Courage

Max Lucado shares a story of a decisive battle fought in 1066. 

William, Duke of Normandy, dared to invade England. The English were a formidable opponent anywhere, but next to invincible in their own land.

But William had something the English did not. He had invented a device which gave his army a heavy advantage in battle. He had an edge: the stirrup.

Conventional wisdom of the day was that a horse was too unstable a platform from which to fight. As a result, soldiers would ride their horses to the battlefield and then dismount before engaging in combat. But the Norman army, standing secure in their stirrups, were able to ride down the English. They were faster and they were stronger.

The stirrup led to the conquest of England. Without it, William might never have challenged such an enemy. 

Because they had a way to stand in the battle, they were victorious after the battle.1

Courage to stand in battle is essential to bring victory. The increasing pressures of our day suggest it is time for us to level up in terms of courage.

What challenges do churches face today? Let me suggest a few.

The recession officially ended in 2009, but many folks across the U.S. apparently haven’t received the word. While overall giving is up to ECFA-accredited churches, the solid increases in giving to larger churches masks the lower giving increases or even decreases for smaller churches.

The rapidly changing social climate is also impacting churches. Continued threats to reduce federal charitable giving incentives are troubling to many. You may be experiencing unexpected staff transitions. Perhaps there is a lawsuit here or there. The list goes on and on.

Yes, courage is definitely required to lead a church today!

It is easy to use courageous words. But courage takes more than words—it requires action of leaders in the context of their beliefs. There is an increasing appreciation for words backed up by courageous action—because we are seeing far too many words that are not backed up by any action, let alone courageous action.

Three things happen when courageous leaders stand in battle:

1. Victory is assured. “Those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13);
2. Accomplishment is assured. “The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation” (Matt. 24:14); and
3. Completion is assured. “Then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

A courageous leader is eager for the fray. Staff do not want to go to sea with a captain who would rather stay in port.

A courageous leader abhors the status quo, paves the way for change, and brings continuous renewal to the organization.

Courageous leaders make bold moves.  “You will never take big hills without making bold moves. The alternative is incrementalism. . . Make a few bold moves, or you’ll breathe your last leadership breath far too soon.”2

A courageous leader sets the tone for integrity at the top, realizing that integrity rarely starts at lower levels of a church and works its way up.

A courageous leader bravely pours oil on troubled waters, directly communicating with those who may have been offended.

A courageous leader discerns consequences—is not blindly courageous—looks through the lens of experience and failure…the lens of the future.

A courageous leader is vulnerable, obedient, and humble. “Jesus was so vulnerable that He was perceived to be weak, He was so obedient that He opened himself to the charge of insanity, and He was so humble that He became the object of contempt.”3

A courageous leader does what Jesus did—becomes dispensable, approachable, and touchable.

A courageous leader delegates authority. When Jesus delegated authority to His disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons, He never took it back.

A courageous leader knows when his or her work is done. Jesus knew when His work was done and when it was time to leave. He let go at the peak of His power and counted on the Holy Spirit to fulfill His promises to us.4

Courageous leaders go the distance. The Brazilians have a great phrase for this. In Portuguese, a person who has the ability to hang in and not give up has garra. Garra means “claws.” What imagery! A person with garra has claws which burrow in the side of the cliff and keep him from falling.5

It’s not the gifts we have cultivated, the lessons we have learned, or the goals we have achieved as leaders. It’s about our courage to rely on God (Zech. 4:6).

1    And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado, Multnomah Press, 1992, p. 123–24.
2    Axiom, Bill Hybels, Zondervan, 2008, p. 33.
3    Christ-Centered Leadership, David L. McKenna, Cascade Books, 2013, p. 46.
4    Ibid, p. 47.
5    And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado, Multnomah Press, 1992, p. 123.

How Much Should Your Church Have in Cash Reserves?

The recent recession highlighted the importance of adequate cash reserves for churches. Which churches were most significantly impacted by the recession? Generally, it was the churches which went into the recession with inadequate cash reserves.

As Dr. John Zietlow aptly put it, “Oh, if we had only known how deep this recession would be, how long its after-affects could linger, and how pronounced its effects on givers might be, we would have held more in cash reserves.”¹

Determining how much cash reserves are needed can be difficult and often feels like a shot in the dark. Plus, it is not a “one-size-fits-all” issue. What is “enough” for one church may be too much or not enough for another church.

There are a few concepts that may form a common thread for your consideration of the adequacy of church cash reserves:

• God is sovereign and He will provide. However, setting aside little or no reserves ignores the biblical admonition of our responsibility to plan and set aside resources for lean times. A healthy tension exists between these two biblical truths.²
   
• Cash and cash equivalents (savings accounts, for example) are generally considered as “cash” for purposes of considering cash liquidity.
   
• Liquidity is often measured in the number of months of cash. If the church annual operating budget is $300,000 and the cash balance is $25,000, the church has one month of cash in reserves.
   
• Donor restricted funds should be subtracted from the cash balance when determining cash reserves. If the church has $75,000 of cash on hand but $30,000 of the cash relates to gifts given for the church building fund, the operating cash reserves are only $45,000.
   
• Cash flow fluctuations are a reality for churches. For example, the summer months are often lean cash months for churches.
   
• Unplanned events should be considered. The sudden loss of key leaders or donors are just a couple examples of unplanned events.
   
• Cash reserves may be necessary to take advantage of opportunities. These may include new ministry opportunities or the open door to hire a new staff leader.

Even though it may be challenging to reach an agreement on the cash liquidity issues for a church, it is worth the effort. It simply part of proper planning!

If you are interested in learning more about church cash reserves, I invite you to join me on July 14 as I talk with three experts on this topic. We will be conducting a Cash Reserves and Liquidity Webinar on July 14 with Mark L. Jones, vice president and senior banking consultant for the Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECCU), Jeremy Moser, chief financial officer for Mariners Church in Newport Beach, California, and Jon Roberts, Mission Hills Church in Littleton, Colorado.

One of many lessons churches have learned from the recession is the importance of liquidity—having cash reserves available when you need them. Without adequate liquidity, the pursuit of your church’s mission may be in jeopardy.

Click here to register.

¹ Building the Oil Supply and Stocking the Storehouse, Dr. John Zietlow, Focus on Accountability, Second Quarter, 2011

² Cash Reserves: How Much is Enough, Mark L. Jones, Evangelical Christian Credit Union, https://www.eccu.org/assets/white_paper_pages/8/pdfs.pdf