Why Fundraising Is Beautiful
Sometimes fundraising can feel a little uncomfortable - like having to introduce your wife to an old ex-girlfriend, or getting stuck at a red light next to a guy with a cardboard sign that says "Will work for food". Its uncomfortable for you, its uncomfortable for them.
In situations like these, we often tend to look for the easy way out, or else we grit our teeth and just try to grind our way through it as quickly as possible. That's how we deal with discomfort in life; that's how we deal with discomfort in fundraising. After all, wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to ask for money? Wouldn't it be easier if we could simply "pay our own way"? Be self-sufficient?
Easier, yes. Better, no. You see, one of the things I am learning through the fundraising process is that weakness is beautiful - it is certainly convenient to be strong, to have all you want or need. But God did not design us to be self-sufficient. He designed us to be weak, fragile, needy, dependant. After all, we are all creatures - finite, limited, fleeting. We are also sinners - twisted and twisting, serving ourselves rather than others. And those two features inevitably make for some really amazing train wrecks.
Surprisingly, however, our weakness is not a limitation for God; rather, it's a vehicle for his grace. Self-sufficient people seldom feel desparate for God. The same is true for churches - the body of Christ is at its strongest not when its piety is most visible, when its bank account is most black; rather, the Christ's Church is strongest when she is most aware of her need, when she is most reliant on God's grace. We will never seek help if we do not first sense our own insufficiency and inability and lostness. This is the way God designed it (2 Cor 12:9).
And that's why church planting is wonderful - because God tosses you headlong into the deep end, where there's a very real danger of both drowning and sharks. And in the sheer terror of being in over your head, something amazing happens - we cry out to God; we call out to others. We are forced to look beyond ourselves. We are forced into relationship.
This is why fundraising is so important. At the end of the day, it's not really about the money. Sure, we need that to live, to plant a church, to be about the work of the kingdom. But what fundraising does is force us to reach out relationally. If you are struggling to find a vibrancy in your prayer life, consider planting a church (you will suddenly find it easy to pray like you've never prayed before, because you will suddenly see your need like you've never seen it before).
The same is true of our relationship with others. Fundraising is a vehicle for deeper relationships. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down with someone - we start by talking about the Missoula Project; we end by talking about our lives: How's your marriage? Your family? Your faith? Where are you struggling? How can we pray for one another? These kinds of conversations generally don't happen naturally - fundraising forces us to knock on the door of one anothers' lives, to say "We need you to help us in our lives - how can we help you in yours?"
And that process of crawling into deeper relationship with one another - not just because I like you, but because we are friends and I need you - that process is a beautiful thing.
This is why we are committed to fundraising. Not as something to be endured, but something to be embraced. This is why we are talking to all manner of friends - those in our own church, those in other churches (its a wonderful testimony to the world when we illustrate how the Church really IS bigger than any one denomination). This is why we are asking both believers and unbelievers to participate with us - because for some people, this may be one of the first tastes of real Christian community they have ever experienced.
This is why fundraising is beautiful. The task is beyond us individually, but it is well within our reach corporately, as a community of friends working together in pursuit of a common goal. And what we value most here is the process of being drawn into a deeper relationship with you - learning to share our needs; learning to lean on one another. If this is the type of church we hope to plant in Missoula, one where real community is central, then we might as well start working on it now. What we really desire in all this is not your money - it's your friendship, your fellowship, your participation with us in the work of building Christ's kingdom.
That's why fundraising is actually a very beautiful thing.
In situations like these, we often tend to look for the easy way out, or else we grit our teeth and just try to grind our way through it as quickly as possible. That's how we deal with discomfort in life; that's how we deal with discomfort in fundraising. After all, wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to ask for money? Wouldn't it be easier if we could simply "pay our own way"? Be self-sufficient?
Easier, yes. Better, no. You see, one of the things I am learning through the fundraising process is that weakness is beautiful - it is certainly convenient to be strong, to have all you want or need. But God did not design us to be self-sufficient. He designed us to be weak, fragile, needy, dependant. After all, we are all creatures - finite, limited, fleeting. We are also sinners - twisted and twisting, serving ourselves rather than others. And those two features inevitably make for some really amazing train wrecks.
Surprisingly, however, our weakness is not a limitation for God; rather, it's a vehicle for his grace. Self-sufficient people seldom feel desparate for God. The same is true for churches - the body of Christ is at its strongest not when its piety is most visible, when its bank account is most black; rather, the Christ's Church is strongest when she is most aware of her need, when she is most reliant on God's grace. We will never seek help if we do not first sense our own insufficiency and inability and lostness. This is the way God designed it (2 Cor 12:9).
And that's why church planting is wonderful - because God tosses you headlong into the deep end, where there's a very real danger of both drowning and sharks. And in the sheer terror of being in over your head, something amazing happens - we cry out to God; we call out to others. We are forced to look beyond ourselves. We are forced into relationship.
This is why fundraising is so important. At the end of the day, it's not really about the money. Sure, we need that to live, to plant a church, to be about the work of the kingdom. But what fundraising does is force us to reach out relationally. If you are struggling to find a vibrancy in your prayer life, consider planting a church (you will suddenly find it easy to pray like you've never prayed before, because you will suddenly see your need like you've never seen it before).
The same is true of our relationship with others. Fundraising is a vehicle for deeper relationships. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down with someone - we start by talking about the Missoula Project; we end by talking about our lives: How's your marriage? Your family? Your faith? Where are you struggling? How can we pray for one another? These kinds of conversations generally don't happen naturally - fundraising forces us to knock on the door of one anothers' lives, to say "We need you to help us in our lives - how can we help you in yours?"
And that process of crawling into deeper relationship with one another - not just because I like you, but because we are friends and I need you - that process is a beautiful thing.
This is why we are committed to fundraising. Not as something to be endured, but something to be embraced. This is why we are talking to all manner of friends - those in our own church, those in other churches (its a wonderful testimony to the world when we illustrate how the Church really IS bigger than any one denomination). This is why we are asking both believers and unbelievers to participate with us - because for some people, this may be one of the first tastes of real Christian community they have ever experienced.
This is why fundraising is beautiful. The task is beyond us individually, but it is well within our reach corporately, as a community of friends working together in pursuit of a common goal. And what we value most here is the process of being drawn into a deeper relationship with you - learning to share our needs; learning to lean on one another. If this is the type of church we hope to plant in Missoula, one where real community is central, then we might as well start working on it now. What we really desire in all this is not your money - it's your friendship, your fellowship, your participation with us in the work of building Christ's kingdom.
That's why fundraising is actually a very beautiful thing.
posted by Pilgrim in Progress @ 8:40 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home