Quote from Bp. Skip (Gladstone) Adams
| "If money is the deciding factor as to whether to do a ministry or not, we have made money God. We have put money in God's rightful place." Spoke to the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church on June 10, 2003 at the Bishop's Office.
Paraphrasing some other important words from Bp. Adams: If God has called you to do it, the resources will be there. He recalled the morning office gospel lesson of the disciples feeding the 5k: they made an accounting of what they had and it seemed small. But Jesus said they had enough and to go carry out his mission. Off the record: Trinity and their $6m endowment is the largest in the Diocese of CNY, trailing only the Diocese's own endowment of about $20m. But just remember, "We aren't a rich church." |
posted by theultrarev at 3:46 PM
Comments on "Quote from Bp. Skip (Gladstone) Adams"
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Luke said ... (7:15 AM, June 14, 2004) :
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theultrarev said ... (11:35 AM, June 15, 2004) :
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Luke said ... (7:07 AM, June 16, 2004) :
post a commentSo what is the role and function of stewardship? We dive headfirst into ministry, and hope we aren't in the shallow end? If we measure the depth of the water, have we made water God?
I get all twisted up on this... I guess sometimes I think congregations use money to vote for - or against - a particular ministry. And there is supposed to be wisdom in the Body. So if someone feels led to a particular ministry, but can't get the Body to support it financially - have we made money God, or is God speaking by withholding the money?
I always, always manage to confuse and confound myself.
I do not think the role of stewardship is to tell us what ministry we can and cannot do. The ministries that we undertake corporately, as a body, ought to be based on the Scriptures and our sense of calling.
An honest question: Can find support in scripture for the premise, if the money isn't there, we shouldn't do it?
Maybe the money isn't there yet? Maybe its on the way.
But I suppose that it is possibly that we could hear God wrongly, and end up pursuing ministry that we are not called to and he is not going to provide for.
I guess it comes down to discernment. How much discernment is vested in the individual - or small group of individuals - and how much is vested in the parties in the pews? I've seen people who felt very strongly that they were called to a ministry - only to see it wither and die from lack of support (both financial and physical). Is that an indication that God didn't bless the ministry - or that the folks in the pews didn't get it? How long do you faithfully persist before you wonder if you're being stubbornly wrong?