If you come to Harbor Community Church you may notice something a little different from many other churches, we don’t pass around an offering plate. Depending on your previous church experience, this may be refreshing or downright strange.
In many churches there is a “time of offering,” during which, volunteers pass a plate or basket down each aisle so that every person in attendance has an opportunity to drop in whatever he or she may have brought to give that week. In America we often give through cash or checks, but in some parts of the world the “offering plates” will be filled with eggs, mangos, avocados, or whatever the members can afford. Faithful giving is never measured by how many zeros are in one’s contribution. On the contrary, it is evaluated by one’s willingness to generously give according to what one has. Thus, we praise God for the fruit (pun intended) that is collected and used for God’s glory!
Joy Boxes
Here at Harbor Community Church, our goal is to be a people who joyfully and selflessly give, not for the praise of man, but for the glory of God and the good of His people. Our conviction is that we can best accomplish this through “Joy Boxes.”
Giving online at hccmobile.org/give is always an option, but each Sunday we will also have a black box located at each exit of the worship center called a “Joy Box.” Anyone can walk up and drop money in it at any time before, during, or after the service.
…an opportunity to Give in Secret
One major reason why we’ve chosen to give through this format is Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:1-4. Here Jesus says to “beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.” Rather, “when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Giving publicly, to be seen and praised by others, has a temporary reward that will fade. Our desire is not only to bless the needy. It is also our hope that everyone who gives will receive the eternal, lasting, joy from the Father that is far better than money or momentary praise from man. We aim to be a congregation that delights in giving in secret.
…An opportunity to give cheerfully
Giving is an act of worship. We believe and teach that the giving of our resources is a part of being a follower of Christ. But, we never want to guilt or persuade people to give financially out of a feeling of duty or to earn the praise of man.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
We don’t want our congregation to begrudgingly give because everyone around them is putting money into an offering plate. Rather, we want our people to give cheerfully because they have met the Giver of all things. Jesus went to the cross and gave his life to offer the greatest treasure of all, life, for all who follow after him. We give generously and sacrificially to support the work of spreading that good news. Joy boxes allow our congregation to cheerfully give as we have decided in our hearts.
Why Give at All?
Here at Harbor, we have no aspirations of getting rich off the giving of our members. We are not looking to even build up the name of our church. Rather, our main goal is to build the kingdom of God according to the measure that God entrusts us.
We acknowledge that God owns all things and we trust him to provide whatever is needed to do his work, starting in Mobile and extending to the ends of the earth. The gospel is truly good news and the church is God’s primary vessel to take that message to the world. Thus, every penny that is given to our local church will be spent to accomplish that goal. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ and we try our very best to use every resource we have to accomplish that task.
Where the Money Goes
As elders, we take our responsibility as stewards very serious. I write this as a lay elder who does not receive any financial benefit from the church at all. We will keep things pretty lean intentionally so that we can devote as many dollars as possible to the work of God. As a church plant we are still learning what this will look like, but we want all of our resources to reinforce our core pillars of biblical teaching, authentic community, and family discipleship. For example, we support our teaching pastor financially so that he can devote time to studying scripture, prayer, and equipping the church. 1 Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” We are also actively looking for ways to use our resources to promote the mission of God both locally and around the world.
Giving for the Glory of God
We also believe that all giving doesn’t have to be directly to the church. Certainly the church should be worthy of our investment! But, as followers of Christ, we must guard against the mindset that we give to the church so that the pastor can do the work. On the contrary, as seen in Ephesians 4:10-14, the job of church leaders is to equip the body to carry out the “work of the ministry.” Therefore, our giving should be intertwined with our personal discipleship as we proclaim the gospel to the world. Maybe that means bringing meals to new parents, providing lodging for a homeless family, helping pay medical bills for a suffering sister in Christ, or practicing hospitality by inviting neighbors into our homes. We should always be looking for ways to use all of our resources for God’s glory and the good of others.
Success will never be measured by the size of our budget; success will be determined by our obedience to Christ.