This is an incredibly good article, entitle Seven Mistakes Every Church Should Avoid. I could repeat what is in the article and say more, but the author does it quite nicely and succinctly.
I particularly appreciate #2: Misrepresenting the tithe, #4: Over-emphasizing the role of the pastor, and #7: Conversion-focus instead of disciple-making.
I agree whole-heartedly with all of those. What are your reactions?
When you freely give out of love to the church and it is not appreciated then what? or should you be giving without expecting any appreciation from the pastor?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. Appreciation is a good thing, but I don't think we should be tithing for that purpose. If we are, it isn't really a tithe. At the same time, this is the real world, and we are motivated by a variety of things. We may want to truly help out something, but we like the appreciation.
ReplyDeleteIn an ideal sense, I think we should give without any expectation of recognition. However, organizations that do not show appreciation for their supporters may not be worth supporting... To qualify that, though, I do not think we need to be recognized individually. I think there is something quite good about anonymous giving. We can still be recognized anonymously, for instance, a pastor showing gratitude for all the gifts given.
I totally agree with you. I think you should give without expecting something in return. I'm a big believer in helping someone or something ie churches or other organizations when help is needed. I guess what I was trying to say was, when you devote yourself to helping a church or organization and they overlook everything you've done yet recogonize other individuals it can feel like a slap in the face especially if it's a pastor that does it. I just think another big mistake the church can make is to overlook the little people that devote a lot of time to the church.
ReplyDeleteAh, I see. I would agree that that is a mistake, but it's something that will occur in every organization, sadly enough. :(
ReplyDelete