First Baptist Church of Perryville Archives: September 2010
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18 September 2010
The Pulpit at Le Chambon
In the summer of 1942, two buses arrived at the French village of Le Chambon. The Vichy government, in service to the German occupation, had sent them to pick up the Jews who’d been sheltered in this largely Protestant town. When the police captain first demanded that the local pastor supply him a list of the resident Jews and then insisted that he sign a poster calling on the Jews to surrender themselves, he refused. (more…)
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16 September 2010
The Beginning of Science
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore . . . 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
1 Kings 4:29, 33-34 (NIV) (more…)
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14 September 2010
Get the Word Out
Pastor John
Scripture Reference: II Timothy 4:1-22
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14 September 2010
If I Believe the Truth
Pastor John
Scripture Reference: II Timothy 3:10-17
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14 September 2010
The Abomination of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws Continues, with No End in Sight.
Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajid Masih Emmanuel were arrested by Pakistani police in early July 2010, in Dawood Nagar, Faisalabad. They had been running United Ministries Pakistan in Dawood Nagar for the previous two years. (more…)
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12 September 2010
Too Modest for Our Own Good
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:16-17 (ESV) (more…)
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10 September 2010
1755 and Europe’s Seismic Shift
On November 1, 1755, Lisbon was rocked by an earthquake estimated at over 8.5 on the Richter Scale, just short of the 9.1-9.3 registered during the 2004 Asian tsunami. Lisbon, one of Europe’s largest cities, was devastated, with as many as 100,000 dead.1 As one visitor observed,
A far more melancholy abode than Lisbon cannot be conceived, nothing strikes the Eye in the City but ruin and Desolation; the Fire having completed what the Earthquake began: Heaps of Rubbish; broken walls; Fragments of Churches, with the Paintings and Ornaments in many parts remaining, form although a Scene of Horror rather to be felt than described.2 (more…)
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8 September 2010
A Witch Judge Repents—Samuel Sewall, 1697
Pastor Samuel Willard strode up the center aisle of Boston’s Third Church as the congregation sang a psalm. It was an official day of fasting and prayer for Bostonians. But for Samuel Sewall, it would also be a day of personal repentance. As Willard passed, he paused just long enough to receive a note from Sewall. Later in the service he unfolded the note and looked at Sewall, who rose to his feet. What happened next shocked the silent crowd: The minister read Sewall’s confession of guilt in the Salem witch trials five years earlier in 1692, at which he served as a judge. Twenty accused witches had been executed upon Sewall’s judgment, and all likely were innocent.1 None of the other eight judges admitted wrongdoing, but that did not stop Sewall from making the matter right with God. So Willard announced on his behalf, “[H]e desires to take the blame and shame of it … desiring prayers that God … would pardon that sin.”2 (more…)
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6 September 2010
Do Not Let Your Hearts Sink—Solomon Stoddard (1643 - 1729)
Solomon Stoddard was the minister of the church in Northampton, Massachusetts, for over half a century and was succeeded by his grandson Jonathan Edwards. He enjoyed a fruitful ministry over many years, and in particular, he was used by God in the conversion of many people and the reform of the community in line with Christian principles. Yet as he himself testified, he needed encouragement because many who professed true religion lived contrary to their calling. He said, “We live in a corrupt age, and multitudes of men take a licentious liberty, in their drinking and apparel . . . and unsavory discourses.”1 (more…)
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4 September 2010
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
A wave of concern over fundraising practices in the non-profit sector prompted Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield to challenge evangelical leaders in 1977.1 An evangelical himself, he warned that Congress might pass legislation regulating the affairs of Christian ministries unless they found a way to police themselves with a “Christian Better Business Bureau.”2
In response, in 1979, a group of believers founded the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.3 Charter members included Campus Crusade for Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Dallas Theological Seminary.
The ECFA holds members to seven standards of responsible stewardship: doctrinal orthodoxy; a board of directors with financial oversight; an annual audit; policies ensuring adherence to tax-exempt purposes; financial disclosure; conflict-of-interest avoidance; and ethical fundraising practices.4 In addition, some members are selected each year for on-site visits to verify their compliance with ECFA standards.5 To date, more than 2,300 organizations and their subsidiaries have joined the council, whose website declares, “The ECFA seal is tangible evidence to donors that ECFA member organizations adhere to the highest standards of financial integrity and Christian ethics.”6
As an ECFA member, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) publishes its financial records each year and demonstrates the type of economic transparency necessary in all ministries. One can easily discover that the BGEA spends 87% of its $116 million budget on evangelistic outreach and has $301 million in net assets.7
In contrast, the abuses of some ministries remind us why Senator Hatfield called for the ECFA’s existence. A “televangelist,” for example, bought a $20 million jet, claiming he would use it only to spread the gospel. Yet the jet made questionable rounds to some of the world’s hottest vacation spots while faithful donors sent their money to support Christian work.8
More recently, another minister was sued for stealing a plan to profit from religious text messages. He allegedly earns $50 million per year from $5.99 subscriptions to the service.9 A man is claiming that the minister used his idea for the “Word on the Go” texting service after they developed it together.
Of course, while such embarrassing behavior by large ministries gets media attention, much of the financial irregularity in the Church occurs in the pew, where those who call themselves Christian refuse to be stewards of their own resources, all of which belong to God. In their giving and purchasing patterns, they betray their calling and confession that “Jesus is Lord.” Nevertheless, the EFCA plays a vital role in preserving the kingdom’s witness on earth.
Both the transparency of ECFA members and the obfuscation of less honorable ministries recall the need for every Christian organization to live out the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8:21, “for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” The greatest scandal is not the abuses of a few bad ministers but the widespread need for the ECFA in the first place. Unless the Church maintains financial integrity, it cannot speak prophetically on vital matters of money and finance.
That is why the First Baptist Church of Perryville took steps two decades ago to update standard, but antiquated practices, to have the highest level of financial accountability. All offerings are counted by teams of three who must each sign their own form identifying the checks, bills, and change in the offering. All three sheets must agree exactly. The financial secretary tracks the giving. The treasurer only disperses checks, never touching funds. There is a yearly audit by a team experienced with accounting. Use of funds is supervised by a stewardship committee. The whole process was designed specifically for our church by the vice-president of a large Maryland bank. We firmly believe that people who represent the Living God must exhibit the highest level of fiscal responsibility and transparency.
Footnotes:
1 Randall Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, rev. ed. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2004), s. v. “Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.”
2 “ECFA History,” Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/Content/GeneralBackground.aspx (accessed August 13, 2009).
3 Ibid.
4 “Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship,” Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/Content/7Standards.aspx (accessed August 13, 2009).
5 “ECFA History.”
6 Ibid.
7 “Billy Graham Evangelistic Association,” Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=4764 (accessed August 13, 2009).
8 Brett Shipp, “Jet Flight Records Spur Copeland Ministry Questions,” WFAA-TV Website, February 28, 2007, http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/bshipp/stories/wfaa070228_mo_churchjet.87be631.html (accessed August 13, 2009).
9 “Lawsuit Says Evangelist Stole Idea,” United Press International Website, June 26, 2009, http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/26/Lawsuit-says-evangelist-stole-idea/UPI-16631245990573/ (accessed August 13, 2009).
