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Is the Church Costing Too Much Money?

Orginally published on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 8:02 AM
by Todd Rhoades

If you’re a pastor, church staffer, or faithful member of a growing healthy church, you have probably at one time or another, had to listen to someone criticize your church because they feel it’s spending too much money on, fill in the blank, that could better be used for, fill in the blank? If you serve at, or are committed to a growing healthy church like the one I just mentioned, you have probably heard people criticize your building, your grounds, your walls, your floors, or what ever else they perceive as being a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere…

Pastor John Atkinson writes:

I ran across a quote today from “A Treasury of Bible Illustrations.” It was one of the most profound answers I’ve ever heard for those who criticize how much is spent to keep a church growing, healthy, and life changing.

On June 2, 1980 a little girl was born. She cost money from the moment she was born. As she grew from babyhood to girlhood, she cost even more. Her dresses and shoes were more expensive as well as the doctors for all those childhood diseases. She was even more expensive during her school and teen years. She needed long dresses to go to parties. When she went to college, it was discovered that all college expenses are not listed in the catalog. Then after graduation she fell in love and married. She had a church wedding, and that too, cost a lot of money. Then, five months after her marriage she suddenly sickened and within a week she was dead. She has not cost a penny since the day the parents walked away from her grave.

As long as the church is alive she will cost money, and the more alive a church is, the more money she will cost. Only a dead church is no longer expensive!

Think about this next time you criticize a church who you think is spending too much on, fill in the blank.

Pastor John

You can read Pastor John’s blog here for more great stuff...


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  There are 13 Comments:

  • Posted by Leonard
    Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 10:36 AM

    We gave away $1000.00 in gas cards one Sunday morning.  I made sure I raised the money outside of the church and told everyone that Sunday none of our budget was spent on the gas cards.  If I did not I would have been criticized for wasting money, even with that there were grumblings.  The new family that came and eventually received Christ, This was worth the hits.

    We need to become better at celebrating life change so people can see that money is invested not spent.

  • Posted by John Atkinson
    Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 11:22 AM

    Leonard, keep doing those kinds of things and you’ll look up and your church will be full of lost and broken people, and you’ll never feel more in the center of God’s will. And yes, some of the others will leave but sometimes thats what needs to happen if there are people who aren’t about being used of God to change lives. I’ll probably get hammered for that statement, but thats also part of paying the price.

  • Posted by dean
    Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 2:03 PM

    i just posted on this topic this morning at my blog, http://the-grateful-dean.blogspot.com/2007/06/personal-revolution.html , and a friend of mine sent me a link to this article.  i happen to be under conviction that if the church is “spending” money on “stuff” rather than “investing” in Kingdom work… real Kingdom work… being missional… i wouldnt necessarily say the church is costing too much, but whatever it IS costing must be re-appropriated to fulfill the mission of the church.  if the mission of that particular church body isnt to seek and save the lost, then they need to regroup and change the mission.  WHATEVER the church “costs” is worth every penny and then some, if it’s using it’s resources to win lost people.

  • Posted by Camey
    Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 2:56 PM

    “We need to become better at celebrating life change so people can see that money is invested not spent.” (Leonard)

    Whoa! Not to forget: “As long as the church is alive she will cost money, and the more alive a church is, the more money she will cost. Only a dead church is no longer expensive!” (John Atkinson)

    “WHATEVER the church “costs” is worth every penny and then some, if it’s using it’s resources to win lost people.” (Dean)

    Thanks guys for some great heartfelt thoughts!

  • Posted by Rezak
    Saturday, April 05, 2008 at 12:40 PM

    The church cannot be criticized!!! Sacred, such it is impossible to get up to this.

  • Posted by Arkadiy
    Saturday, April 05, 2008 at 2:32 PM

    This is cool? thank you fo information.

  • Posted by rezak
    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 1:00 AM

    Definitely YES!

  • Posted by online fx trading
    Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 5:34 AM

    “
    As long as the church is alive she will cost money, and the more alive a church is, the more money she will cost. Only a dead church is no longer expensive!

    Think about this next time you criticize a church who you think is spending too much on, fill in the blank.”
    I think these lines are true
    Thank You for the post

  • Posted by voyance
    Tuesday, November 04, 2008 at 6:33 AM

    Thanks guys for some great heartfelt thoughts!

  • Posted by Dustin
    Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 9:05 PM

    There’s no evidence offered that the expenditure of a church organization is analogous to money spent on a girl’s life. One could easily answer: Its not like that at all.

    The truth of the matter is that there’s no blanket statement to be made that spending money is always a good thing or always a bad thing. Each expenditure should be evaluated individually.

  • Posted by
    Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 11:44 PM

    The definition of a church seems to be assummed as something that has to have a building to exist. Where does this come from? Even if I overlook this huge assumption, the analogy used of the girl seems to be completely empty of any relevance to how the body of Christ spends money.

    One of the problems I had with the article is finding the connection between someone questioning how money is spent (on either a church or a girl) and either one being dead or alive. The logic used in the parable seems to be saying:

    Because a girl died at some point in her life, every penny ever spent on her was wise and justified and could not have been better spent so don’t question it.

    Or,

    Because a dead girl will never cost you anything, You should not question how money is spent on her while she is alive.

    So would she not have died or died sooner or later if they would have spent less on the wedding?

    Does her being dead confirm that the money spent on her long dresses to go to parties was unquestionably the absolute right decision for that part of her life?

    I can’t see where this parable offers any insight whatsoever into the spending of money on churches.

  • Posted by
    Wednesday, December 24, 2008 at 4:32 PM

    “As long as the church is alive she will cost money, and the more alive a church is, the more money she will cost. Only a dead church is no longer expensive! “

    I totally disagree with this comment.  By this statement you are telling me that the first 250 years of Christianity were dead.  I don’t think so.

  • Posted by gagner de l'argent
    Monday, February 16, 2009 at 2:55 PM

    very nice heartfelt thoughts!
    Thanks

    • Page 1 of 1 pages

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