As the pastor of a giving church, I am very happy to give to needy causes. In fact, I believe that one of the main factors in receiving God’s blessings has been the willingness to share those blessings with others. I have also written letters to solicit funds from people for various needs. At some point, however, I must weigh out the requests for funds against all my other financial obligations and commitments. This means that sometimes, I have to say no. This seems to happen more often now than ever.
Why do people send out letters asking for money? Here is a list of likely reasons and some thoughts I have about each one.
1. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Maybe it does. It does hurt to ask when the person you’re asking has received stacks of similar requests in the past few days or weeks, leading him to think that sending out request letters must be “the thing to do”. It does hurt to ask when your project appears frivolous or self-serving. It does hurt to ask when you imply that refusing to give to your cause means that the source is uncaring or stingy. Also, when you ask for something, you assume, without really knowing, that the source possesses the ability to give. It may not be the case. And remember, the more letters in circulation, the less effective any of them will be.
2. Mine is a worthy cause. Probably true. Anything connected to the world-wide advancement of God’s work is worthy. Mission trips, church start-ups, needed equipment, disasters, financially troubled churches and many other situations are important. Some needs may be urgent or desperate. But many local church projects are also worthy. Many times they get pushed to the back burner, however, because outside projects demand a continual diversion of funds away from them. Somebody has to decide which one is most worthy of support.
3. There’s a lot of money out there and I may as well get some of it. Very few churches or pastors waste donated dollars. Most of the time, it is earmarked for a specific purpose. Actually, many churches struggle to meet the pledges they have already made. Any time you receive a dollar, rest assured that it was taken from another worthy project and given to you.
4. People need a little pressure to make them give. Yes, reminders are helpful. Manipulation, however, is not. As a rule, church people have an extremely sensitive conscience. They would rather give what they can’t afford to give rather than to be thought of as stingy. It is more than manipulative to take advantage of this tendency to feel guilt, it is unethical.
The people of God are generous and responsive to needs presented to them. One of my jobs as a pastor is to make sure they are not exploited or over-burdened. I have given many dollars and I will continue to give. My goal, however, is to do more than just give. I want to know that my people are giving to legitimate causes and to responsible servants of God who will make a difference. The more I am flooded with requests for money, the more discriminating I am with dispersing it. Please be careful why and how you send out all letters soliciting funds.