Money is a very important, personal and often sensitive issue for individuals. This is true in the church too! It is our desire to approach this area with sensitivity, honesty, integrity and a biblical balance that will honor God. Here is a brief description of how we approach money at CCC.
How do we handle money on Sunday mornings? There really is no pressure to give on Sunday mornings. We typically receive an “offering” during our worship service. For people who are active participants in our church, these gifts are freely given and are significant acts of worship. We do not expect newcomers to give. We understand they haven’t had an opportunity to find out who or what they would be giving to. In most of our services there is no mention of money. Occasionally there might be a brief update and/or prayer related to the financial needs and opportunities of the church. On occasion, our pastor will share a teaching message on this subject. When this happens we work hard to share this with sensitivity to the newcomer. These teaching messages are important because while we want to be sensitive, we do not want to ignore this issue. We believe God has provided us with some wonderful guidance in the scriptures about giving and finances. It is important to explore the Bible’s teachings on money. If you have been turned off to God and/or the church because of a perception that the church is greedy, manipulative and out for people’s money, we believe you will find a refreshing difference at CCC.
How do we manage our church finances at CCC? We strive to manage the finances of our church with prayer, wisdom, faith and integrity. Each year members of CCC vote on a budget for the coming year. They also elect a financial officer who serves on our leadership team. Our financial officer works with our church treasurer and financial secretary to manage our financial life and review deposits and expenditures. Our church leadership team oversees our finances during the year. They receive regular reports from our financial officer. These financial reports are available to everyone. There are no secrets in this area at CCC. We have an open budget. Anyone can ask anytime, “Where is the money going?” or “How are the offerings?”.
What do we teach people about money and giving? This important question could lead to a long answer! Here are a few highlights:
- God owns everything!
- God calls people to generous, sacrificial, regular and joyous giving.
- We give as an expression of gratitude, worship, trust and obedience.
- Our giving can be a key to our spiritual growth, our experience of contentment and our affirmation of our faith.
- God calls his people to tithe.
- Our giving should be thoughtful and prayerful.
- God cares not just about what we give but how we manage all the resources He has given us.
- One of our motivations to give can be to support what God is doing in a specific way in a specific situation.
In the affluence of our culture, giving is an especially important issue. It can be one of the ways we become free from a self-centered lifestyle.
Do we invite our people to be generous givers to God’s work at CCC? For people who are committed to Christ and to CCC as their home church, yes. We encourage people who are actively involved in our ministry to support God’s work here as He leads them. Giving is always optional and we have no desire to be manipulative or over bearing in this area.
If you find anything here that is confusing, please feel free to call us. We want to approach this issue openly and carefully. Our prayer is that how we handle the money issue at CCC will lead to great blessings rather that discouraging barriers.