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Author and Technical Consultant Brad Herring takes a serious look at church spending.
Needs vs. Wants - When is enough enough?
By: Brad Herring - Author and Technical Consultant
It never ceased to amaze me as a contractor when product representatives would take me out to show me their equipment being used in churches. Their attempt was to sway me from one manufacturer to another. One trip in particular made me sick to my stomach.
One particular afternoon the representative met me at a local church and we walked into the main auditorium. He motioned at the large cabinets, front of house console, amps, and other miscellaneous sound components. We fired up the system and began to play music, it sounded nice enough. Then the pride came out as he said with a big smile, “They spent just over $1 million on this system.”
I simply could not believe it. I left that day shaking my head and wondering -- when is enough enough? This particular church seats around 2000 people and has a very contemporary service style. But $1 million? There is no doubt the church needed to spend a fair amount of money to properly amplify the space, but I wasn’t sure I saw the justification for $1 million.
Now, I want to be cautious here, and say I am not trying to judge this particular church -- but simply raise the question; do we honestly evaluate our needs versus our wants? This church might have evaluated every penny, but they might have been led by desire as well.
It made me begin to seriously question how we spend our money. Where is the stewardship? Am I suggesting that there is never a need to spend such large amounts of money on technology? No. But there had better be real good reasons and no other way to satisfy the need. How many people could be directly reached with the Gospel for that kind of money? How many starving children could be fed, Bibles delivered, shelters built... I could go on and on, but I trust you get my point.
It was said to me the other day that it seemed like churches are looking to American business to decide how to proceed. What to wear, management style, music tastes, etc. I proclaim to you that this should not be the case. We should be above reproach, setting the example, and leading the way. Working in love and grace, desiring to help those in need and touch those that are lost. This should be our primary focus.
Technology is a great tool for reaching the world. In some regards technology is expected due to our society and the fast paced multimedia world we live in. But I urge you to not lose sight of what Paul taught in Romans 1:16 when he said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation”. Ultimately our programs, music, and multimedia offerings should always be benchmarked off this primary principle: Does this clearly explain the Gospel of Christ, and is there a way that is equally as effective that could be more cost effective.
Now cost effective doesn’t always have to mean money -- sometimes the cost is the lost opportunity to win someone to the Gospel because of the way we treat them. Other times it is simply how much we are spending on what we are getting. I implore you to resist the urge for toys, name-brands, or frivolous equipment purchases that might risk spending money that could be used to truly build the Kingdom.
Decide all purchases with serious prayer and careful insight. Determine the need versus the desire. Seek wisdom in ministry.
The end comment here: Pray. Be SURE you hear God. Do not act until you are sure you hear from God, and then act accordingly. Trust the Spirit to lead us as we pursue the ministry we are called to. God be with you my friends.
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Fundamentals of Audio - DVD
This DVD based training system was developed by Brad Herring - National Speaker and “Recording & Production” Editor for Technologies for Worship Magazine.
This series has shipped world-wide and helped churches everywhere improve their sound quality, as well as many hearts of audio engineers!
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