We frequently hear ministry leaders talking in terms of “fundraising” taking time from “ministry.” But this kind of expression reflects a serious error in our thinking. Fundraising is ministry — not separate from it — and in no way is fundraising a “necessary evil.”
Jesus was adamant about connecting people to God, and correspondingly obdurate about anyone or thing that confused or interrupted the connection. We see a prime example of this in His explosion with the merchants in the temple. There, in a place intended for connecting people to God, the merchants had turned the God-connection into an empty tradition. The sacrifices were intended to express people’s penitence before, and devotion to, God. To rear an animal for sacrifice took time and care. But here was a fast-food version: whip through the process, don’t think about God until the last minute, show up, pay a fee, and you’re out.
This was not the relationship, the connection, that God longed for. The “marketers” may have started out with honorable intentions — desiring to facilitate worship. But Jesus could see their hearts, and by this point they had clearly become opportunists, taking advantage of people’s need for a God-connection and siphoning off something for themselves.
* Like what you just read and want to learn more? Check out, More Than Money: The Truth About High-Capacity Givers.
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