Stewardship Team
Just had our quarterly Stewardship Team meeting. The ST keeps a pulse on finances with monthly reports for NCC and Ebenezers. But our quarterly meeting is a "zoom out and look at the big picture" meeting.
Nothing worse than a financial meeting when you aren't doing well financial. It's depressing and stressful. But I've also learned that a financial meeting can be the equivalent of a prayer meeting or worship experience if God is making provision for the vision! Definitely been on both sides of the equation over the years. I still remember when our income was $2000/month. We were hurtin for certain! That barely covered rent.
I honestly think the financial turning point for us was when we started investing in missions. We wrote a $50 check to a missionary before NCC was even self-sufficient financially. We felt compelled to give and God honored it. We experienced a 600% increase in giving the next month and never looked back. We're on track to give $300,000+ to missions in 2007. And I really believe the day will come when we're giving millions to missions. Hope we get there sooner than later!
Nothing worse than a financial meeting when you aren't doing well financial. It's depressing and stressful. But I've also learned that a financial meeting can be the equivalent of a prayer meeting or worship experience if God is making provision for the vision! Definitely been on both sides of the equation over the years. I still remember when our income was $2000/month. We were hurtin for certain! That barely covered rent.
I honestly think the financial turning point for us was when we started investing in missions. We wrote a $50 check to a missionary before NCC was even self-sufficient financially. We felt compelled to give and God honored it. We experienced a 600% increase in giving the next month and never looked back. We're on track to give $300,000+ to missions in 2007. And I really believe the day will come when we're giving millions to missions. Hope we get there sooner than later!
2 Comments:
Interesting that you mention your financial turning point being after you started investing in missions.
Our Church used to struggle in areas of finances as well until one day our Pastor felt God was saying to him, "Set your budget and I will meet it, then give everything above it away to missions". Our Pastor and Committee of Management have honoured this consistently over the years and God has continued to honour His side of things.
Since then we have haven't had any financial issues, have started a building fund that is going great and have been a part of many great missions that not only address various physical needs of people but also gets the name of Jesus out there.
Our Church is quite small by most of todays measure of standards but in finances, it is well and above the average.
I love how God uses our financial state to grow faith in us. For the past year I have been in a program called New Life for Youth (www.newlifeforyouth.com) which is a drug and alcohol rehab/christian discipleship program. During my stay there as a student, we do not get paid for our work (monetarily) and really have no income from anything at all! God used that time to teach me a great deal of faith and He provided EVERYTHING I needed. I received $10 from my parents and tithed on it. At the time I was praying for church clothes...I had none. Let me tell you, to God's glory, I have to clean my closet out and "recycle" my blessings. He really did and still does, bless me abundantly. Just a small testimony to the great things our mighty God does for us!
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