The title of this post has nothing to do with Christmas financial woes. Nor has it anything to do with my daughters wedding in less than 3 weeks. Nothing will be said of our human brokenness and certainly this isn’t about my team placing 9th in our fantasy football league (out of 10 teams) this year. (I went for broke keeping Eli Manning and Tiki Barber and it cost me dearly.) No, this is about the financial state of the church I serve and in a nutshell we are going broke. We are a membership of about 75 residing in a place that warrants 250. At first glance, by the looks of the property, it would appear that our membership is at about 200 or so. And although we are property rich, owning 3 large buildings and 2 homes on a lot 3 blocks from the UO, we find it difficult to pay the bills. It’s not because we are bad stewards but because the operating budget is more than we can afford. There are other reasons, I believe, and I’ll share those in a moment.

We rent our facilities to The Eugene Chinese Church, 6 A.A. groups, the Oregon Children’s Choir, the Eugene Camera Club and both houses are leased. We rent to the point that we can’t even use our own buildings for ministry! All of this helps offset some of the financial burden yet we struggle to make ends meet.

Over a year ago the leadership presented our situation the church and while most committed to giving more there was a sense that we’ll be just fine. See, the church has seemingly always pulled through because THEY were able to do it. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard “Look what WE have done!” There is an element of self sufficiency and pride and if my memory serves me God had something to say about that (Rev. 3:17). And yet, we continue to financially spiral downward.
But it wasn’t until 3 weeks ago during an annual meeting that the church finally understood what was happening. Looking at numbers, and numbers never lie, on a spread sheet it began to sink in - at the rate we are going we will be completely broke in less than 2 years! Oh to be sure there are lots of potential options on the table - get more renters, sell houses, blah, blah blah. In my opinion here is the reason for our situation.
1. We have relied on ourselves and less on God. We have relied more on what can be seen rather than what is unseen. Our faith has become weak and useless.
2. We are unwilling to change, unwilling to see things in a fresh way. God speaks and we ignore. God taps us and we shrug Him off. God wants us and we are indifferent.
3. We have become “lukewarm.” Our passion is serving ourselves, feeling good about who we are. We enjoy our little social club while the homeless sleep outside our doors and we don’t take notice. Yes, we started a young women’s shelter that has stretched the church and I am thrilled by the response of a few. Yet, we like the old freakin way of doing things. God is wanting to blow a new wind but we prefer the old stagnant air that chokes our culture.

I am actually thrilled by the prospect of going financially broke. For me it is evidence that God loves us and has a plan not only for each of us but also for the congregation. Instead of thinking bankruptcy I am envisioning new ways of doing ministry. Just imagine selling the property and then doing something worthwhile in our community. The possibilities are endless. And the freedom! Things like, giving gifts to and volunteering at local organizations, a coffee house ministry downtown, a musical venue inviting local talent to share their gifts, reaching homeless teens through Hosea Youth Services, providing a soup kitchen, maybe even a golf ministry of some kind. O.K. the last one might be a stretch but my point is the possibilities are endless all because we stopped listening to ourselves and gave God a think.

Yeah, I’m energized in this but I do have a prayer concern. This next year, 2007, will be a year of decision. A committee will be formed over the next few weeks to plan, vision and make a recommendation to the congregation of where we go from here. While this could be a good thing it could also be disastrous. I am hoping for God to really change our hearts as we process our future. I do not want it to be the same ol thing of history repeating itself and we seek what WE want but rather seek God’s heart. You know what that means? CHANGE! I am also praying that my heart is fixed on Christ. I can just feel the frustrations coming but I want to be walking in Jesus’ sandals.

One more thing. As this year plays out I’m not really sure where or how I’ll fit in all of this. My job here could be years ahead of me but I also know that I may not make it through the 12 months. Joan and I have discussed this but one thing is certain we are at peace with whatever happens. Have I mentioned recently how good God has been? Have I mentioned recently how good it is to have you as friends? Thanks so much for reading and Happy New Year!