Commitment 1

Mission

         Monthly

If there is one issue that worries pastors and leaders, it is the levels of commitment displayed by their members.  Whether it is time, money, or both, commitment – or lack of it – can sour relationships in the best of churches.  How do we change the levels of commitment in our congregations?  

Firstly, we have to recognise that many church members who are reluctant to give to church programmes and charities are often very concerned about the state of the world.  We should not equate a lack of enthusiasm for church projects with a general lack of concern or sense of responsibility for others.  People today are much more aware than ever before of their stewardship responsibilities to the world as a whole.  In bringing people to a more fully Christian view of stewardship, it is therefore more productive to start with the concerns they already have, than to try to get them to commit themselves to what they see as your concerns.  So:

Help them meet existing felt responsibilities
Encourage the church as a whole to get involved practically in the concerns of members of its congregation.  Perhaps this will involve encouraging the re-using of tools, clothes and furniture by others when the original owners have no further use for them (a ‘swap-shop’ or ‘good as new’ stall), or by helping with a local ‘litter-free’  campaign.  Churches can buy fairly-traded produce in bulk, and can set a good example by only using fairly-traded products for catering at church events, as far as this is possible.  Creative thinking can produce exciting opportunities for involvement with the community, so demonstrating our commitment to a thoughtful stewardship of the earth’s resources, and to the values of a non-materialistic lifestyle.

Help overcome a sense of inertia
This takes the first step a bit further.  Besides those who are already working for the good of the community, there are many who do nothing, giving the excuse, ‘Nothing I do will make any difference.’  We must encourage such people to take a share of responsibility for their world and community, ‘thinking globally and acting locally’.  They could choose to buy ‘green’  or fairly traded products, walk not drive, reduce their carbon footprint by making sure their homes are adequately insulated, avoid impulse buying and seek to minimise waste, recycle ....  Christians do not need to be dictated to by slick advertisements and should not allow their peers to pressurise them into acquiring goods and services which simply pander to pride and status.  Individual believers can be encouraged to adopt this lifestyle because it is right – and to persevere in the knowledge that, by being different themselves, they can make a difference to society as a whole.

Help overcome misunderstanding of Christian stewardship.
Some Christians are put off being committed to a wise use of resources because so much of the green movement seems to be influenced by ‘New Age’ teaching.  Care does need to be taken not to absorb unthinkingly all the ideas that come out of the environmental lobby – some of them are based on principles that are antithetical to biblical Christianity.  However, we must not throw out the baby with the organically recycled bin liners!  We can lead people on to see that the Bible encourages a proper respect for creation and gives humankind the role of faithful steward within it.  If we want to be biblical people we must be wise users of the resources God has given, then we are being biblical!

How do we move people on from a general awareness of their stewardship responsibilities to a more specific commitment to the work of the church?  Two further elements are involved.  The first is an increased commitment to the church family itself; the second is an increased commitment to the work of the church family – and we will look at both next month.

(first published in The Baptist TImes May 2011)