Congregational participation

[Smellin Coffee]

If a frog had wings.....

The fact of the matter is that larger churches and ministries can and do give more to these and other type ministries.
The fact that they organize, have structure and facilities are why they grow and why they have more resources...financial and man hours than smaller ministries.

IF you want the poor and needy to have their needs met, larger organizations are your ticket.
IF you want to knock larger organizations, take another road...this one don't go there! 

I would like to see where you got such a fact.

Regardless, there is more to it than just charitable support. In the small group setting, people have better ability to give out of love and not so much out of guilt or coercion. They have a say into where they wish to give whereas the church doles it out like a government social program. (Not saying it is wrong but not exactly precise or flexible.)

The smaller groups can overall be personally involved, much more so than big organizations. Whether it is getting together to pay the electric bill for the unemployed mom whose husband just left her for another woman to paying for meds for elderly neighbors, buying groceries for the poor family down the street, it isn't just about the giving (as important as that is). In big organizational giving, the personal involvement is not experienced by each involved. In the small group setting, people come together and even if "silver and gold have we none, of such as we have do we give".

Organizational giving keeps track of records. Small group giving many times cannot provide giving receipts. Organizational giving is mostly from the perimeter whereas small group giving, when done appropriately makes it personal. Organizational giving throws money at a situation whereas (again, if done appropriately) small group giving does so in love, not just with money but with prayer, discussion, etc.

Organizational giving relies on the leadership to disperse as THEY desire, the amounts THEY desire. Many times locking in a weekly/monthly commitment to the recipient. Small groups can come together, pray, present needs regularly, give to those needs as the Spirit leads those particular groups.

In the end, regardless of the distribution, needs are being met. That is no doubt important. But there is more to giving than throwing money at social problems (yes, even by the government ); there is also love to be distributed that extends beyond the actual gift.

So how much of our giving is "receipt-worthy" so we can write them off our taxes? I think the Spirit works rather in the right hand not knowing how much the left hand gave away as well as "of such as I have I will give".

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

If a frog had wings.....

The fact of the matter is that larger churches and ministries can and do give more to these and other type ministries.
The fact that they organize, have structure and facilities are why they grow and why they have more resources...financial and man hours than smaller ministries.

IF you want the poor and needy to have their needs met, larger organizations are your ticket.
IF you want to knock larger organizations, take another road...this one don't go there! 

I would like to see where you got such a fact.

Regardless, there is more to it than just charitable support. In the small group setting, people have better ability to give out of love and not so much out of guilt or coercion. They have a say into where they wish to give whereas the church doles it out like a government social program. (Not saying it is wrong but not exactly precise or flexible.)

The smaller groups can overall be personally involved, much more so than big organizations. Whether it is getting together to pay the electric bill for the unemployed mom whose husband just left her for another woman to paying for meds for elderly neighbors, buying groceries for the poor family down the street, it isn't just about the giving (as important as that is). In big organizational giving, the personal involvement is not experienced by each involved. In the small group setting, people come together and even if "silver and gold have we none, of such as we have do we give".

Organizational giving keeps track of records. Small group giving many times cannot provide giving receipts. Organizational giving is mostly from the perimeter whereas small group giving, when done appropriately makes it personal. Organizational giving throws money at a situation whereas (again, if done appropriately) small group giving does so in love, not just with money but with prayer, discussion, etc.

Organizational giving relies on the leadership to disperse as THEY desire, the amounts THEY desire. Many times locking in a weekly/monthly commitment to the recipient. Small groups can come together, pray, present needs regularly, give to those needs as the Spirit leads those particular groups.

In the end, regardless of the distribution, needs are being met. That is no doubt important. But there is more to giving than throwing money at social problems (yes, even by the government ); there is also love to be distributed that extends beyond the actual gift.

So how much of our giving is "receipt-worthy" so we can write them off our taxes? I think the Spirit works rather in the right hand not knowing how much the left hand gave away as well as "of such as I have I will give".

You are assuming this can't be done in a large church, yet we did it all the time in the church I was in prior to this pastorate, and we do it here. Why do you have to wait for some leadership to organize you helping someone out? Go get it done.

Nope, we don't give receipts. To anyone. At all.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Nope, we don't give receipts. To anyone. At all.

A deposited check is a receipt for tax purposes. 

