Subscribe to the NetworkMoney, money, money, money…MONEY!
Now, I know money can be a very touchy subject and really a very subjective issue depending on where in the country (or world) you live. And just to get this obvious statement out of the way…NONE OF US ARE DOING THIS FOR THE MONEY (or we are not very smart). I am guessing most of us are in the category of over worked and under paid. But that can look very different at certain churches. A friend that reads this blog recently brought up a really interesting situation… She and her husband serve at a very affluent church and are in the over worked and under paid category. I actually can relate to this being in the same shoes. I am assuming that if compared, their paycheck may be a bit larger than some of ours (not that it matters), but when you are living “with the Jones’” and in a very expensive area to be near the church you are called to serve, how do you survive those crazy the financial waters? It is just a wierd place to be caught up in that kind of mix. We serve at a church that when you pull into the parking lot there will surely be 50 Porshe Sports cars, and a few Fararri’s sprinkled in between the Hummers. It’s a pretty fun feeling when the 16 year olds in your ministry drive far and away nicer cars than your 1992 Toyota Corola! It is an interesting struggle to face each week. I know we are grown adults and it is easy to say, “Don’t get caught up in financial matters.” Or, “Where you heart is there your treasure will be…” All are true. But sometimes I feel more human than spiritual. Sometimes I wish I could shop at the stores that our congregation shop at. (Although, most from our church would never shop at Walmart and don’t even know where it is, they don’t know where I buy my super cute clothes). I do wish we had a nicer car. When a student has to get out of their convertible Audi and crawl into my awesome minivan, I can laugh it off most of the time. Oh, I just am admitting that I get the “I want, I want, I wants”. Its not a great feeling or one I like to linger in, but it does happen. My friend and I can’t be alone can we?
What do some of you do with those feelings?
How do you shop so you don’t feel like a poor church mouse? Hints? Tips? Great deals and steals (don’t really steal).
Practical money advice?
At one time in our marriage, my husband was a youth pastor and I was a non-profit youth worker that had to raise funds to pay my own salary. We were definitely over worked and underpaid. At the time I worked with a friend at that organization, and we both agreed. You don’t necessarily have to make a lot of money to look stylish. It makes it easier if you have a lot of money, but it can be done. I like to shop at Target, TJ Maxx, but also at the Gap and other more expensive stores. I just never pay full price for anything. I have also started buying fewer, nicer clothes because I find that they fit better and so I wear them more often than when I pay the cheepies at Target.
It is a difficult situation. I was feeling bad about not being able to put laminate wood floors in my house the other day, and I said this simple prayer, “Jesus, please help me to remember that there are people in this world that literally live in garabage.” It helped put things in perspective quickly.
I know this is getting long, but one more thing. We had a speaker in college once that said if you put all the people in the world in a line based on what they have and their standard of living, we as Americans (even those in ministry) would be VERY far forward in the line. The problem we have, he said, is that we spend more time looking forward than we do looking behind us. That has always stuck with me.
By the way, I think it is different if you are being really overworked and underpaid, which for the most part my husband’s current job doesn’t really feel like that.