February 01, 2006
Sudden Money
Legacy Church recently sold a piece of property we have been holding since 1999 but had not found a strategic use for it. The sale of the land brought a "five-talent" sized gift to us and has brought us to our knees to discern what to do with it.
Before we get to the what-ifs on its use, I read an article that told the story of eight people who won lotteries and ended up broke or bankrupt. In the middle of the stories, a "sudden money" expert (I love that title), noted:
"For many people, sudden money can cause disaster," says Susan Bradley, a certified financial planner in Palm Beach, Fla., and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, a resource center for new money recipients and their advisors."
"In our culture, there is a widely held belief that money solves problems. People think if they had more money, their troubles would be over. When a family receives sudden money, they frequently learn that money can cause as many problems as it solves," she says. (MSN Money)
Since the church is people, not buildings, I bet some of us have had the passing thought that the money from the land sale will solve our financial problems, and we have had thoughts of exactly what we would do to fix financial needs.
I side with Jesus and Susan Bradley: The land sale money will no more solve on-going financial issues than lottery winnings can solve money matters for the eight who had it and lost it. The amount and timing of the money is not the deal. People who risk 'grace-giving' to meet a need and/or seize opportunity brought to them by God is the answer.
This past Sunday, Mark Smith, a member of the Church Leadership Team, announced where the CLT is in its decision making process of investing the land sale proceeds. Here's what Mark said:
"First, God is not a God of confusion. He does make his intentions clear.
Second, God is, right now, at work in our body doing some incredible things and I believe his purposes will become clearer in the coming weeks.
Third, we are to give a portion of this gift, 10%, back to him to reach and serve those outside this body. We are working on plans to involve you directly in this process. (To read about Legacy's beliefs about giving in this way, go here.)
Fourth, we are to use a portion of these proceeds to pay down debt on this building. Virtually every discussion has included a debt reduction from as high as $850K down to something in the $500 to $600 K range. We have decided to put at least $600 K toward our debt.
We are asking you to continue to pray and share with us what God reveals to you. We've received some wonderfully encouraging emails and letters - they help more than you know. We'll come back to you in the next 30 days and will share what God has revealed to us. In the interim, we are in the process of identifying short-term critical needs and will address those as the wise servant that received the 5 talent gift in Matt 25."
If you want to share what God has told you about how to best invest the land sale money, you can email the Leadership Team or post your comments below.
We conclude our series, The Church as It Should Be, this Sunday. We will also observe communion.
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