October was clergy appreciation month. I must be getting old - I find these kind of things artifical. People feel like that "have to" appreciate the pastor because its "cleargy appreciation month". Do we really need that? I have heard somewhere that most ministers resign and go somewhere else just to feel appreciated by the congregation they are leaving. I know pastors are, for the most part, overworked and underappreciated. Like coaches - we don't get too credit for when it goes well; and too much of the blame for when it goes bad.
Just seems to be that if we are living out kingdom values that we don't need specific days to be told to appreciate someone. We'll do it day by day without having to buy a card or a present. A kind word. A handwritten note of appreciation. A thank you. Take them out for lunch just to say that you appreciate them. Have them over to your house for a night of fellowship. Spend a week praying for them by name, then send them a note to let them know that you were praying for them. Goodness, I think of a thousand ways - but the most important thing is to build others up according to their needs!
Okay, enough of that. I'm sounding like a grouchy old man. The Hogs keep on rolling. We've got a tough road game at South Carolina on Saturday. It's a national telecast by ESPN at 5:30 p.m. mountian time.
Had a meeting with our contractor on Friday night. Our simple building will cost 2.5 million dollars. We have roughly 1.2 as a downpayment. Our 6 acres of land is paid for. Question: at point are we putting too much into buildings? Is there a magic percentage that you should spend or not spend? Should we do as Barna suggests and just meet in homes?
2 comments:
Now there's an idea. For the $1.2 million you have plus the $1 million or more you'd get from the sale of the land, you could buy 5 or 6 houses just for the church to meet in. Then you could use the houses for needy members to live in while they take care of the home and host the church. Then you could meet together once per month in a rented facility as a whole congregation. Your operating expenses would go down dramatically because you would have no mortgage.
Cody, are you serious? While I like the idea of meeting the needs of the church, you need to realize that this is why we are looking for a larger building in the first place; to accommodate us all on a weekly basis! I cannot imagine all of us cramming into 5 or 6 houses every week; could you imagine the logistics of that?! Truthfully, however, I'm thinking that 2.5 million is way too much...I see very spirit filled bodies in warehouses. Why not create a warehouse complex and rent out the extra space…you can expand when you need to at the end of the leases and create offsetting revenue to boot? Just a thought...what do I know.
Post a Comment