One subject that’s always good for a little controversy is a discussion of whether or not a pastor should have access to congregational giving records.
Years ago I was a proud, card-carrying member of the “I-don’t-know-who-gives-what” tribe.
But I changed my mind after being challenged and realizing that …
I had a hard time explaining why a pastor is any different from other ministry leaders
Think missionaries, parachurch ministries, Christian media, seminaries and the like.
I had a hard time explaining why capital campaigns are different.
No one seems to object to the pastor knowing about large commitments and gifts to a building project. So how is this different than gifts to the general fund?
I found nothing in the Scriptures supporting my viewpoint.
Frankly, all the verses I used to support staying in the dark could just as well be applied to missionaries or anyone leading any ministry—even the church treasurer—something that no one I know of advocates. The idea that a local church pastor is somehow different is simply not biblical.
Even though I took pride in not knowing, I still made subconscious assumptions.
I couldn’t help it. It’s human nature. But once I had the facts in hand, I was amazed at how inaccurate most of my assumptions were.
A while back, I was discussing this with a group of pastors at a gathering I was hosting. The very next day I had an experience that showed once again why having the facts is always better than making assumptions—and how having the facts radically changes (and should change) the way we deal with individuals.
Our church was being picketed by the carpenters’ union. Their huge “Labor Dispute—SHAME ON NORTH COAST CHURCH” sign showed up during the week and during our worship services in an attempt to “motivate” us into firing a non-union subcontractor we’d hired to work on our new campus construction.
After the first weekend of picketing, we received an email from a concerned parishioner.
He informed us that after prayer and reflection, his family would no longer be giving their “first fruits” to our ministry. He said he would still give the Lord what was His, but it just wouldn’t be to North Coast—at least not until the issue with the union was resolved.
He then went on to say that though he didn’t particularly care for the methods the union was using, he felt our church had a moral obligation to support companies that provide a living wage in order to show the community we care about people and not just the bottom line. He concluded by thanking us for the way our ministry and teaching had blessed his family and promised his entire family would continue to pray for us as we worked to resolve the issue.
If you were in my shoes, how would you respond?
