Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, when so many dollars will be spent on soliciting your charitable giving, I just want to encourage you to prefer your local church. I understand your church probably does not have a marketing agency designing web promotions, billboard, and television ads to encourage you to give. Most churches do not spend money on graphic artists selecting emotionally moving pictures to encourage you to give. And most churches do not even spend funds to send you Christmas pictures. But research has shown that local churches are the most accountable with expenditures, most effective at actually impacting a community for good, and more focused on providing goods and services to their communities per dollar spent than any other type of group.
Certainly many organizations are doing good work, and we thank God for the good that’s done through all charities, but often we take our local churches for granted.
I know that we go to a variety of styles of churches, or maybe none at all. Research shows that the greater the variety of churches in a community helps the community even more, because more people (with varying preferences) are served. Churches facilitate volunteerism more than any other type of charity, thus maximizing their impact per dollar spent. Churches also provide multi-generational services, providing a family dynamic that few other charities have. And churches, of course, promote Christ and His Word, where many others are forbidden to do so, or choose to minimize the Gospel because they fear offending those who are not believers.
As far as I know, churches produce more quality lives and families than any other institution. They are just as effective, if not more effective, at combating drug and alcohol abuse, keeping families together, helping troubled students become successful, productive adults, and caring for those in need than any other institution. Studies are showing now that churches have the same success rate at helping the addicted find sobriety as the PhD controlled, high dollar rehab residential facilities. But churches compliment that with supportive families that are there for the newly sober, without needing to be paid. The best results are a combined effort, professional counseling in harmony with a community of faith that infuses spiritual strength.
So even if you are not a believer, just because you care about living in a civil society with good people, you would be wise to fund your local church. We all fund our schools, whether we have students in them or not. Why? Because we hope that well educated people produce a better world than people who don’t know. It’s even more important with churches. People who have been transformed by God’s gracious love, set free from selfish thinking and living, are motivated by love and accountable for their thoughts, words, and actions make better people. Everyone benefits when there are life-giving, Bible believing churches influencing the people in their community.
I once had a district attorney from a large city tell me that he had never needed to bring charges against anyone who had been to church the week before. We all know that is not always the case, but it is certainly the trend. That is why it’s newsworthy when a person who goes to church commits a crime. It’s unusual.
Few of you reading this have ever lived in a community void of churches, or a community that has not had churches for generations, and you don’t want to. God’s salt and light in any community transforms. The simple public reading of God’s Word every week makes a difference in the atmosphere of a community. Funding a local church near your home is the best investment any of us can make in our lifetimes.
I’m not talking about media ministries. I’m talking about the local church in your community teaching people to worship God.
Churches are important. So please remember your local church when giving this season. It’s the best “Merry Christmas!“