I grew up in a small town in Illinois with a wonderful park just 2 blocks from my home.  From the first fish I caught, I was hooked as a fishermen.  My mom knew that if she couldn't find me at home or my friend Tim's house, that chances were I was at the park fishing.   I would dig my own worms from behind my garage, grab my gear and be gone for 2 or more hours at a time.

  My gear consisted of a Zebco 404 rod and real which would be fitted with a single hook and bobber.  The pond where I fished was filled with perch, bluegill, bass and catfish.   I enjoyed the bluegill the most and my method of fishing was most conducive for that kind of fish. 

      Years later I found myself in northern California with my own family.  I wanted my son to enjoy the same things I did as a boy (what father doesn't) and would take him fishing.   He, like me, was hooked also after his first fish and now loves to go at any time. 

    I quickly noticed however, that  we were not enjoying the same amount of luck I had when I was a boy.   We went out to Folsom lake on several occasions and caught nothing but kept on trying.  Later I became friends with Phil Carter who was a native of the area and big outdoors-man.  Phil was the one to teach me the importance of fishing on the bottom of the lake.  He told me that Folsom was a trout lake and that the trout enjoy the colder bottom part of the lake.   He also told me that the trout are smart and you need to use a "slider" weight so the trout will take the bait and start running with it before they know that something is wrong.    He also showed me the wonders of "power-bait" and how it floats above the bottom of the lake bed for the fish to grab.   After this, we were catching fish with no problem.

    What does this have to do with church? 

    Plenty!

    You see I could have told Phil, "Sorry Phil, I am a fishing purest.  I believe the only way to fish is with bobber-and-hook.-and-worm" .   I could have kept doing things the way my father taught me and his father taught him.

    But that would mean I would still be waiting to catch my first fish.

    We see the same in our church today.  My church feels that the liturgy is the only way to "fish".   That doing things like the 1st century Christians is the only way to worship and grow a church.  We use the same methods out here that are used in the mid-west where church is still the center of most peoples lives.    Here in California people are less patient, and have "other activities" that distract them from going to church on Sunday mornings.  Many of them have never been in a Lutheran church, let alone follow a liturgical service!   We seem to add mostly long-time-lutherans to our mix rather than the un-churched.  

    Paul understood the need to adapt to his surroundings.  He said. "to the slave I become a slave and to the Greek I become a Greek.... I become all things to all people that I might save them".     He changed his "methods" to meet the "catch".   Paul knew he wasn't going to be able to change the Greeks to become Jews no more than I was going to be able to change the trout to be more like bluegills.   He had to adapt! Not them!

    Is your church adapting?

What would think if someone asked you this in a casual conversation?  Would you think:

A) None of your darn business!
B) Why do they want to know this?
C) Where's the door?

      Chances are you would have answer "A" (followed by a close "C").   We feel very strongly that such subjects are generally VERY personal in nature.  But why is that?   Is it because we know we may be judged to a certain kind of person based on what we make?  Will we be categorized by this person?   More often, it is we don't want this information given out to other people who may use that information against us.   If you ever saw the movie "Secondhand Lions" you know that the two older men were known to have a bundle of wealth stashed away somewhere and everyone from so-called well-meaning relatives to traveling salesmen where out to get a piece of it.  Had it not been for that fact they would have been left largely alone most of their lives.
 
      In todays database-filled world, we find it difficult to live financially private lives.  We are constantly targeted with get-rich-quick-schemes,  vacation-get-aways, retirement-programs,  investments and insurance.  Once you are in one of these databases, someone out there has your number and you have a giant bulls-eye painted squarely on your hind-end where your wallet is.

      So how does this have anything to do with the church?  

      A LOT!  The church like any other business (yes, I did say business) looks to find ways to expand its ministry and in its quest can also be lured into using these database/marketing firms.   For example, recently my own church was in the midst of a building program when it decided to work with a company (I don't know the name of it) to find out more about the members giving.  It sent off a variety of information to this company and in return got a binder full of data listing members (numbers .. not names) and how much each was giving and how much they were earning.  I figure they sent: names, age, sex, marital status, addresses, type of employment, do-they-own-a-house in order to figure this all out.   When all was said and done, the church now knew that the total income for the congregation was 12 million dollars.  They were then able to use this information to procure a loan for the church building programming knowing that it was only a matter of encouraging (I say forcing) the members to give more to pay the mortgage.  I feel they used this information so "shame" its members into increasing their giving by showing how many people were giving 0%, 1%, 2%, 3% ..... 10%.   (my wife and I already give 10% so I had nothing to be ashamed of)

     When I found out that this is what the church did, I felt violated.  While no one in the church knows what I make, SOMEONE in the company they sent  the data to now does know!   Did I sign away my rights to privacy when I joined this church?  I don't remember them giving me a chance to "opt-out" from having my information sent? Also, I feel that church looks at its members differently now that it knows how much money is out there in the pews.   I feel more like a sheep-to-fleeced than a sheep-to-fed.  I liken it to a person who does some thinks they may have oil on their land so they pay someone to do some "exploratory-drilling".   Once they know there's oil, its just a matter of sucking it out. 

      Another reason I feel angry about this is I feel it show a complete lack of faith on our churches part.  Week after week we are urged to have faith in God that he will take care of us.   But here, the church goes off and shows that it has NO FAITH in God to provide the financial resources.   I feel as if the church president is standing up and saying to each of us, " We know what you make (they don't know each person's income, but they do know the grand total) and we know you are holding out on us. So give it up! " .

      Is this the future of the church?  Will we become like the Mormons and force our members to submit a copy of their 1040 each year to the church?   Do I need to keep information like where I live and what I do for work a secret from the church?  I sincerely hope not!   If I were a different kind of person, I would sue my church for violating my right to privacy (but I'm not) and maybe its only a matter of time before someone does. 

      I believe the church needs to take the high road in these areas.  Just because "businesses" CAN do this does not mean that the church can do it.   When we start:

  -  seeing members as "giving-units"  rather than brothers and sisters
  -  graphing the number of members giving X% of income
   - using personal data to make church budget forecasts or building programs

we are off the track.