Thursday, November 19, 2009

Down-Sizing Church

Quick question: Should a church be structured in such a way that it is "economy-dependent"? The reason I ask is that I have had discussions with a number of people from churches in the area who were talking about the struggles of their programs. Some have had to abandon building projects and mission projects. Some are drastically cutting staff. I was talking to one lady from a huge church in Arizona that is really hurting - with a budget that is currently millions of dollars in the hole.

I feel for these people - honestly. But I also wonder to what degree churches should be at the mercy of the economy. We need to have vision and faith and this requires stepping out in programs and projects. We have done it ourselves at our church. But how can we truly fulfill the mission of helping the hurting if all we're doing is plugging our own holes? If the economy goes down, shouldn't we be there to help, not drown in it ourselves?

Is church really supposed to be like this? I can't help but think that something has gone seriously wrong and we are way off mission.