{"id":6849,"date":"2011-07-27T13:00:45","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=6849"},"modified":"2025-09-03T08:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T12:58:50","slug":"financial-difficulties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/financial-difficulties.htm","title":{"rendered":"Difficult Times for the Church, Financially"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"TheThe church finds itself in some difficult times . . .<\/p>\n

doctrinally<\/a><\/span>
\nmorally<\/a><\/span>
\nsocietally<\/a><\/span>
\nfinancially<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We stand at a crossroad. Will we despair and compromise or will we persevere and stay true?<\/p>\n

Financial Difficulties Require Some Retooling for the Church<\/h2>\n

For many churches,<\/p>\n

giving is down and expenses are up.<\/p>\n

Yes, it takes money to do ministry certain ways but, in truth, it takes God working in the hearts of people.\u00a0 The best facility, equipment, and materials don\u2019t change lives.\u00a0 God, through His Spirit and His Word, does the true work.\u00a0 Money isn\u2019t required to access those resources.<\/p>\n

Yes, it takes money to buy student books and classroom supplies but the truth is that people need love way more than they need learning materials.\u00a0 Love is something you can give away and will be remembered long after the lesson ends.<\/p>\n

Yes, it takes money for the upkeep of a church building but if everybody would do their part, these expenses could be reduced.<\/p>\n

Yes, it takes money to purchase high-tech equipment, DVDs, and computer software, but there are many ways to communicate without cost.\u00a0 If used strategically, skillfully, and with excellence, some of this low-tech methodology<\/a> can still be quite effective.<\/p>\n

A Need to Adjust Our Finances May Not be a Bad Thing<\/h2>\n

We all might have to make some adjustments and sacrifice in certain ways.\u00a0 As we do, perhaps it will pull us back to relying more on the Lord than our resources<\/em>.\u00a0 That would be a good outcome!!<\/p>\n

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”\u00a0 (Heb. 13:5-6)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Church Leaders:<\/strong>\u00a0 Learn to think outside of the box.\u00a0 What are some alternative means of doing ministry?\u00a0 Purchasing a pre-fab program might take less time but it isn\u2019t the only way when the funds are tight.\u00a0 You might need to get back to the basics of good time management as part of biblical stewardship.\u00a0 (1 Cor. 10:31; Eph. 5:15)<\/span><\/p>\n

All Church Members:<\/strong>\u00a0 View giving as an act of worship, not merely a responsibility.\u00a0 View giving as an investment into eternity, not merely to pay salaries and other current expenses.\u00a0 Give from the heart as God prospers you.\u00a0 (2 Cor. 8:2-3; 9:6-7)<\/span><\/p>\n

Stewardship Resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Financial Realities: For many churches, giving is down and expenses are up. Financial Retooling: Yes, it takes money to do ministry certain ways but, in truth, it takes . . . Continue reading Difficult Times for the Church, Financially<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issues"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t