It’s no secret that churches have gotten reputation over the years of being more concerned about money than people. I think most churches are well intentioned, but when you have a mortgage, utility bills, staff and salaries and you see churches closing their doors every day unfortunately some pastors and church leaders have become preoccupied with the offering and paying the bills.
I can across this video from NBC Nightly News a couple of weeks ago that reports on Waterfront Community Church in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg that stands in contrast to that stereotype by giving away all the money they receive to those in need. Take a look…
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I was curious as to how the church pays for the rental of the school and if they have any paid staff. So, I emailed them and asked. I’ll post something when I hear back.
What do you think? Can a church like this really work?
Would you want to be a part of a church like this if it meant no building, no paid staff, and none of the other amenities many American Christians have come to expect from their church?
3/11 UPDATE
Thanks to David Herrick of Waterfront who emailed me explaining how they make it possible for Waterfront to give away 100% of their Sunday offering:
…there are three ways we are able to do what we do. We have three staff, all of whom raise their own support from friends and family (we treat it like a missions effort). We keep our operations expenses very, very, low, and squeeze every nickel and dime. And so we are able to cover the costs of our operations with the help of 8-10 families who tithe specifically to our operations expenses on a private basis. Their private contribution allows us to give 100% of our Sunday offerings away to support local and global causes.
It’s a very innovative, new way to organize a local church. On second thought, it may be a very old way which the Church (at least in America) has forgotten about.