Obviously, we should only have megachurches -- the bigger, the better.  It's the best way to collect money and redistribute it. 

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

Nope, we don't give receipts. To anyone. At all.

A deposited check is a receipt for tax purposes. 

Obviously, we should only have megachurches -- the bigger, the better.  It's the best way to collect money and redistribute it.

Not where I am. 

Resorting to this logic is as much as admitting losing the argument.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

If a frog had wings.....

The fact of the matter is that larger churches and ministries can and do give more to these and other type ministries.
The fact that they organize, have structure and facilities are why they grow and why they have more resources...financial and man hours than smaller ministries.

IF you want the poor and needy to have their needs met, larger organizations are your ticket.
IF you want to knock larger organizations, take another road...this one don't go there! 

I would like to see where you got such a fact.

Regardless, there is more to it than just charitable support. In the small group setting, people have better ability to give out of love and not so much out of guilt or coercion. They have a say into where they wish to give whereas the church doles it out like a government social program. (Not saying it is wrong but not exactly precise or flexible.)

The smaller groups can overall be personally involved, much more so than big organizations. Whether it is getting together to pay the electric bill for the unemployed mom whose husband just left her for another woman to paying for meds for elderly neighbors, buying groceries for the poor family down the street, it isn't just about the giving (as important as that is). In big organizational giving, the personal involvement is not experienced by each involved. In the small group setting, people come together and even if "silver and gold have we none, of such as we have do we give".

Organizational giving keeps track of records. Small group giving many times cannot provide giving receipts. Organizational giving is mostly from the perimeter whereas small group giving, when done appropriately makes it personal. Organizational giving throws money at a situation whereas (again, if done appropriately) small group giving does so in love, not just with money but with prayer, discussion, etc.

Organizational giving relies on the leadership to disperse as THEY desire, the amounts THEY desire. Many times locking in a weekly/monthly commitment to the recipient. Small groups can come together, pray, present needs regularly, give to those needs as the Spirit leads those particular groups.

In the end, regardless of the distribution, needs are being met. That is no doubt important. But there is more to giving than throwing money at social problems (yes, even by the government ); there is also love to be distributed that extends beyond the actual gift.

So how much of our giving is "receipt-worthy" so we can write them off our taxes? I think the Spirit works rather in the right hand not knowing how much the left hand gave away as well as "of such as I have I will give".

It is a fact....IF your goal is taking care of the needy.

Again, receipts, record keeping are once again moot assuming that matters....IF you care that needs are met. And whether a man or woman who works at the homeless shelter, food pantry or rescue mission is a member of a church of 10,000 or a single volunteer makes no difference in the experience, heart attitude or anything else.

Now again, IF you care about the needy, larger churches have the resources...money and man power to do more. Nothing wrong with anything anyone else might do...that is just the truth.
IF you want to bash churches for extravagance, so called, then do it....but your assumption that simply because a volunteer is from a large group, the 'love is lacking' is well....never mind! 

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

i have nothing against big churches giving money to organized charities.... if that;s what they feel God would have them do.... it has it;s place and there is definitely a need...... my former church did that and so does the one i attend now..... 

but regardless of how big a church is or isn;t.....  in my opinion the best way for a church.... (of any size)....to provide real care for the poor and needy... is for them to develop ministries of their own where they go out in groups together to help the poor and needy ........by passing all the middle men... bypassing all the big organizations that spend more on their own overhead that they do on the people they are in business to help........ both the churches i attended this past year do that too...... they also encourage their members to go out on their own time to do the same.........ever since mainland cities began buying homeless people one way tickets to hawaii to get rid of them..... honolulu has had many times more poor and homeless living on the streets that most other mainland cities.... even homeless families with children..... the need is great..... and the numbers increase every year......

but doing what you can is easy.... and it doesn;t even require being a member of a church ........ just buy a super size bag of sausage biscuits and another one of orange juice or coffee .....(or whatever you feel like buying)..... and spend a morning taking that food to the poor and homeless and sharing the gospel with them ....... i met entire families that attend the church i go to now doing that together a few years ago... and got to know them well enough so that when the time came i needed to move to another church theirs is the one i chose.....

Most large churches I'm familiar with do exactly that....design ministries to allow their members a way to minister to the poor, needy and disadvantaged.