Communicating Through the Arts Since 1970 Vol. #26 August, 2016 Levites Should Not Get Burned at the Altar This monograph is written to offer encouragement and some practical tips to emerging leaders who are asking, Lord, help me understand what You want me to do during these last days? I sense what is on Your heart, but how do I serve You without getting burned financially at the altar? Frankly, I think God is sickened by a lot of what is going on under the guise of ministry. I sense a real shift coming. I believe teaching-ministry events will move away from big venues into much smaller and more intimate settings. I want to encourage those of you who want to learn from outside ministers but have no idea how to pay for it. NOT ALL OFFERINGS PLEASE GOD Jesus spent one afternoon looking at the various people going to the Temple to give their offerings. Only one pleased Him: a poor widow who put in two pennies, all she had. That touched His heart. I have seen some sickening things at altars of worship, especially concerning money. Here are just a few: I know a young woman who felt called to minister to others but knew nothing about how to finance this ministry. She went before the Lord and listed the financial costs of what she would incur to be obedient: sound equipment, production of CDs and books, the time spent to write the books that God had put on her heart. She laid out this list before God and arrived at a very reasonable ministry fee that would help defray those expenses yet be mindful of the budgetary needs of the people. When people asked her to minister and she told them the price ($250), they would always say, Oh, we can t pay that! We can only do half of that amount! Wanting to be used by God to help others, she accepted the little and did her best to manage to stay afloat. She could not. Over time, she concluded she must not be worth anything to the people, or to God...and her heart for ministry was deeply wounded. Another young pastor had a vision to help young women going through a hard time. She worked night and day to put on a conference in a big venue and booked a headline speaker, someone very well known in today s Christian circles. Every dime she had she put on the altar of service to the Lord. Several of us were called on to mentor this woman and encourage her in her vision. When the venue payment was due, the registration money hadn t come in to pay it. The woman was desperate. She asked to borrow the deposit to secure the venue, signing an agreement to pay it back from the registrations and offerings. There would be a large crowd because the key speaker would surely bring her following to the event. Money was loaned, the agreement was signed. Integrity crumbled. The headliner ended up taking over the offering, telling the people to leave their signed checks blank and put them in the basket to save time. She had her people follow the offering baskets out the door and counted the money, and walked off with every dime. The young pastor was left at the end of the conference totally broke, and broken... and the donor lost all her money too. 1
I ve witnessed speakers divide the attendees into rows and told they can t leave the conference until their entire row gathered up $100 or some other amount. Gone is the cheerful giver, the freewill sacrifice. I typically leave conferences when the offering becomes manipulative and oppressive. God is not in it. It s common for a ministry to book a speaker who is well-known but whose life is known by immorality. They ignore that in hopes more people will come with more money for the offering plate. Such speakers demand a huge fee and five star hotel suite. This not only sickens the Lord but it opens the altar of that ministry to unclean spirits being broadcast by the immoral minister who basically defiles the people. I believe the Lord is about to shut all this down. He is actively at work to tear down false systems that are in place in favor of re-discovering His heart for pure ministry. We need perspective and understanding. PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PLANNING AN EVENT THAT WILL NOT BURN YOU AT THE ALTAR #1 Don t Be Afraid If You Sense The Need For Ministry In Your Group Sensing the spiritual needs of others is part of the levitical calling. God put it there. Levites have different antennas to see what God is doing and what their people need. They know when they need more training. I had one young woman reach out to me very tentatively and say, I know we need to hear what God is teaching you about preparing the Levites for these times, but I don t know what s involved with that. I could tell immediately she was terrified they might overcommit themselves as a young ministry by moving forward. I want to encourage you if you, too, are sensing you need something but scared to move on it. God put that awareness inside you. He also provides a way to get those needs met that won t be financially harmful to you. Your needs are foremost in His mind, as well as the needs of the minister. Your primary goal initially is to say what your group needs. Every minister (speaker) has a different anointing to offer. If your group