If You Don’t Like the Direction Your Church is Taking, Look in the Mirror

7/18/2018

Representing thousands of Churches and Pastors for the past 80 years and with several Pastors on staff, I have determined that when a Church or ministry is not productive the blame does not lie at God’s feet, but at the feet of the man or woman He has installed in that Church. God gives us our mandate and vision based upon our abilities and if it is not productive we have no one to blame but ourselves.

I understand that Scripture declares that the Lord must be the builder of the House or our labor is in vain (Psa. 127:1). However, I also know that God will not come physically to your location to build your Church or Ministry. He builds it through His delegated authority for that House, as the man or woman of God carries out His vision and desire. His vision for the local Church is outlined in Scripture and further amplified to the Pastor through prayer and meditation.

As I was meditating as to what to write for this blog, I continued to hear in my spirit two reasons why Churches don’t grow or have the resources they need to fulfill the ministry which God has entrusted them.

God Will Not Bless A Mess

One thing that is easily discernible in Scripture is that God is a God of order. When creating this earth, the heavens, and all that is therein, He did it in a specific order. When He sent His Son into to this world to redeem us, it was at a specific time and according to a certain order (Gal. 4:4). When Jesus fed the multitude, it was orderly (Luk. 9:14ff). God is a God or order—not chaos. God’s very first order of business as recorded in Scripture is bringing order to chaos. In Genesis 1:2 the Hebrew for the words “without form, and void,” attest to the chaos of the world and universe. At the end of Genesis 1:2 God addresses the chaos and immediately begins to bring into arrangement that which is out of order.

God does not like a mess and when we operate our Churches apart from Biblical order it shuts the floodgate of God’s blessings.

Part of operating our Church according to Biblical order is ensuring that we obey laws of the land as we are commanded to do in Romans 13:1-6. Yet, the number of Christians and Pastors who will look for ways to cheat so they can avoid giving the IRS its fair share as required by law is astounding.

I know of Christians who will get paid “under the table” and not report the income on their annual tax return. There are Pastors who will receive offerings and not funnel them through the Church bank account and the Pastor will not report them as income.

There are Churches who haphazardly maintain Church books and financial records without following the laws and regulations outlined in the IRS code.

This is a mess, and expecting God to honor that type of dishonor and illegality is foolish. If God lent Himself to that which is in open violation of His Word, His house would be a divided house and the Kingdom of Heaven could not stand (Mk. 3:25; Luk. 11:17).

Every Pastor and Church Leader in the USA needs to take ACTION NOW to bring their Church into Spiritual and Legal compliance.

You Get What You Preach

One of the first things any Pastor should learn is that he or she will get what they preach. If people are not coming to Christ in your services it is probably because the Pastor seldom preaches on Salvation. If the Church finances are not sufficient to meet the budget each week it is probably because the Pastor does not or seldom preaches about tithes, giving, and Biblical Stewardship. If people are not healed in your Church it is probably because the Pastor seldom preaches about divine healing and faith required to receive it. Pastor, you get what you preach!

Many Pastors avoid addressing or preaching about areas they feel may be “controversial.” This is a big mistake. The Word of God is designed to offend those whose hearts and lives are contrary to its teaching (Mk. 4:17; John 16:1).

Pastor, if you are not seeing what you need in your Church, you need to look in the mirror. Either you are not preaching enough on the subject or you have allowed chaos and shoddy bookkeeping of the Church financial records. Whichever is the cause of your Church not being what God intended, the blame and the fix rests completely upon your shoulders. This is why you need us.

We Can Help

Chitwood & Chitwood has provided Church Management and oversight for thousands of Churches for 80 years. We are the expert on matters of Church Management and Compliance. Every year we conduct seminars across the USA to teach Pastors and Church Leaders areas that need attention to bring stability and growth to their Churches and Ministries. At our conferences we address financial and bookkeeping concerns that must be addressed if they Pastor and Church Leaders want to experience God’s best for their House of Worship. At these meetings we instruct Pastors in areas of Church Management and order that will enhance their ministry so they may do their God-ordained tasks with joy (Heb. 13).

It behooves every Pastor, Pastor’s Spouse, and Church Leader to register for the next available Church Management Conference. To register, please call 800-344-0076. This will be the best investment you can make for your Church and your Ministry. Stop struggling to do that which should be pleasure.

By Dr. Michael Chitwood

What You Will Learn at our Conferences

Our Church Management Conferences will arm you with the information you must have to shield your Church or Ministry from IRS intrusiveness; teach you how to get your Taxes to the lowest possible rate; and daily operate your Church or Ministry within IRS acceptable guidelines.

Our Conferences have been taught across the Nation for over 48 years. Because of the Penalties, Fines, and even Imprisonment that the IRS imposed on many Churches and Pastors, Dr. Chitwood felt led by the Holy Spirit to become a buffer between Churches, Ministers, and the IRS.