2 Corinthians 9:10-11
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Most of us have a kind of love/hate relationship with money! We know money is necessary for life in our culture, but we struggle to manage our financial resources in a manner that is balanced and healthy. This, by the way, is why we offer the “Financial Peace University” program to our church family!
But the same things are true for the church. While the church is not a business and must never become a business, the church must manage resources in a sound and responsible way.
For example: the leadership of FBCG must respect the annual budget approved every year by the congregation. Part of that respect is taking care not to spend more than we receive. When the national economy began to show signs of recession in 2008, and our leadership noticed a drop in giving to FBCG’s General Fund, we immediately took steps to cut our spending by 10%. This wise decision allowed us to continue our ministries without overspending our available funds.
Sound financial stewardship is especially important when it comes to facilities. FBCG now utilizes 2 campuses that include buildings and property worth nearly $13 million. We owe just $1.5 million on our West Campus that was built in 2004 at a total cost of over $8 million.
When we were planning Phase 1 of the West Campus in about 2002, it was assumed that Phase 2 would include a worship center capable of seating some 2,000 people at one time. But much has happened in the years since to change that assumption.
First, a worship center of that size would cost in the neighborhood of $25 million to build. FBCG simply is not large enough to take on a project of that size and the debt that it would create.
Second, the growth of the Fox Valley has slowed dramatically. While FBCG is still growing, we are not growing at the rate we were growing a decade ago and therefore we do not believe we can or should attempt a building project of that size.
Third, fewer and fewer churches in North America are building very large worship centers. The primary reason seems to be because churches are unwilling to invest that much money in a room that is only used one day a week. Congregations are also much more hesitant to take on long-term debt than they were just 10-15 years ago. The economic climate today demands that churches build more flexible and multi-use space in order to maximize the stewardship of resources.
Over the past 8 years our leadership has gradually realized that it would not be good stewardship of our financial and material resources to attempt to build one campus big enough to handle all of our ministry needs. We now believe that God has given us two campuses that can both be used in a manner that allows us to fulfill the vision he has for FBCG and to do so in a fiscally responsible manner.
For example: market analysis shows that our East Campus is worth roughly $2 million to prospective buyers; but it would cost nearly $10 million to reproduce that square footage at the West Campus.
We have a beautiful sanctuary at the East Campus; it doesn’t make good fiscal sense to take on debt to rebuild a similar space at West Campus when we already have the space at East. The East Campus also has a nice chapel and a renovated Student Center. Rather than seek to rebuild that space somewhere else, it seems that the wiser thing is to seek to maximize the use of space that is both functional and paid for.
We envision FBCG using multiple campuses for the foreseeable future. We believe God would have us maximize our ministry while minimizing our debt by pursing both campuses as vital parts of our total ministry.
When I read the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, one of the things I notice is the connection between generosity and ministry, what Paul calls “the harvest of your righteousness.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
I think, when translated into our modern culture, Paul’s challenge can be understood from both an individual and a corporate point of view. As an individual, I am challenged to see that God has blessed me with a “supply of seed” so that I may, in turn be generous. God promises to use my generosity to enlarge the harvest of the gospel.
Likewise, as a church we are to see that God has abundantly blessed us in order that our collective generosity would produce an even greater harvest.
Paul’s reference to “store of seed” might be interpreted as any and all of the blessings and resources God has provided: money, time, talent and even facilities.
Therefore, as we look toward the future of FBCG, the question is not so much “Should we invest in adding to our facilities?” but rather, “How does God want to enlarge the harvest of our righteousness?”
If new or improved facilities simply make us more comfortable, I’m not sure that’s a good investment. But if new or improved facilities serve to enlarge the harvest of the gospel, how can we not make that investment?
Brian Coffey
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