Unused Treasuries
This is November 12, and the September 15 issue of the GUARDIAN has just recently arrived in Africa. In it was a fine article by brother Tom O. Bunting regarding "Misuse of the Treasury". Every word in the article was good, and all of it needed to be said. What I am writing now is only an addition to his material, and in no sense a criticism.
The Greatest Misuse
Surely the very greatest misuse that can be made of money in the church treasury is non-use of it. Satan is evidently most happy when the funds are not used at all. Lying there in the bank, accumulating a little interest, and funds certainly do no harm to the devil and no good for the cause of Christ.
Failure to use money in the treasury is such a great tragedy for at least two reasons:
1. The church immediately becomes a steward of any and all money given by the Christians into the treasury. But since the mission of the church is saving souls and not saving money, then money unspent is a demonstration of poor stewardship. The church is not a financial investment firm, nor a money-saving institution. The total business of the church with money is in spending it! The Christian must give. The church must spend.
2. Christians will give more money if the church will spend it freely (but scripturally). Any church that fails to use its funds promptly thereby discourages liberal giving. Why should Christians give money into a certain treasury if it is only being saved there?
Bank Balances
If there is a large balance in the treasury, and if it is there for very long and for an unspecified purpose, then it shows lack of proper planning and also unconcern for lost souls. Any church that deserves to be called by the name of the crucified Lord ought to love souls for whom he died so much that careful plans should be made to expedite the scriptural expenditure of every dime and dollar very soon.
Evidently there is enough money lying in bank accounts that belong to faithful (?) churches to supply the necessities of all the preachers who have determined to "do the work of an evangelist". And if there is any lack in such funds now available (but unused), the shortage would quickly be supplied by the Christians everywhere if the funds presently available would be used now to support men at home and far away.
In all my years of work in new fields, and in regard to all the appeals I have helped to make in behalf of such work for many others, I have never known a church to fail if it planned and determined to help. In other words, I have never known Christians to fail to supply what the church determined to use. The only failures I have known were those where the church didn't plan and didn't determine.