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by Andy Gustafson, Associate Conference Minister
August/September 2006
What’s the big secret?
Churches are unique among non-profit organizations in keeping secret the knowledge of who gives how much. In some churches only one person – the collector – knows the amount. In his book “Creating Congregations of Generous People”, Michael Durall relates how Martin Luther King, Sr. opened the pledge records of his church for everyone to see, saying “The practice of anonymous giving leads to the practice of anonymous non-giving!” Durall notes how secrecy leaves generous givers unrecognized while protecting those who give too little.
Secrecy also is detrimental to the pastoral care. A sudden downward change in giving patterns may be an important indicator of a crisis in a person’s life or in their relationship to the church to which the pastor should be responding. Conversely a substantial increase could indicate a surge in spiritual growth that a pastor would want to nourish. Another practical problem is in recruiting stewardship committee members. Those who are themselves generous in their support of the church are the best people to encourage generosity in others.
In his book “Generous Saints”, James Hudnut-Beumler states “the healthy congregation is one in which members know enough about each other to truly help shoulder burdens in adversity and celebrate joys in times of blessing. Given the way money intersects with our identities, relationships, and struggles, congregations must become places where it is safe for us to be known (even as regards our money) if they are to help us live into an acceptance of God’s grace.”
Our secrecy belies a lack of trust in each other. As Hudnut-Beumler says “The most distressing dimension of being known for whom we are is not that we don’t want to come clean (though that is bad enough) but rather that we don’t really believe we would be forgiven and accepted if our inward selves were exposed.”
So, what’s the big secret?