Your heart will be also

No matter how tight things get financially, people will always find a wee bit for the things they enjoy. Be it foreign holidays, flashy cars, the occasional pint or a trip to the cinema, they will find the money somehow. It's the thing which breaks the monotony and the tedium. It, to a certain extent, defines who they are and breaks them away from the same old, same old.

When things are tight, the scope for spending on fripperies decreases. There may be some things which can no longer be afforded, as the belt is tightened, but some things will remain and will not be compromised on. The change in circumstances may even be seen as an opportunity to redress the balance in time over spending or re-examine where money it spent and that is it going to the best use. Where it is spent (beyond the basic keeping fed, clothed, warm and sheltered), I believe, in many ways shows where the heart is.

So, how much more does this apply to churches. If they spend lots of money shoring up the old, out-of-date and not fit for purpose buildings they have, what does that say about their priorities? If they bemoan the lack of children and young people using and attending church, but do not invest in those who do come, what does that say about a church? When the national living wage is currently around £7.60, but churches pay their staff minimum wage (or not much more), what does that say about the church?

I believe where and how the church, locally and nationally, spends its money says a lot about its priorities. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21.