It’s hard to believe, but it has been almost a year since my last post, right after the Columbus Justice Revival. Oddly, a year later, I'm again blogging about Vineyard Columbus and pastor Rich Nathan.
When you walk away from a conversation with Rich, you cannot help but be hopeful about the future of the church. Rich is unabashedly committed to evangelism and equally committed to poverty reduction and creation care. That's why I wasn't surprised to read this article from the Columbus Dispatch:
The Rev. Rich Nathan knew that the 8,000 people in his congregation were generous. They've given hundreds of thousands of dollars to causes. But even he was surprised by the size of a special collection to help the unemployed. Over Palm Sunday weekend, the congregation at Vineyard Church of Columbus gave $586,000 in cash and checks. Since then, the total has grown to $625,000... The money will support the church's programs that help people find jobs and offer counseling for the emotional toll of unemployment.
Rich’s church serves as an interesting model. In an economic downturn, Columbus Vineyard managed to raise over $600,000 – in two weeks. At the same time, across the country, churches are increasingly struggling to encourage congregants to give generously – especially young people. But, congregants are no longer willing to give money for bloated budgets and overpriced buildings without understanding the church's strategic output. Charla and I are not interested in giving our money to support the “ministry of the church” when in reality the money and impact never moves far beyond the four walls of the church. We want to know how our money is making a difference in our community and the world. I don’t think people are becoming stingier or that young people are less willing to give (as some would suggest), but we want to be given a vision and story that we can believe in.
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