Our Orthodox Money Problem

Who supports the ministry of the Church?

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But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

(2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

An old friend recently offered some advice about how to further grow the ministry of FOCUS. Rather than explore new ways to engage Orthodox Christians to support this critical ministry, he suggested we look outside the Church.

“You should focus on government grants,” he told me in no uncertain terms.

Via Tenor.

To be honest, dear reader, I strongly disagreed.

(I didn’t say that, mind you; I’m very non-confrontational.)

But I have been reflecting on the conversation a lot over the past few weeks. As I process my initial thoughts and reflect on what’s best for the future of the ministry, all these instincts and ideas boil down to a simple question we don’t ask very often:

Who should pay for the ministry of the Church?

As we unpack this question, there’s an important lesson here about the purpose of ministry and the place of ministries like FOCUS in the life of the Church—and in our particular lives as Christians seeking the Kingdom.

(In fact, it’s a particularly important lesson to consider as we prepare for Great Lent, a time of not just intensified prayer and fasting, but also almsgiving.)

At FOCUS, our mission is to serve the poor by providing critical resources like food, shelter, and other support. But we are a ministry, not merely a nonprofit. As the domestic service arm of the Church, we are called to mobilize Orthodox Christians to make this service happen: to contribute time and talent, certainly, but also treasure.

(And it’s certainly not easy! As we’ve explored before, it’s easy in our Secular Age to live in pursuit of property, power, and prestige.)

Nonetheless, as Tim Robinson would insist:

Via Tenor.

In the early Church, for example, we read about how everyone, even the widows and orphans who had no one else, were cared for. But this didn’t happen because Caesar or some wealthy pagans funded these efforts. Rather, it’s because “all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:44-45).

But dear reader, you might be thinking that a ministry can become massive thanks to government grants. And you’d be right; in fact, many do! A religious body can build homeless shelters and run extensive feeding programs thanks to millions in aid.

Imagine the possibilities, dear reader: FOCUS could become massive if we suddenly received a sizable government grant.

Right?

(Though who knows whether such grants will continue be available in the weeks to come.)

But even if they are available, I’d like to put on my thinking hat and ask:

Would that really grow the ministry?

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There are many Orthodox communities, for example, which rely on outside revenue (facilities rentals, parish festivals, etc) rather than the tithing of their members. And I know many clergy who are working hard to change this culture because they understand that the Church isn’t really being the Church if our good works are accomplished thanks to external funding.

At FOCUS, our mission is to serve the poor by providing critical resources like food, shelter, and other support. But we would betray that mission if we didn’t mobilize Orthodox Christians into that service:

• to cook meals and eat with the unhoused,

• to visit schools and spend time with children experiencing poverty,

• to build community with expectant mothers who have nowhere else to go.

We would betray that mission if we didn’t work to create a culture of generosity in the Church, where all contribute to the ministries of the Church: not grudgingly or of necessity but cheerfully.

Because, as Saint Paul reminds us, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

We dream of a time¹ when FOCUS operates a hundred Centers in a hundred cities across the country. We dream of a time when the Orthodox Church makes a promise to millions of our neighbors in need:

If you are hungry or homeless or hurting, you can come to us because we are the Church.

Because this is the Lord’s call: to make His Kingdom manifest, to help all experience and share the transformative love of Jesus Christ.

Photo by Rafik Wahba on Unsplash

But when we—a ministry of the Orthodox Church—reach this point, it must be because of the generosity of Orthodox Christians.

It must be because we all love God and neighbor to the point that we give freely of our abundance.

It must be because we are a people whose first instinct is to give rather than receive.

To share with others rather than gather for ourselves.

I’m glad these thoughts have been weighing on my heart at this particular moment, because Lent is the perfect time to think deeply about what it means to give as generously as one can to support the upbuilding of the Church.

Maybe this means increasing support for your local parish.

Maybe it means becoming a monthly FOCUS donor and supporting the establishment of new FOCUS Centers which make the Kingdom manifest by gathering the faithful to feed, clothe, shelter, and build community with our neighbors in need.

Maybe it means becoming a monthly supporter of a ministry like OCF and supporting the establishment of new Campus Missionaries who make the Kingdom manifest at colleges and universities.

Maybe it means all of the above!

Because Christ is in our midst! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! And it is our task, as laborers in the Lord’s Vineyard—as faithful Christians, who all bear responsibility for the Church’s ministry in this world—to make the Kingdom manifest in concrete, tangible ways.

That means giving our time and talents, certainly; but also our treasure.

May the Lord open our hands and hearts, instilling in us a spirit of cheerful generosity that will ensure all experience a taste of His Kingdom.

May the Lord open my heart first of all because, if nothing else, I need this for my own salvation.

I’ve said a lot; maybe too much. The great Tim Robinson can say it far more succinctly than I, so I’ll give him the last word:

Via Tenor.

Edited to add: You might also want to read this…

1. Actually, I dream of a time when we all live as Christians and don’t need a ministry to mobilize us into loving service. I’d be thrilled if the work of FOCUS was no longer necessary because we all cared for the widows and orphans like the first Christians did (as we read in the Book of Act, for example).

But the good Lord knows I, before anyone else, have a lot of work to do in freeing myself from my bondage to wealth and comfort.