Different churches get money in different ways. Here are a few choices:
Duress: or pressure, haranguing, brow-beating and nagging.
Guilt: based on various kinds of legalism, the guilt of the wealthy, the needs of the poor, or just general feelings of guilt.
Offers-too-good-to-be-true: the more you give the wealthier you will become
Tradition: such as tithing
Duty: you ought to do this
Fear: or anxiety about money (or the lack of it) and what might happen if ...
Seduction: you can become a famous/respected/ spiritual Christian if you give a lot.
Need: Easily manipulated in the interests of those making the appeal.
Look to outsiders: get people outside the church to give to us
Start a business: or something that will provide an income stream. This has some merit when it relates to helping people finding employment and becoming self-providing.
Ask for help: from richer churches. A very tricky matter.
Get a subsidy: related to the previous method. Research suggests that subsidised churches develop as weak churches (including those that live off an investment).
And no doubt there are more non-biblical ideas...
In the Bible? What does it have to say? Something simple (as you might expect):
God generously supplies the needs of his people so that they in turn should have an open hand and a generous heart. As far as the church getting money, two principles apply.
1. Is it spending money on the things that God has called it to do? Is the proposed expenditure what God has led us to, including bringing the gospel to the nations?
2. If so, we must trust God to supply what is needed to do his work – through the generous gifts of his people. The responsibility to fund the ministries of the church lies with the members of the church who practise God’s generosity.
To be continued next week …
Dale