Why would you pledge? 10/22/17 Darryl Marshall

 Several years ago, I was a member of a small Episcopal church in a small town near the West Coast. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a rector and volunteers who did a lot of the work. We had a bulletin like our bulletin here. It had rubrics, which are those things that tell you what to do during the service. For instance, for the lesson, sit; for the gospel, stand; for the sermon, sleep.

I am going to talk about money, so you should only sleep if this is a subject you have no interest in. First, where I am coming from: I believe that Christianity is a journey, and you must participate in it. You must be active, not just along for the ride.

I would like to tell a story. It didn’t happen exactly this way, but I know this story is true.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I found myself disillusioned with the evangelical approach to Christianity, so I joined the Episcopal church. I did all those things you do to get signed up and confirmed. One day I was having a conversation with the rector of my church and I asked him “What should I do to be a member?”

He said that was a good question, and responded: “First, you need to show up.” Kathleen talked about showing up last week, so we know something about that. Second he said: “You need to get involved. This means joining a group such as bible study, and becoming part of a program for outreach or some other service to the church and community. Third, you need to pledge.”

I said, “Wait a minute, what’s a pledge?”

He said, “That is a promise to give a certain amount of money to the church every week.”

I said to myself: “Self, why would you do that? I put money in the plate every week that I am here. If I like the sermon I put in a whole dollar!”

Ask yourself: why would you pledge? There may be many reasons. For instance, you may think that David and Kathleen will think more highly of you and pay more attention to your needs if you pledge. Unfortunately, this won’t work here because neither David nor Kathleen know how much you pledge, or even who pledges. This is their policy. So, this is not a good reason.

You might think that if you do not pledge, God will smite you. However, if you have been paying attention to what David and Kathleen have been telling us, you will know that God is not in the business of going around smiting people. So, this is another bad reason.

However, there are some good reasons. For instance, you might think God has blessed us and wants us to support the work we are doing here. Or, there may have been some personal event that convinced you of the value of the church, and you want that to continue.

These are good reasons, but research has shown that some things must be in place for people to support an organization like ours.

First, you must support the mission of the organization. Our mission is written at the top of the bulletin, you will find it inside, and it is even written on the wall in our new building. I assume that, if you are here, you support the mission.

Second, you must have confidence in the leadership. We have excellent leadership, not only the clergy, but also the rest of the paid staff and volunteers. I am qualified to say this because I am old. And, I have been in a lot of churches that do not have this high-quality leadership.

Third, you must be confident that the money is handled professionally and responsibly. That is the case here. The books are open to anyone who wants to look at them, and our treasurer does an excellent job.

OK, we have arrived at the point where I was convinced of the need to pledge. The next question I had for the rector was, of course, “How much?”

He said, “The Biblical standard is a tithe.”

I said, “What’s a tithe?”

He said, “10%.”

At this point I was feeling a little trapped, but thought I saw a way out. I said, “10% of what?”

He said, “10% of adjusted gross income. That is the line on your income tax form that tells you how much you need to give to the emperor and how much you need to give to God.”

Imagine my chagrin. That is a tough standard. However, he did tell me that you don’t need to get there all at once. You can pick a percentage you are more comfortable with, and work up from there over time. It is something to aim for.

So, I aimed for it. I have not always made it, but I have tried. And, I have found that my life works better when I tithe. It is good for me, it is good for the church, and it would be good for you.

But, I am not convinced that his answer was the best he could have given me. A better answer might be to ask yourself, “What does God want me to do to be part of a movement that still has a way to go to change the way we all live together?” It can succeed, but only with our help.

I hope you will fill out a pledge card and bring it in two weeks, and I hope you will consider making the tithe a standard for yourself. I don’t see too many people sleeping, so I hope you are moved to think this through.