needs inner healing because 70% have been sexually abused in the past and they are having trouble overcoming those scars, you wouldn t want to bring in a speaker who specializes in writing a business plan and getting a career on track. Be able to tell someone what your group needs and then ask God to point out possible ministers who are gifted in those areas. #2 Prepare A Working Budget This is where a lot of levitical people shut down. It s okay. Many Levites are right-brain thinkers. We are visionaries who easily sense needs in our people. Where we are often lacking, though, is in the basic logistics of implementation. Here are some tips for event pre-planning based on Jesus consider the cost teaching. (Luke 14:28) List all ministry-related expenses you can think of (i.e., room rental, if applicable; food; sound system; accommodations for the speaker; honorarium; travel costs, etc.) Concerning honorariums: No honorable speaker I know has a fee set in stone. Ministers who are genuine have consecrated themselves to help the people whenever asked and do not have money as their #1 goal. A true minister has given her time to be with the Lord and hear from Him for others. She (using feminine pronoun for ease of use) sacrifices time to study, research, write, pray. It s her levitical calling. She knows the Lord has entrusted certain revelation to her, and she is diligent to show herself approved and go where she is called. You need to know there are a lot of ministers out there who meet this description. They have been vetted by the Holy Spirit and imbued with God s wisdom to help you and your group in 2
your areas of need. You also need to know that each minister has a unique anointing for certain things. It s up to you to find the right one to address your group s needs. That s your calling. Gather your key group leaders together and propose this ministry event idea to them. Do they share your vision? If so, ask them what each is willing to sacrifice as an offering to make this happen. This amount is your initial seed money. The sacrifice of the leaders. Let s say you have 10 key people, each willing to invest $100 to minister to a larger group as an outreach for your community. It is part of a levitical calling to sense the needs of a community and seed an offering to see God s bigger purpose at work. At this point, you begin the venture with $1000 as working capital. Food: You don t have to cater. I ve been part of wonderful gatherings where the people themselves brought the food. During the workshop or conference, people took a break and enjoyed a great meal and a time of fellowship. The wisdom is this: Jesus made sure that the people s needs for hunger were met. It pleases Him when His children enjoy themselves in His presence. Food and nourishment are part of the ministry offering. Accommodations for the speaker: A true minister is more than willing to stay in someone s home. Jesus told His disciples: If anyone receives you (in their home), let your peace be upon them. As one who does minister, let me say that a minister needs space and quiet. When I stay in someone s home, I tell them, Don t worry if I m in my room a lot. I need quiet time with the Lord. A good host will give the minister that freedom and make sure she can get food and water when needed. Let the time in the home be restful and not expect her to lay hands on everyone in the neighborhood. There is a balance here; the minister may offer to help with requested needs, but a good host might say, You will have plenty of time to yourself...but if you wouldn t mind, I would love for you to talk with my son and his fiancé and just pray for them. It helps to know what the needs are in the house. Just be sensitive that the minister needs time before the Lord to prepare and pray into the ministry event itself. Travel expenses: I have had groups say, We can only pay $250 toward travel expenses. Will that work for you? A true minister will understand that the budget is limited and either agree to contribute herself toward the travel, or decline. But at least you have laid out your parameters and she is aware of them. To understand a minister s expenses: There is no way any one group can pay back a minister for all expenses she has incurred to serve God in what she does. If a minister is called as a scribe, she spends enormous blocks of time in research and writing, producing help to those the Lord has called her to reach. She senses her calling is to focus on the things of the Lord and not her livelihood, trusting in the Lord for her provision. The Lord s desire is for such ministers to be treated with honor for their sacrifice as opposed to exorbitant fees and fancy digs. Scripturally, Levites are entrusted and charged by God to oversee all the logistics for the ministry event. That includes praying for the people who will attend, getting the word out, sanctifying the space, interceding for specific needs of people you know are coming, bringing food, singing or dancing as part of the service, assisting the speaker at the product table and ministry time, taking up offerings, etc. The Levites role is to engage 100% in meeting the needs of your people. Discuss how you will get others to come Plan an offering for each event, such as Friday night and again on Saturday. If you conservatively have 20 additional people (+ your original 10 leaders) - and each gives $20 total that weekend, you have an additional $600 to work with, a total $1,600 projected budget. 3
