- GIVING IS DOWN WHILE EXPENSES ARE UP. At many churches, it's common for church contributions to go down in the summertime. And while that hasn't been true for us in past years, it is true this year so far. Last month's giving was quite a bit less than normal. Also, our expenses have been high lately since we've been renovating the KidZone building so that we can better minister to the children of Good News.
- WE ARE SUPPORTED SOLELY BY YOUR DONATIONS. In other words, we have no other income stream. We don't have a cafл╘ that serves food throughout the week. We don't have an endowment like many universities. And we don't charge for any religious goods and services (music, sermons, counseling, etc.). If everyone involved in our church were to stop donating for a while, we'd close up shop. Don't get me wrong, the Kingdom of God would go on - but this particular ministry in Ocala would cease.
- THERE IS VALUE IN WHAT WE DO AND YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT. If you are a regular part of our church, you know that what we are doing matters. You must. You wouldn't waste your Sunday mornings (and other times throughout the week) being a part of something that you thought was worthless. In fact, you know that this ministry matters enough that you already invest your "time" here. I guess what I'm saying is that for some of you, it's time to put your money where your time is.
- WE ARE FRUGAL. By U.S. standards, I think it's safe to say that we are very frugal. Sure, I suppose we could have chosen to hold meetings in a large tent somewhere, with port-a-potties on one side, and where I try to yell over the sounds of children, nearby traffic, and whatever other noises would be present. But that's not a great way to reach people who are used to air conditioning, indoor plumbing, modern amplification, and things like walls. So, barring those extremes, we've tried to keep our costs down as much as possible. We have a very small amount of paid staff (our ratio right now is one 40-hr. per week employee for every 257 people... that is rare, almost unheard of, in the American church). We tried to build the building as cheaply as possible (non-fancy architecture, reusing our speakers from the old building, grass parking, etc). I wish everyone understood how careful we are to not be wasteful.
- THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH OUGHT TO BE FUNDED. I think this is something that is implied in Matthew 28:19-20, and is illustrated in other passages of Scripture. In Matthew 28, Jesus' followers are told to "go and make disciples" to "baptize them" and to "teach them to obey everything I've commanded you." I think it's safe to assume that if Jesus wanted this mission accomplished, he obviously wanted it funded.
