While
responding to my local public radio station’s fund drive last week, I thought
of writing a post about the challenges faced by non-profits and charitable
organizations, including spiritual services, asking for financial support.
I
receive much thoughtful news commentary listening to National Public Radio and
occasionally reference their reports on this blog, so I feel happily obliged to
contribute to their services. But I doubt
if churches could “get away with” dispensing with regular programming to devote
their time to fundraising.
Of
course, there is plenty of fundamentalist, evangelical, and/or prosperity
gospel religious programming that does, a point that John Oliver has recently
hilariously ridiculed on his HBO show by establishing a faux church named, “Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption.”
But
those of us on the progressive end of the religious spectrum tend to be more
circumspect about much needed financial support. Perhaps that’s why some
progressive religious blogs have paid subscriptions, but this blog has never
required donations for access. Nor has it allowed advertising on the site, and
there is no remuneration for sales of recommended books or use of its posts on
other blogs.
When
I served West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, many of us went to brunch after
Sunday services. Once, while we were gathering money to pay our collective
bill, I mischievously joked, “If only we could get this much in the offering
plate!”
“But we don’t get fed at
church,” one person remarked, to which I responded, “You don’t?”
At
the time, the church was part of Pacific Presbytery, and many a time, both
during presbytery meetings and when I served on its committee overseeing
candidates for professional ministry, I witnessed seminarians transferring into
the Presbyterian Church without seeming to change their fundamentalist,
evangelical background beliefs, and I cynically wondered if it was because
Presbyterian ministers are paid better than most.
MCC,
the denomination that ordained me ten years ago, does not have the material
resources of longstanding mainstream denominations, yet I have witnessed its
pastors serve their congregations with zeal, despite frequently being
underpaid. A common joke among the clergy is that one has to be partnered with
someone with a “real job” to survive.
A churchwoman once told
me that she was well into adulthood before she realized pastors were paid!
Fall
is the time congregations usually have their stewardship drives. The end of the
year is when charitable groups and other non-profits seek our donations.
I urge you to take these
requests to heart.
And
I invite you to consider a tax-deductible donation to this blog.
Blessedly,
my “church” overhead is low—I don’t have a sanctuary to support or multiple
employees. Ten per cent of your contributions (beyond credit card charges) goes
to MCC in gratitude for its oversight, not only of contributions, but of how
this emerging ministry does its work. I write an annual report, documenting
what I’ve done during each calendar year, and pay an annual ministerial credential
fee, as an “authorized, active, and accountable” MCC ministry.
Collectively,
your congregation might consider putting “Progressive Christian Reflections” as
a line item in your mission budget, because this blog serves as an outreach to
progressive Christians in unsupportive congregations as well as those beyond
the church.
But only do so if you
believe you or someone “out there” is being fed spiritually by these
reflections.
Gratefully,
Chris
Find out how to support
this blog ministry by clicking here and scrolling down to the donate link below its description. Thank you! Or copy and paste this link into your browser:
Donations of $100 or
more will receive a gift signed copy of a first edition of my book, Henri’s Mantle: 100 Meditations on Nouwen’s Legacy.
Several posts
referencing NPR are on the link in the second paragraph. Additional posts
referencing local public radio can be found by clicking here.
Copyright © 2015 by Chris R. Glaser.
Permission granted for non-profit use with attribution of author and blogsite.
Other rights reserved.
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