Friday, April 01, 2005

Far away in the desert

This story about a new church where some friends of mine worship pushed me to ponder a hard question. That small fellowship gives away 60% of what they raise. So I ask myself what changes would need to happen in an existing congregation to have that kind of lifestyle?

From my virtual park bench I can see a church building that shelters the worship space of a congregation that is generous but does not come close to giving away as much as Spirit of the Desert does. I see the children rushing to our weekly programs, and realize that in comparison with a church that appears to have only retirees, we are rich in having children participate so regularly. I see the weekly activities of a congregation that, so far, has had the space readily available whenever the Spirit has guided us into new ministry or outreach. But I still wonder how close we could come to giving away 60% if we really tried.

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