This Changes Everything: How Love Overcame Fear in Creating a Culture of Generosity

By Darryn Sheske

I’m sure the biggest leadership mistake I made in the first three years of planting Heartland Church was to avoid teaching about money. I’d heard one of the top complaints of non-church goers: “they’re always after my money.” I vividly remember my response strategy at the time: “I’ll only bring up money when it’s absolutely necessary.” As a result, I avoided any teaching about what the Bible has to say about money, and I gave the standard offering apology every week.

The few times I taught on money occurred when giving was low or there was something the church needed to accomplish. The results were predictable. The people intrinsically sensed the message was about me, not them. I was actually reinforcing the stereotype.

God was merciful during those early years while I was blind to this leadership blunder I was making. As the church faithfully tithed on every dollar we received, God kept his word and we never missed a bill. But the Holy Spirit revealed to me that for three years, out of fear, I had not helped the people I pastor in the area of their greatest need.

We know the stats on failed marriages. Most of the conflict in the home is about money. The majority of people who come into our churches are one paycheck away from being broke. Bankruptcies are at an all time high. People are struggling to survive under a mountain of consumer debt. No one has taught them how to take control of the money God has given them to manage. They think they will never be able to accomplish their plans, hopes and dreams. They are actually longing for clear help and guidance from someone they trust about finding the path toward debt freedom.

It was love that led me to get up and repent to my church one Sunday morning. With tears in my eyes I told them how sorry I was for not teaching them God’s Word, in the area of their greatest need because I had been afraid.

I began a new series on the total stewardship of life. We set up financial learning experiences. We’ve taught Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. A great new resource that is really helping us is www.iwasbrokenowimnot.com. Now I teach fearlessly about how putting God first and generosity is the key to blessing. When you love people like this, people know this is something you want FOR them not FROM them. There are no more offering apologies. You don’t have to apologize when you’re helping people so much.

Today we are experiencing a culture of generosity and financial blessing and freedom.

Love casts out fear. Love people well by helping them take control of the money God has given them to manage.

Darryn Scheske is the founding pastor of Heartland Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He also serves at the Director for Indiana Church Planting for Converge MidAmerica. Check out more from Darryn at his blog, darrynscheske.com.

Join us for the NextSteps Workshop!

One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don’t know what the actual next steps are, they relentlessly search for ideas, advice and counsel to get their organization to the next level.

The NextSteps Workshop is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle and the ideas and tools that build healthy church systems, allowing the church to actualize its values and achieve its mission.

Here are the systems we will cover:

  • Missional Leadership
  • Missional Vision, Values and Systems
  • Evangelism
  • Leadership Development
  • Spiritual Formation
  • High Impact Worship Services
  • Holistic Small Groups
  • Kingdom Advancement
  • Finishing Well

 

Missionally driven leaders get the job done! They always anticipate the next step the church needs to make to achieve God’s missional purpose through the local church. Knowing the next steps for your church is what makes the difference between a leader and a follower. Followers are looking for direction, but leaders are thinking about the next decision, the next hurdle and the next level for the organization.

We hope you will join us for the NextSteps Workshop on August 18-19, 2021.

You can register today!

God’s Love at Mercy Road

This month we are focusing on the ministry of Mercy Road Church in Redford, MI. Established on 10/10/10 at 10 AM, Mercy Road had a unique beginning as a joint effort of Presbyterians and Baptists. Mercy Road exists to lead people back into the arms of God and to serve the poor and oppressed in Jesus’ name. At the time, the pastor, Mike Gorr, was on staff as the youth pastor for Grace Chapel, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Farmington Hills, MI. Their senior pastor had a vision for starting new churches throughout the Detroit Metro area and tagged him as their first planter. Because his theology is more baptistic, they reached out to Converge in 2007 as a potential partner. Converge provided the coaching and structure and a pay it forward grant of $25,000 for their church plant. Converge later loaned them money to purchase their own building in 2018 and coached them through their capital campaign.

Throughout the capital campaign process, Mercy Road and its leadership felt supported through the wonderful coach Converge provided in Bryan Moak. Bryan was not only knowledgeable but a joy to be around. Mercy Road found a building that was perfect for their church plant. Even though they had some money in savings, they would have had to drain their account for a down payment to qualify for a bank loan. Converge MidAmerica stepped in and loaned them $250,000 to purchase their building which included available funds to remodel the sanctuary. The goal was to raise enough money to pay off the building, tithe a gift towards church planting and have extra money to launch ministry forward for the next decade at Mercy Road. They are more than half way to their goals and while they may not have extra funds for the next decade of ministry, they believe that God will provide all they need to do His will in the years to come.

Mercy Road embarked on a capital campaign so that they could pay off the loan within 5 years. There was always a possibility that their people would not be willing to pledge and get on board, but Mike had seen their church body rise to the occasion in the past when generosity was called for so he was quite hopeful. He also believed that God had provided this building for them through many specific answers to prayer, so he had very little reason to doubt God’s provision through the capital campaign.

Mike has been encouraged by two things about Converge. For starters, they have a lot of experience with coaching campaigns in the past. Secondly, Mike has recently seen Converge adjust and adopt their campaign strategy according to the needs and size of the local church being coached. A partnership in planning between the campaign team and coach is a recipe for success.

Mercy Road gets its name from the Prodigal Son story in Luke 15. Mike shares, “I’ve always said if I had just one chance to paint a picture of what God is like, I’d tell the parable of the prodigal son so that they might know that God is the kind of God who runs down the road to welcome home his lost sons and daughters no matter what they’ve done. We call that road the Father runs down ‘Mercy Road.’ It’s our prayer that God uses us more and more so that others might know His embrace on that road.”

Just before the pandemic, Mercy Road started Alpha for the first time at their church. Alpha is a ministry designed to reach those who wouldn’t typically come to church on a Sunday morning by providing dinner together, clear Bible teaching, and a safe place to explore life’s questions from a Jesus-centered perspective.They have seen God open eyes, draw people closer to Him and even grow some of their own team with significant ministry responsibilities.

Mike and Mercy Road Church ask that you pray that God would show them more and more ways to serve the poor and needy in their community. They have been able to lead spiritual enrichment experiences (youth group) for a boys’ home in their community, and they are a go-to resource for the senior department in their community for the elderly who need a helping hand. Please pray that the Holy Spirit opens more and more doors to share the love and truth of Jesus with Redford and beyond.

Praise God that Mercy Road is an example of the wider body of Christ working together for the sake of the gospel!

Is your church ready to start the Capital Campaign journey with Converge? For more information, please contact Bryan Moak, Vice President of Church Strengthening for Converge MidAmerica or visit our Capital Campaigns website.