree and leaf.

I have been a senior pastor for 12 years. In our denomination the senior pastor is voted on after his/her first two years at the church. After my first two years, the average attendance rose from 211 to 265. We saw over 75 conversions in those two years and the involvement of people in small groups rose dramatically. I certainly had to deal with some critical issues like releasing the treasurer because of embezzelement and just overall incompetence. But the kicker was that I was voted out of my position primarily because of one issue. Give up? Growth! Yes, I said growth.

During the growth of the body the “unofficial leaders” were terribly bothered that they didn’t know everyone in the church any longer and that was intolerable. “Our church is losing that family feel and we can’t have that”.

Consequently, they proceeded to withold their tithes or redirect them to other ministries to send me a message. This caused a general discontent and I lost the vote by 3 votes.

In fact, one of my board members said that if people didn’t come to our church “they could just go to hell”.

Also, for those who think you shouldn’t leave because of how hard it gets financially have just simply never been in the place where their wife cries herself to sleep night after night because of desperation.

You become like what you follow. If you follow Jesus you will be like Him.