Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Church could do lot of eternally good things with $3 millionBy MONROE ROARK In Matthew 25, there is a story of a wealthy businessman who, when preparing to leave home for an extended period of time, gave portions of his estate to three of his employees. One man received five talents, another got two, and the third man was given one. While the man was gone, the worker with five talents invested wisely and doubled his money. The second man had the same result, as his fortune grew to four talents. The other man, however, buried his lords money in the ground and did nothing with it. When the boss returned, he spoke with favor to the first two employees but reprimanded the third man, taking his talent away and giving it to another. Now what in the world does this story have to do with Walgreens and Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church? Maybe nothing. I am not acquainted with anyone in either party and am not even a Fayette County resident. While I cannot say with certainty what the churchs motives are in relocating, I can say that if that body is sincere about its ministry in this community and around the world, then the laws of stewardship, at least the way they read in my Bible, demand that they at least consider their options regarding the highest and best use of their property. Im not a lawyer, but Ive covered enough zoning hearings to know that where one corner (or, in this case, two) of a major intersection is already commercial, the dominoes are going to fall and there is usually very little that can be done about it. I also am not really familiar with the covenants that were entered into when the church first located at Peachtree Parkway and Ga. Highway 54, so Im not going to argue that part of the issue. Im looking at it strictly from the standpoint of what is best for the church and its members, physically as well as spiritually. The church of which my family and I are active members sold its longtime property in Morrow in the fall of 2004 and purchased land along I-75 in McDonough. We are now meeting in a middle school and will likely be doing so for the remainder of 2005. While the sale of the former property gave us a bit of a head start in our relocation efforts, its going to take a great commitment and sacrifice to make it the rest of the way. But in the four years that our church has been involved in a capital building program, the growth we have seen financially and spiritually is beyond our expectations. I say that to say this: As some other congregations in the community can already attest, a move such as the one Christ Our Shepherd is considering is not without risk, regardless of the current financial situation, and can potentially transform its ministry. But it must be approached in the correct way and with a firm commitment from its members. Now, boil it down to dollars and cents for a moment. Suppose the church nets $3 million from the sale of the property, as has been suggested. How many missionaries in foreign lands can be helped with $1 million? How many meals can be provided for hungry people? How much Christian literature can be distributed? The possibilities are many. Id like to hear from other churches in the community that are in the middle of relocation efforts. I wonder if any of them can testify to the great leaps of faith that have been required and the rewards that have been reaped. In my opinion, Christ Our Shepherd may want to consider setting an example in the community by demonstrating how a portion of their profits can be used to benefit the cause of Christ aside from simply pouring it into the new property, wherever it is. Then the membership can commit to making up the difference over the long haul and watch how God can work in their midst so that theyre not just raising money, but raising people as well. If fellow Christians in Peachtree City really want what is best for everyone, then they need to ask themselves how a retail operations effect on that corner over the next 20 years stacks up against the potential windfall over eternity should this churchs five talents of real estate be invested in other ways. Because whatever building stands on that corner 10 years from now, it wont be there forever. But the souls of men and women will be somewhere. |
|
Copyright 2004-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |