The deficit driven life

It's an accountability thing, as well as an attempt at being open, honest and transparent.

Our church puts the collection from last week in the bulletin, with a small statement as to which fund the money went into (e.g., general fund, building fund, missions fund). However, it has stopped publishing the "annual budget" or "annual goal."

A lot of organizations have incomes *way* under budgeted expenses this year. Most churches and other charities see a lot of their income come in at the end of the year (around Christmas), so they often run "under" until December and then go into the black. However, the poor economy has really caused charitable giving to crater and those donations aren't showing up.

 

Chicken Soup for The Purpose Driven Life?

 

The local Catholic church puts in its weekly program how much it took in and how much it costs to run the church for that week.

 

Heard on the radio this morning that Warren had already raised more than $2M from this plea.

 

I'm sorry, make that $2.4 million.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34670238/ns/us_news-us_faith/

 

ftw!

maybe my film of the (past) decade.

 

How sad it is where Warren seems okay merely because he doesn't say God will call him home if people don't pony up.

I do have a problem though, not necessarily with Warren, but with other ministers who preach about giving to God and he will give to you. If that were true, those ministers wouldn't need to ask their flock to make up for God's lack of followthrough.

 

I am a newly named Trustee at my church, and church money is funny.

For four straight weeks we had the "we need money" and "we cannot do our share" speeches after the service (and once it was in place of the service).

This is just fucking wonderful when you are trying to grow a membership. If I was going to a certain church for the first time, and I heard a "we are out of money" talk... Well, you can guess what i would do the next week.

Well, it turns out that we do have money. Some asshat wants to send 100,000 nets to Africa or some shit like that. Sure that is a great cause, but don't throw the membership in a panic (and we have lost good people the last four weeks over this) over some Charles Keating/Andrew Carnegie personal fund drive.

 

Your church is so lucky to have you.

 

You know when to ask and when not to ask.

Scaring little old ladies who have been members of the church for 50 years is not the way to fund outside things.

They were being scared with statements like we might be able to pay the pastor.

For me, that is bullshit.

 

There are obligations a church must meet ... most support missionaries (and provide their salary -- their food, shelter in addition to any materials they need), they have to keep the heat and lights on, and the pastors and building maintenance crew do have to be paid.

Being a pastor is a full-time, often 24/7 job. They, too, need to put food on the table and keep the lights on.

I find doomsday "we need money" pleas distasteful, but a church also has the responsibility to let people know if it cannot meet its budgeted obligations for the year.

Churches that teach "if you give, you'll get a lot more" rub me the wrong way. I'm pretty devout, but God is not an ATM. You give because you choose to give, and because you believe in supporting the work of the church. You don't give because you expect something in return.

 

I love a guy who uses the phrase "I am a trustee at our church" and then drops and F-bomb and calls parishoners "asshats".

I'm wondering, do you go to the same church as Drip? Do they call women in your church slutwhores as well?