Trying to fund ministry overwhelms some leaders and churches. To be viable, churches need basic dollars for programs and operations, including at minimum for many a minister, a secretary, a janitor, a choir director, an organist, employee benefits, casualty insurance, utilities, and printing. The bottom line becomes either the average pledge per member must increase or the number of members must increase.

James Hudnut-Beumler wrote this book for church leaders who are struggling with money, personally and corporately, and to help congregations rethink their understanding of how we ought to live faithfully in a material world. The author believes that too many church leaders do not understand the choices their members make and neither do the members. As an antidote to this confusion, he provides a clear understanding of the struggles church leaders face, suggests specific changes, and lays the burden for change directly on the shoulders of those leaders.

Among his suggestions are twenty changes for congregations. These include buying a smaller building, meeting in homes without the presence of clergy, decreasing the number of mailings, downsizing bureaucracy, holding congregational worship outside the walls of the church building, and having members share the cleaning of the church and grounds.

In addition, the author suggests seven ways leaders can move away from doing business as usual. These include returning to the Bible as the source of strength, knowledge, and wisdom; involving more lay people in worship, prayer, and service; focusing on religious goals rather than physical goals; looking for stewardship results and benefits, not just activities; witnessing within and without the faith community; taking on the responsibility of caring for others; and practicing being servants to all rather than clinging to old-style job descriptions.

Hudnut-Beumler says joyful congregations have a sense of what they are doing and how their activities fit what the Lord requires. Because generous giving is our response to God's love, he says, we cannot successfully separate the spiritual from the financial. If faithful obedience and love of God are our ultimate value, we need to start talking about how other things in our lives relate to that value.

James Hudnut-Beumler, an ordained Presbyterian minister who has written extensively on American religion, philanthropy, and history, is the Dean of the Faculty, Executive Vice President, and Professor of Religion and Culture at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

Contents

1. Our Worth Comes from God, Not Money
2. God's Big Economy (and Our Small Ones)
3. What Does the Lord Require?
4. Financing a Congregation of Saints
5. Creating a Commonwealth: Leading the Saints
6. Practices of the Commonwealth Congregation: The Church as Landlord
7. Practices of the Commonwealth Congregation: Holding Wealth
8. The Servants Are Worth Their Wages: Congregations as Employers
9. Where Theology Matters: Faith and Money in the Life of the Generous Individual

For citations to additional literature on this topic, refer to Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject headings "Religion" or "Religion fundraising."