NOTE: I AM AWARE THAT THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE EAGER TO TELL ME THAT ANYTHING "RELIGIOUS" BELONGS IN THE "CHAPEL" SECTION.
I am aware of this mistaken opinion (the section is actually one for prayers requested, if I read the forum description correctly).
If you don't like this kind of stuff, move on. I think it may be of help to some in here.
The recession is here. People are in financial trouble. They are looking for help. Churches are where people have turned to for help ever since the beginning of the church. The Book of Acts records this (Acts 6). The early church's officers created a new office, deacon, to deal with this problem.
Deacons have the responsibility of helping poor people, whether church members or outsiders. (there are specified priorities)
The problem here is twofold. Almost all the money in many churches goes to fund staff, programs, and physical plants, and there is simply no surplus even for the ostensible mission of funding world/local evangelism. This is a reflection of the entertainment focus of the culture and a number of other problems which I won't cover here.
However, the complete absence of mercy training in many churches leads to a bunch of problems.... one of which is that there is no "counter voice" from the church speaking back to those who bawl out about the structural inequities and institutional poverty in society. This is specifically a diaconal issue, and there is almost no training for deacons in any denomination. They rarely know how to determine who should get help or how much.
There is a brand-new website that shows deacons how to make better decisions with the church's charity money. It also provides tools for them to use to show people with financial problems how to make better decisions with their money. You may wish to share this with your diaconal board AND YOUR PASTOR.
So long as we are in a situation of perceived affluence and opportunity, the gospel has less luster in the area of helping people in dire need. While it is NOT the job of the church to "eliminate poverty" or address sociological disparities of wealth, nor to address the physical needs of people, it is also true that when societies collapse and the "safety net" breaks, it can be a wonderful time to SHOW (not just SAY) "our system works." This time of economic distress could be a spark plug for really good stuff.
Hope this is helpful.
https://resourcesfordeacons.com/
I am aware of this mistaken opinion (the section is actually one for prayers requested, if I read the forum description correctly).
If you don't like this kind of stuff, move on. I think it may be of help to some in here.
The recession is here. People are in financial trouble. They are looking for help. Churches are where people have turned to for help ever since the beginning of the church. The Book of Acts records this (Acts 6). The early church's officers created a new office, deacon, to deal with this problem.
Deacons have the responsibility of helping poor people, whether church members or outsiders. (there are specified priorities)
The problem here is twofold. Almost all the money in many churches goes to fund staff, programs, and physical plants, and there is simply no surplus even for the ostensible mission of funding world/local evangelism. This is a reflection of the entertainment focus of the culture and a number of other problems which I won't cover here.
However, the complete absence of mercy training in many churches leads to a bunch of problems.... one of which is that there is no "counter voice" from the church speaking back to those who bawl out about the structural inequities and institutional poverty in society. This is specifically a diaconal issue, and there is almost no training for deacons in any denomination. They rarely know how to determine who should get help or how much.
There is a brand-new website that shows deacons how to make better decisions with the church's charity money. It also provides tools for them to use to show people with financial problems how to make better decisions with their money. You may wish to share this with your diaconal board AND YOUR PASTOR.
So long as we are in a situation of perceived affluence and opportunity, the gospel has less luster in the area of helping people in dire need. While it is NOT the job of the church to "eliminate poverty" or address sociological disparities of wealth, nor to address the physical needs of people, it is also true that when societies collapse and the "safety net" breaks, it can be a wonderful time to SHOW (not just SAY) "our system works." This time of economic distress could be a spark plug for really good stuff.
Hope this is helpful.
https://resourcesfordeacons.com/
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