The principle is this: God s kind of ministry is when everyone walks away full...not one person walking off with the offering. If you know that you will likely have $1,600 to work with, the breakdown is typically this: (1) pay all contracted expenses first; (2) pay the minister the contracted amount; and (3) split the remaining offering 50-50, thereby guaranteeing your ministry receives money to assist in the work God has called you to do. If there is some cause in the community you are raising money for, let that be known up front. #3 Ask for an RFP from Multiple Ministers An RFP is a Request for Proposal. It s a professional way of doing business. What you do is send an e-mail to ministers you know whom your group feels should be considered. In this RFP, you should be brief and state the following: A little about your group and what your needs are. A couple of prospective dates you are considering to have an event. Where you are located and how you envision the speaker being used. For example, Friday night speaking and ministry time...saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. workshop...later in the afternoon, refreshments with key leaders (more mentoring, intimate time). Sunday the people are free to attend their respective churches. The financial terms: you are offering $xx as a fixed honorarium, $xx toward travel expenses, accommodation in someone s home, food while there, travel to and from the event, assistance with her book table and other ministry needs she may have...and once expenses are paid, additional offerings will be split 50-50 between her and the host ministry (YOU, or a specific cause you may be raising money for). Ask her to respond by a certain date and have her explain what topics fall into their area of ministry anointing. Every credible minister should know without a doubt how God has used her in others lives: whether it s healing, breakthrough, training in specific spiritual disciplines (i.e., prophesying, ministering in the arts, dream interpretation, understanding one s personal calling, etc). #4 Review Your Responses You and your leadership team now have an opportunity to evaluate the options you want to minister to your group. Pray for discernment and allow God to show you who is the right one. #5 Offer a Contract for Services to Minister Once you choose your preferred minister, send her a contract for services. Ask if she has one. If she does not, you will need to create your own. The contents should include in writing what you agree to do and the terms of that agreement, and what the minister agrees to do. Both parties need to sign and retain a copy for your records. This is the way all business is done, ministry or otherwise. Any contracts you enter into like this are helpful when dealing with the IRS. #6 Prior to event. Consecrate yourselves to serve the Lord and minister to the people, consecrate the room and cleanse it from any and all defilement, invite the presence of the Lord there. Lay hands on each other and call forth each woman s gifts to be encouraged and used, ask His blessing on every area of their service, no matter how menial. God desires that everyone be blessed. Everything pertaining to the time of ministry is no longer menial, but sacred - dedicated to the Lord s purposes. Assist the minister however needed. Ask His blessing on the offerings of the people. The treasuries were always to be brought to the Levites to apportion as needed. (2 Chronicles 24:4-6; I Chronicles 26:20) 4
#7 Expect God to Do More Than You Ask or Think God will miraculously stretch the provision so that more needs will be met. ( Loaves and fishes ) There needs to be an expectation of the miraculous. These are incredibly challenging days. When difficult times come, the Lord wants His children prepared. Don t let fear hold you back from inviting outside ministers to train you in the areas you desire. There are many ministers hard at work preparing themselves to impart what God has put inside of them. They are not seeking top dollar and fancy hotels. They are seeking hearts hungry for more of God and especially the very things God has been imparting to them. Plan your events...grow in your leadership skills...expand your vision for your group and your community. Most importantly, know that God has given YOU vision for the needs of people He is inviting you to shepherd. God bless you greatly in your worship of service to Him! Candace Long Founder, Creativity Training Institute P.S. If you want to know what the levitical calling is all about, I refer you to the Books tab at www.candacelong.com The Levitical Calling (e-book and print) is also found on Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or Barnesandnoble.com Toll-Free: 1-(866)-308-4850 Georgia: (770) 640-8881 Email: candacelong@me.com www.candacelong.com www.creativitytraininginstitute.com 5