Do not trust empty! Reflections on gas gauges and generosity

Our small electric car is a delight. No gas gauge on that. The problem occurs with our legacy gas vehicle. After I fill up, the gauge goes right to the bottom and the amber warning light comes on. The car lies: it says it is empty when it is not. I cannot trust empty.

To provide better information, I use the trip odometer to record the distance traveled since last fill-up. Remembering how far one has already traveled might be helpful for churches too.

Do not trust empty!

The budget numbers should not be the only indicator of generosity or potential. How far has the congregation already come? What generous saints have contributed to get to this place? Where is the congregation headed? How is it called to love God and care for the neighbourhood? Are there people who could help fill up? Does the congregation need to change direction?

It’s not a binary question of full or empty. When a congregation can step back from the amber panic light, better decisions are possible. That doesn’t mean heading back to 1955, or ignoring reality. Nostalgia won’t help, i.e. remembering the days of big cars, cheap gas and more people in the pews. That’s behind us.

What does God have in store for the church in the future? Don’t trust empty is another way of saying, don’t be afraid. Christians cannot rely on our own resources, we rely on God. It’s not all up to us, and it never was. That is good news!

Thanks to the many congregations who shared during a recent webinar “Help! My church has a deficit!” that Karen Plater and I led for the Presbyterian Church in Canada. When the recording is ready, it will be posted here.

Do not trust empty!