What is a church’s money for?
As a pastor, I am both grateful for our congregation’s healthy endowment and distressed by it. I don’t think I’m alone.
(Century illustration)
A few years back, Jane died. She had been among the most faithful and generous givers in our church’s history. When touring the building, members frequently remarked, “Jane gave that.” Air-conditioning in the sanctuary. Jane gave that. New skylight over the fellowship hall. Jane gave that. New roof over the pastor’s office. Jane gave that.
In her death, Jane gave one final large bequest to the church. Such a gift was in keeping with the history of her generosity. Her gift was then added to our investment accounts.
Days after receiving word of Jane’s gift, I read a Pew Charitable Trust study about poverty in Philadelphia. The church I serve sits between the historically impoverished neighborhood of West Philadelphia and the affluent Lower Merion suburbs. The Pew research indicated that in neighborhoods east of our church, as many as 40 percent of residents live below the poverty line. Additionally, outside my office window was the yearly memorial erected to honor the nearly 400 people killed by guns in Philadelphia the previous year. A hundred feet west of my church, the Lower Merion school system spends $26,000 per student each year, while on our side of the road in Philadelphia, the schools spend $12,000 per student.
