I found out yesterday that a program in my own small denomination is in debt for over half a million dollars. Not that the program cost $600,000, but that it is debt for that over and beyond whatever other expenses it spent. The program, as I understand it, is essentially to train volunteers to help congregations make decisions. This is in addition to over $700,000 debt on a building in large part because for over 15 years no money was ever paid on the loan’s principle.
That’s $1.3 million – not spent on feeding the hungry, training ministers or sharing the gospel but paying interest and…well I can’t imagine what cost $600,000 for the other program, probably consulting fees and marketing to get the congregations to get on board with the program. Two things in particular get me steamed.
First, I feel like our congregations have been finessed. When we’re encouraged to send our tithe to the denomination we are shown images of missionaries, food banks and homeless shelters. In the latest campaign to raise money for a new denominational center we were shown a video of a family adopting a child and given the mantra ‘I love my church’ and a goal of $3 million. No mention of the debt. No explanation of what adoption has to do with office space for our denominaitonal executives.
Second, there doesn’t appear to be any accountability. I haven’t heard any explanation of why those types of decisions have been made. No one seems to be asking why we continue to throw money away. I get the impression that if anyone did ask these types of questions they would be accused of causing division and not loving their church.
The total lack of accountability is scandalous. I can’t imagine these sorts of losses in a business not being addressed. The church should be held to a higher standard than a business. That doesn’t mean we operate like a for-profit company, but it means that we should be held to account even more strictly because the money is not ours. People have put part of their earnings into an offering plate in a local church during a Sunday morning worship service as an offering to God. They gave the money without expecting anything for themselves, but trusting that the people chosen to spend the money would do so in a responsible way. I think that demands some candid discussion.
Well, the God I believe in isn’t short of cash mister. Also, can you give the the address of any organization that helps pay for adoptions?? Seriously…if they are out there, I want to know about them.
I am very sorry to hear of this fiscal lack of responsibility…though will readily admit that this sort of action no longer surprises my ears. To me, that is the true travesty.
I have had nine and a half years of full time ministry in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The last six months have been in the military as a chaplain. I have seen how the CP Denomination does business and how the military does business. I know we get yelled at for $100 toilet seats and $200 hammers, but apples to apples, the military doesn’t come close to finacial abuse that is going on in our denomination. In fact, the financial oversight in the chaplaincy and the military in general is great. “I love my church” was the last official program I saw come out of the CP Center and I almost lost my lunch. A bunch of people saying they love their church and then a weak appeal from visitors to presbytery to get money for a new center because the old was was managed poorly. The video didn’t say the word Jesus once or talk about the spreading of the Gospel or doing the work of Christ for the poor and hurting. It just talked about CHURCH. YUK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!