CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Nov. 28, 2011 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The church in the U.S. appears to be AWOL on its call of duty.
In contrast, video gamers reported front and center for the release of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3." Sales for the new title in the U.S. and United Kingdom set a one-day record of $400 million in November 2011.
Prices ranged from about $50 to $60 dollars for a basic edition. That means an estimated 7 million gamers bought it the first day.
Are church members in the U.S. as excited about their call of duty as video gamers?
In one day, church members could raise at least an additional $6.1 billion to impact two key global challenges: reducing child deaths and sharing the Gospel with those who have not heard it.
Challenge 1: Reduce child deaths.
Many Christians point to Jesus' parable in Matthew 25:31-46 as a "call of duty." In those verses, Jesus says when the "least" are helped, Jesus is helped. Consider one need of the "least." An additional $5.1 billion a year could reduce most of the global preventable deaths in children under age five.
Challenge 2: Make the Gospel Available as an Option to All People.
Many Christians also point to Matthew 28:18-20 as a "call of duty." Jesus says to take the Gospel to all nations. One source estimates that over 3,000 groups of people globally have never heard about God's love through Jesus. An estimate developed in the new book, The State of Church Giving through 2009, calculated a ballpark cost of $1 billion a year to meet this need.
The 21st edition in the series, the new book was released by empty tomb, inc. in October 2011.
One-Day Potential.
In The State of Church Giving through 2009, membership for a set of denominations was analyzed over time. In 2009, these denominations posted almost 111 million members in the U.S.
If each member donated the cost of a video game, that is, $55, these Christians would raise $6.1 billion in one day. That would provide $5.1 billion to apply to ending child deaths, and $1 billion for global evangelization.
Can That Happen?
So far, church leaders have not presented a clear goal at the scale that would meet these two needs.
Since the 1920s, many denominations embraced what is called a "unified budget." Church members are encouraged to donate the major portion of their giving to a general fund. Leaders then split up that fund between the congregation's operating needs and the larger mission of the church. Of the money sent to denominations, the regional and national leaders split up these funds among various departments, including operations and missions.
The unified budget approach was developed to help both local congregations and denominations overcome a problem. Pastors complained about the many different offerings being taken. With a unified budget approach, fundraising in the church became more organized.
However, over time, leaders at the local and denominational levels became protective of the money needed for their own operations. The unified budget became the ceiling for fundraising, rather than a way to establish a firm base from which to impact the world in Jesus' name.
Although there are still special offering opportunities, these do not usually receive the same attention and promotion as the funds needed for the unified budget offerings.
Perhaps as a result, church leaders have not developed a clear goal to solve rather than cope with global problems. Such a goal would have both a dollar cost and a clear timeframe.
The Results of the Current Approach.
Data in The State of Church Giving through 2009 suggests side effects of the present unified budget approach.
Of every dollar donated to a congregation, an average of 14¢ went beyond local operations for the larger mission of the church in 2009. In 1968, the amount was 21¢.
Of each dollar that was donated to a congregation in 2009, an average of 2¢ was spent on denominational overseas missions, meeting both spiritual and physical needs.
Maybe as a result, church member giving to their congregations in 2009 was 2.38% of income. That amount was down from 3.11% in 1968. It appears church members were less excited about their churches' activities in 2009 than they were in 1968.
Meanwhile, church membership declined as a percent of U.S. population as well.
The Potential.
The new report concludes, "The very revitalization of the church in the U.S. might depend on embracing Jesus by embracing the least."
For example, The State of Church Giving through 2009 notes that in 2008 (the most recent year with available data), 16 nations were not making progress in reducing the number of deaths in children under five years of age, according to world organizations.
Based on Matthew 25:31-46, the report suggests, church leaders have a particular "call of duty" to help stop child deaths. A focused campaign at a scale to impact this need, on top of unified budget giving, could help excite church members about what their churches are doing.
Of the 16 nations, an average of 84% of the populations of 10 of these nations self-identify as Christian in their religious preference. These 10 nations are:
Angola
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The other six countries that also need special assistance are: Afghanistan; Chad; Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Mauritania; Somalia; Sudan.
For further discussion of giving and membership trends among Christians in the U.S., including the potential to impact global word and deed need, see The State of Church Giving through 2009, available through Internet booksellers, or directly from
empty tomb, inc.
