Have you ever thought about how much faith in God it takes to tithe to your church? Tithing is where you give the first tenth of your income to God because according to the Bible, it belongs to God. To tithe, you have to trust God and you have to trust your church. In other words, if you do not trust the leadership of your church, then you will not “Bring the tithe…” Mal. 3:10 (NLT). 
In my 16 years of being a pastor, I have met many people who have been hurt by a church in some way. Perhaps, the hurt was caused by some disappointment or a decision they did not agree with or a moral failure by one of the leaders in the church. Once trust is broken with a church, it is really hard to rebuild it in the life of a Christian. One way this mistrust manifests itself is in a refusal to tithe. The person might give a tenth of their salary to a charity or a para-church ministry, but they cannot bring themselves to actually “tithe” to their church family. Why? Because of a lack of faith.
The issue of tithing is always faith. And if there is lack of faith, it actually hinders God from working in the church. Jesus tried to minister in his hometown of Nazareth, but was hindered by the lack of faith of the people. “And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:58(NLT).
Obviously, no one wants to hinder God’s work in the church, but that is ALWAYS the fruit of unbelief. The more faith we have as a church in our church, the more miracles God can do through our church! Tithing is one huge way we demonstrate faith in God and faith in His working through the church. The less faith you have in the church, the less God can work. Unbelief ties God’s hands. And a refusal to tithe is a tangible demonstration of a lack of faith.
So, what do you do, if you find yourself struggling with a lack of trust in the leadership of your church?
1. Take time to reflect on what the issue is. Ask yourself, what is the root of my mistrust?
2. Realize no one is perfect. No church is perfect and there are no perfect pastors, church staff, elders or church members.
3. Ask yourself, should love cover it? If it was an issue from a past church, most of the time, you just have to move and stop dwelling on the past. If it is an issue with a current church, then move on to #4.
4. Deal with the issue. Go to your church’s Board of Elders and/or pastoral staff and talk about the issue. Remember, the beginning of healing is revealing your feelings. If not dealt with, offenses have a way corroding your attitude and outlook toward everything.
What can we do to develop an even greater faith in God’s work in and through the church?
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:29 pm. Add a comment
Greetings! I trust 2012 is off to a great start for you! I have 10 things I want to share with you today.
#1- I was pumped about Vision Sunday, especially the feedback that many of you gave me after the service! As I mentioned, the theme for our church in 2012 is “Tell the Story.” We are going to focus on telling the Story both locally and globally. We are going to tell the Story both with words and deeds. So many of you came up to me afterward and said, “Let’s do this.” I want to challenge you to be thinking about your story of how you came to Christ and the life lessons God has been teaching you. And be praying for the person you would like to share your story with this year.
#2- Remember, we are called to come to Him, but we are also called to go for Him. Telling your story is a big part of your purpose in life!
#3- We need your prayers as we continue to search for a Student Pastor. We have many applicants, but we need God’s clear direction. God will give it…as an answer to your prayers! We will update you as the search unfolds.
#4- Did you know the roof is on our new student ministries wing? It is looking great! I shared with you on Sunday, this expansion is going to allow us to “Tell the Story” to even more students this year and beyond. Thank you for your sacrificial giving in making this vision become a reality.
#5- Go ahead and mark your calendar for Step Out Saturday, March 10th. We are going to mobilize the ENTIRE church to go into the community to assist the poor, care for the sick, transform communities and to show God’s love in a practical way. The projects will be planned in advance, so all you need to do is be prayed up as you show up. God is going to do great things as we seek to be a blessing to the community.
#6- Remember, we are not only called to get the community into the church, but the church into the community. Read Acts 2:42-47.
#7- If you have not heard already, we raised $27,030 for our Clean Water for Haiti initiative on Christmas Eve! God is simply amazing!
#8- By the way, on Christmas Eve, we had four people receive Christ! I am excited out of my mind! As one pastor says, “This never gets old.”
#9- If you have children in the Discover Ministry(nursery and preschool), you need to know in the next two weeks, there will be some changes in order to accomodate losing the current nursery space because of construction on the student ministry wing. We will not have access to the current nursery for about 4 weeks. We will have temporary new locations for the Discover Ministries. We ask for your patience as we navigate the construction process.
#10- Stones U. Sunday is coming on Sunday, January 29 following the 11am service. McAlister’s Deli will be on site for a budget friendly lunch. We will be offering two classes: First Step: Membership as well as Next Step: Building Spiritual Maturity. These are both great opportunities for you to take your next step toward Christ! Register here.
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 10:09 am. Add a comment
Greetings Church Family! I trust you are having a great summer!
I wanted to give you an update on the latest happenings for Stones Crossing Church. I talked with our Construction Manager, Gene King, this week about when construction will begin on our Student Ministry/Administration Wing. Obviously, we missed our June target for actual groundbreaking for reasons beyond our control. He is hopeful by mid August, you will see dirt moving. I think God is trying to grow our patience!
I also wanted to you let you know some sad news. Sabrina Gossett, our Excite Coordinator, will be stepping down from her position at the end of this month. She will be greatly missed! Here is part of the parent letter she gave to the parents of our elementary students last weekend:
Dear Excite Parents,
This letter is to express my gratitude for all the benefits Stones Crossing Church has brought to my life. I have gained meaningful experience in the ministry, made many friends and have some wonderful memories. After much consideration and prayer, we have decided that our family needs to worship where we live. We came to Stones Crossing with an open mind and heart that if God wanted us to move we would. That door has not opened. We would like our children to worship in the same community they attend school and have friends. In addition, God has also been opening new doors for my business to introduce a values-based program in our schools. This is truly a Kingdom win!
Many Blessings,
Sabrina Gossett
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 10:33 am. Add a comment
In my 16 years of being a pastor, I have met many people who have been hurt by a church in some way. Perhaps, the hurt was caused by some disappointment or a decision they did not agree with or a moral failure by one of the leaders in the church. Once trust is broken with a church, it is really hard to rebuild it in the life of a Christian. One way this mistrust manifests itself is in a refusal to tithe. The person might give a tenth of their salary to a charity or a para-church ministry, but they cannot bring themselves to actually “tithe” to their church family. Why? Because of a lack of faith.