The recommendation caught the other deacons by surprise. It came during the monthly deacons meeting, and the men were discussing the finances of the church. The past few months had seen a decline in offerings, and people were beginning to worry.
Some said it was a seasonal thing and offerings would pick up in the fall. Others worried that the economy might be heading into rough water and the church needed to prepare itself in case the income did not pick up.
During the 30 minutes the deacons talked about church finances and the economy, no one indicated the drop in offerings was because of unhappiness with the pastor or with the church. In fact, the pastor was well-liked and all the deacons believed he was doing a good job.
But the conversation raised individual anxieties, and the mood in the conference room became uneasy. That was when one of the men spoke up. “I believe we should cut the pastor’s salary by 10 percent,” he said, going on to explain that it was prudent to cut expenses in tight times and the pastor’s salary was one of the biggest expenses the church faced.
You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Most of the deacons stared at the floor. No one moved or said a word.
That was when the pastor spoke up. “I think that is a great idea,” he said. “I will give another 10 percent of my salary to the church, and all of you can do the same. If every man in this room gives another 10 percent of his salary to the church, then our financial downturn will be eliminated.”
Again the room was silent. None of the deacons believed he could give another 10 percent of his salary to the church. The deacons needed that money for their families.
The deacon who offered the recommendation had not intended that he and the other deacons give another 10 percent of their income. He meant for only the pastor to make such a sacrifice. In fact, he resented the way the pastor had turned his recommendation. His proposal was to cut expenses for the church. The pastor was talking about increased giving. The two were not the same.
But what was cutting expenses for the church was increased giving for the pastor. It was his income that was being taken away. If the pastor were to give up 10 percent of his income to help pay other expenses for the church, then why shouldn’t the deacons and other members be expected to make a similar sacrifice?
In this true story, the deacons decided not to cut the pastor’s salary. How much the pastor’s call for an equal sacrifice from all the deacons played in the decision will never be known. What is known is that a few months later, finances were back to normal and the church experienced no great upheaval during the interval.
Today some Baptists are like the deacons gathered in that conference room. The economy is scary and everyone is fearful of what it might do to church giving. An organization called empty tomb, which monitors church giving and church giving trends, called church giving “lukewarm” in a recent report detailing trends through 2006. That was before the economic roller coaster our nation is riding had time to make an impact.
Many churches wonder how long it will be before a weak economy is reflected in church offering plates. And churches that count on sizable end-of-the-year gifts to make budgets are wondering if those gifts will be as large this year.
In the midst of this anxiety, churches are finalizing their 2009 budgets. Some voices counsel cuts — cuts in staff support, cuts in ministry and materials, cuts in missions giving. These voices are like the anxious deacon whose first remedy was to cut the pastor’s salary in order to reduce expenses.
A better response is an increased emphasis on Christian stewardship. That was the pastor’s response to the financial situation described above. If Alabama Baptists are similar to Southern Baptists as a whole, then, on average, we give less than 3 percent of our income through the church. That means there is lots of room for improvement in order to meet the minimum stewardship standard of the Bible — tithing, or 10 percent.
Increased stewardship could not only prevent a contraction of church ministries but also might allow some of the visions God has planted in His congregations to become realities.
Church budgets must always be prepared prudently and responsibly. It is the Lord’s money, not ours, that churches use. But fear and panic are the opposites of prudence and responsibility. Fear and panic lead to recklessness and irresponsibility.
Churches need to support missions in this nation and around the world. Community ministries are at the heart of sharing God’s love with the hurting. Materials such as the state Baptist paper provide necessary inspiration and information that enable Alabama Baptists to work together. The state Baptist paper remains the primary source of missions information for most lay members of our churches as well as the primary contact most members have with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
Pastors and church staff members deserve adequate support. Nothing should be asked of them in terms of financial sacrifice that is not asked of all church members. In too many instances, churches have paid bills, built buildings and taken missions trips off the sacrifices of pastors and church staff members who failed to receive appropriate salary increases or other benefits in order for the church to use the funds in other ways.
To some extent, all of us may feel like the deacons in the story. The economy is rough and we are not sure what to do. Obviously we trust God and pray for His leadership. Equally obvious is the fact that we do not begin swinging an economic ax and make cuts to the church budget that are not prudent or responsible.
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