House Church, Pt. 7 – What Would Jesus Do With Ten Million Dollars?

If you’re a pastor, and you’re getting ready to start a church, one of your primary roles is that of a fund-raiser. The simple fact is, to have a church you have to have money. (Well, for a conventional church, that is.)

I’m throwing ten million out there just for kicks, but it is a justifiable number. Of course, you’ll get started in a home, a school theater (or lunchroom, gym, etc.), or other cheap-rent options, but from day one you’re looking to secure the land to build on one day. And that land is not cheap. In Gwinnett County, where I live, they have minimum acreage requirements for churches. And land is expensive here, as it is in most metro areas. Even if the land is donated, you’re still committing a lot of resources to holding a piece of real estate until you can build on it.

Then, of course, you have construction costs. Even for a small church of a couple of hundred (you do have a vision to grow, right?), the costs will grow into the millions, even if you do things on the cheap and skimp here and there (for which you’ll eventually regret it). If you do it “the right way,” you’re talking about a multi-million dollar facility for a couple of hundred people.

All told, ten million isn’t that far-fetched for start-up and construction costs for a new church. If you’re talking major expansions of large churches, ten million is nothing.

So let’s think for a moment, based on our knowledge of Scripture, what would Jesus have done with those ten million dollars?

Give it to the poor?

Is there anything else you can think of?

I can’t imagine, in any way, that Jesus would have commissioned a new building to house His ministry. That He would have encouraged His disciples to design an eye-catching sign with a nifty slogan. That He would have invested in a top-rate band in order to create a buzz about the quality of the music. That he would have made sure the pews were padded so that people would be comfortable while they listened to Him preach.

That doesn’t make those things evil, or necessarily wrong, but it raises questions about how appropriate they are.

Jesus’ style of sending His disciples out was pretty simple: “take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.” (Luke 9: 3-4, NIV) To anyone who had money, Jesus didn’t solicit funds for Himself or His own ministry.

Jesus said to the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” (Matthew 19:21, NIV) We like to dismiss this directive by claiming that this guy was rich, so Jesus was giving that guy a message specific to him. In order to take that approach, we have to ignore what Jesus said directly to his disciples:

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:31-34, NIV)

The fact is, Jesus was pretty clear about where His financial priorities were.

Would Jesus have taken ten million and build a beautiful building to house His ministries? Absolutely not.

One of the reasons I love house church is that no money is needed to care for a building, janitors, secretaries, etc. Some house churches do pay their pastors, but usually they do not, and if they do it would not be a full-time salary. Most leaders of house churches choose to set the example of earning their own living, as Paul clearly recommended. You can’t really support a pastor full-time with a dozen or so members, anyway.

So where does the money go?

It goes to whatever causes God leads us to support, whether individually or collectively. The resources of a house church go to help the poor, support widows, orphans, halfway houses, and other types of ministries that, I believe, Jesus would give His money to.

Many churches give money out of their budget to help the poor. But if you’re in a church where that figure exceeds 10% of the church’s budget, consider yourself in a select group. Even still, the other 90% goes directly into the building that you worship in, or the staff that are there primarily to serve you. In most cases, that building does NOT help the poor, it is helping you.

I believe it is much better for us to give our money completely away, to those who are poor and who are in desparate need, rather than to donate so that I can attend church in a better, bigger building with more comfortable seats and a modern media presentation system. I think we miss the opportunity to be truly selfless when we give our tithe to our local church, because the majority of that money is used on things that keep us attracted, and serve us, rather than aiding those who truly need it.