50/50
Early on, the people of LifeBridge made the commitment to give away 50% of whatever was given to us. We knew such a bold step would define us, we just didn’t realize how much! Here’s what we’ve found:
What We Give Up
Quite frankly, you’ll have to make some sacrifices to be a part of LifeBridge. When a church gives away half of its offerings, it means we have to be rather frugal when it comes to spending money on our own programs and facilities. Worship is simple, staffing is minimal, and we intentionally do without a lot of the “extras” that many have become used to in church. There are a lot of times throughout the year when we say “No” to things we’d really like to have for ourselves because we’ve chosen to spend our money and our time on serving others. We are, by necessity and by choice, a simple church.
What We Gain
BUT, the positive side of spending so little on ourselves and our own ministry, is that it frees up a LOT of resources that can be invested “out there” in the world. When we come upon needs and opportunities in our daily lives, we have the resources as a church to respond with the love and care of Christ.
The impact is staggering. For the cost of hiring a 1/2 church worker, we have instead been able to completely fund 20 full time church planters taking the Gospel to some of the most remote areas in Nepal. Instead of new lighting, we choose to buy sweatshirts for the homeless folks at Montrose Street Reach. Through a thousand different choices, we are gradually beginning to redefine what it means to be the church, by spending ourselves and our resources on those things that mattered the most to Christ.
“if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness…” — Isaiah 58:10