God who extravagantly blesses, you give us much and ask us to be purposeful in how we use it. It’s that time of year when many churches think more intentionally about how to allocate their funds and invite members into the spiritual discipline of giving. There’s extra anxiety around money talk this year, since the… Read More
Supporting RevGalBlogPals
When you give to RGBP, you are supporting a ministry that in turn supports more than 7000 people around the world through social media, resource sharing, in-person gatherings, and amplifying voices of women religious leaders, lay and ordained, across denominations and the globe. Your financial gifts are used to make down payments and advances on… Read More
RCL: Trusting God’s Promises (for real)
I don’t know about you, but I’m having some difficulty staying focused. There’s the Sunday School plans, the stewardship campaign, the funeral services, the special worship services, the Bible studies, and don’t forget Advent will soon be upon us. And have you completed your review of the draft budget? Oh, and what about sabbatical planning… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Money Stress is Spiritual Stress
No one exactly said, “Let them eat cake,” but the recent government shutdown felt that way. Four in ten Americans can’t meet an unexpected $400 expense, we’re often told. In my experience, the number is probably higher, and people are too embarrassed to say so. In my younger years, I was one of those people. … Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Money Edition
The Revised Common Lectionary continues to bring us complicated teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. In an attempt to catch Jesus teaching against the government, the Pharisees ask him about paying taxes. Is it lawful or not? Jesus says to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things… Read More
Biblical Investments
I recently heard about “Biblically Responsible Investing.” My partner, who is not a pastor, and therefore not as cynical as I am, thought that such investment portfolios might be concerned with basic biblical principles like immigrant justice, anti-racism, alleviating poverty, and protecting the environment. “Nope,” I said. “I bet its all about being against abortion… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: First, Last, and Everlasting (Mark 10:17-31)
Our passage for the first Sunday in Lent is set in motion by an urgent question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What is eternal life? What, in particular, did Jews mean when using such a phrase, given the scant evidence in the Hebrew Scriptures for any developed notion of an… Read More
In the Company of the Saints
This past Sunday afternoon, I was at church with my son. He was playing in the back and I was meeting with a couple of people in the front. A man from the congregation came by and did some minor repairs on the building, including changing lightbulbs. My son followed him around- interested in the… Read More
The Multiplier Effect
Mark 6:30-34 – esp 31b: [Jesus] said to the Apostles, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” RGBP translation: “Come away to a place set apart where we can rest, recoup, share resources, and support each other.” The congregation I serve is beginning to have honest conversations about money and… Read More
Ask the Matriarch: Counting Complications
This week’s question came from our Facebook group. What are your rules for counting the offering and handling the money in your congregations? We are having accusations from people unwilling to share actual information, that one of our regular counters, who is a known gossip in the church and power monger, is sharing confidential information.… Read More
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