When my urban ministry came to a close in its twentieth year, we had the highest annual income and the highest bank balance we had in a generation. Our bank balance was just over a quarter million (say $20,000). Now to some this might seem a modest amount -- to others extravagant -- and for us, it raised a classic question. Some members considered this amount very small -- prudent to keep it in the bank. Others asked me why on earth they should give if we had so much money in the bank? At the time, I ran this question by ministerial colleagues. Some responded emotionally: "Why do you not spend it for God's sake?" or "You have that much money in the bank?" -- always with the thought of missions, outreach, growth. One colleague went so far as to suggest, quite seriously, that we should spend one-third more than we had. OBSERVATION: My own views have changed over the years. I am more with my colleagues than I once was. A Church needs to "run lean" to be healthy. I believe also that it is a litmus test of mission-minded thinking: do we wish to serve, or conserve? Paradoxically, conservation tends to work against itself. From my experience, I believe it causes shrinkage.
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