Investment is always a hot news topic. I was looking through my archive and found a Sydney Morning Herald article from 2012 citing nine points to be wary of when making investments.
Sub-headed: Big promises, poor returns? Annette Sampson looks for the tell tale signs of a dubious investment. "We've all been tempted by them. Enticing investments that seem to make perfect sense at the time but end up leaving us disillusioned and out of pocket." As I re read it it seemed to make equally good sense in how churches work and therefore he has taken the sub-headings and applied them to churches.
High Returns
When a preacher sprooks that his ministry brings high returns in salvation stories, whereas the Bible clearly teaches that such a path is narrow and encountered only through the Holy Spirit, caution might be the better part of valour. Following Jesus is taking up your cross and it can be very rough going and through many muddy pools.
Hard Sell
The hard sell applies equally to church life. Giving abundantly for God's blessing is one such 'hard sell' and it applies across the board when it includes giving time and service. Often it could be better spent looking after your children and taking your family out somewhere. Eli is the classic Biblical example where he spent too much time in God's house and his sons ran riot.
Smoke and Mirrors
There are two sides to this. First, attending some worship services today has all the hallmarks of a pop concert and the preacher is so vibrant and excitable, one gets the distinct feeling that if you had the time to carefully analyse what he or she said, it would reveal mostly smoke and mirrors. Equally, the smoke and mirrors of some worship services are so full of ritual that the reality of Christ in the preaching "misses entirely" the celebration of the resurrected Christ and the strength this brings into the Christian's life.
People Power
The Bible speaks to ordinary people. It has no need for fancy endorsements. Any preacher that vouches its truth by citing this or that celebrity has not quite understood why celebrity magazines in doctor's and dentist's waiting-rooms are 5-6 years old. Those magazines are invariably wrong in their analysis of people's lives and are therefore pre-subliminally warned that when they have their consultation at the doctor's or with the dentist they get a "good dose of reality".
This time the investment is different
Again, doesn't this sound all too true when experiencing some of the worship forms that are available today. One is required to think carefully whether the claims of Christ and only Christ have been given in the preaching. This applies across the board in all church life from the ritualistic to the flamboyant and all points in between.
Paperwork
Annette Sampson says you need to see the paper work and the fine print. It's no different to what we see in churches today – the great DVD presentation, the singing and the big bands, the smells and bells, and whatever else is on offer: the question is: is the Bible preached, is sound biblical doctrine taught, or, do you get loads of home spun truths and terrific allegories and tales of fun and fortune?
Fashion
The managed investments industry is as susceptible to fads and attempting to follow what some other preacher has done - without knowing the background – ie: the history, the heartache, the pitfalls – that - that particular preacher found along the way - is like blindly following some great fad and this will inevitably leave you more-the-sorry.
Big Promises
Then there are the investments that simply can't deliver what they promise. This hardly needs a comment in church life, for some offer a surreal notion (when they get home and into the midst of life the promises evaporate), or a wealth and health notion (when their investment falls-over or like their next visit to the doctor with a reality check).
A Sure Thing
Some Christians have given so much money they have left themselves very vulnerable financially. Moreover if they question where those funds have gone, it often initiates a slow but sure 'cold-shouldering' and an eventual leaving that church. I've had innumerable people speak to me on these issues over a life time in ministry.
Mature Christians understand that many missionaries depend on individual giving to sustain their mission activities. The reality is that local Churches (Parishes) have budgets and those budgets push the boundaries for their own activities. Missions generally get a poor slice of the pie and then only specific missions (ie, missionaries known to them).
Faith financed missionaries are supported (in the main) by individual Christians. If such missionaries were to depend on churches, Christendom would have lost (and continue to lose) much of the evangelism that is carried out around the world. Local churches that ask for "all your giving" are out of touch and quite possibly, very dangerous to true evangelism.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html