Ministries of true significance and impact are underway at JCBC. Having just come out of a wonderfully successful Mobilization Fair, we have seen hundreds of our people making deliberate decisions to mobilize their faith; to take a new step, a next stride, and in some cases a courageous leap into the adventure of following Jesus.
It is while momentum is building and spirits are high, that I want to voice a pastoral word of challenge to us all.
The call of God upon a person’s life is always deeper, wider and longer than what any church can envision, plan or organize. When the love of God and the call of Jesus Christ captures the heart of a person, that person is limited only by her willingness or unwillingness to follow.
A church can neither manufacture, nor hinder the call of God upon anyone.
But it can empower it.
It can equip it.
It can tool it.
And therein lies the mobilizing power of Christ’s church.
We are in the business of empowering, equipping and tooling followers of Jesus to live out their God given call.
In order to do that; in order to grow in our congregational identity as THAT kind of equipping church, it demands something of all of us. It necessarily requires our steady, reliable, financial generosity.
That is why we pledge.
In fact, I believe it is important from time to time to explain WHY we call on our members to pledge. I can think of at least three reasons; all of which have everything to do with empowering and mobilizing the church.
First, pledging empowers identity. A pledge card (regardless the amount) says, “I am a part of something larger than myself.” It says I stand in solidarity with a family of believers, in pursuit of the same vision to love God and love people in the name of our Lord. When we do the math and sign the card, we are saying in essence, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord along side you.” A pledge card says, “we believe in what we are doing as a church and in who we are becoming together in Christ.” A pledge card says “Yes. We’re in.”
Second, pledging empowers accountability. Deeply rooted in our ecclesiology (our theology of church), is the conviction that we exist as a dynamic community of strength and grace, intended to help individuals continually live into and up to their fullest identity and potential in Christ. Even with the best of intentions, and on our best days, our deepest convictions can sometimes be neglected or overlooked. When you pledge, you create for yourself a mechanism of accountability. You empower your church to empower you. A pledge makes it possible to come alongside you in the journey, to respectfully and prayerfully encourage you in the pursuit of your own generosity goals. I’ll say it again. When you pledge, you empower your church to empower you.
Third, pledging empowers the ministry budget. There is a practical/pragmatic reason for pledging. It is a vital tool in the process of developing and managing a healthy church budget. A church budget is a ministry funding plan that is built with a variety of tools. Prayer is the first tool. In prayerful discernment and dialogue, our ministry leaders (ministers, deacons, stewardship committee, treasurers, etc) deliberately seek the guidance of the Spirit in developing a budget. Another tool is the study of trend-lines in our giving patterns. Our treasurer equips us with an intelligent analysis of trends from week to week, month to month, and year to year. But one vital tool used is the total number of all pledges submitted from a faithful and consistent membership. When you pledge, you help our leadership responsibly discern the viability of funding the ministry initiatives being envisioned.
For these reasons, I want call upon any member who has not yet submitted a pledge, to do so. The vitality and sustainability of our ministries are strengthened with each commitment pledged.
Pledge cards are available in the church office.
Or, if you click the image below, you can fill out and submit your pledge online in a matter of minutes.
Shaun King
Senior Pastor
Johns Creek Baptist Church