Time & Treasure

One time-honored way of calling out someone who talks a good game is to say, "Put your money where your mouth is." In other words, if you really believe what you're saying, then back it up with cold, hard cash. Prove its worth to you by assigning it a monetary value -- and then pay up.

Things change, though. Whereas money used to be the scarcest commodity, now it seems to be time. We run too hard, too fast, too long. Our lives never slow down, and so we think in terms of time instead of money -- to the point of a new fad of calculating value based on how long you'd have to work to make the money to pay for something. It's a trend recognizing we essentially trade for things with hours of our lives. And so we gladly, even eagerly at times, throw our money at problems and causes simply so we don't have to take time to do it ourselves.

While the church needs money to operate, we also need time. It takes volunteers to run a church. Paid staff like myself can only do so much. We need people to invest their time in people and events. Things like teaching a class, baking cupcakes, working registration tables, greeting visitors. Yes, we could hire all of those things done, but the cost would be exorbitant, prohibitive -- and it bypasses a Christian call to serve. Each of us is a servant, and each of us should find things to volunteer for and work for. Christ came as a servant; we are no better. If Jesus washed feet, we can fold clothes or talk to people in our community.

If you say your church is important to you, put your time (and treasure) where your mouth is. Get plugged in; volunteer. Help us tell others Jesus died for them -- and that's good news!