Managing God's Assets

Managing God’s Assets
Fr. Dale Matson
08-20-10

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15)

As someone selected by our Bishop to be involved with the budget process for the Diocese, it has been a difficult tenure. In order to present a balanced budget to Diocesan Council in a period of reduced income, we have had to make difficult decisions that have affected the lives of those who serve the church. Thankfully, in His mercy, God has provided new and rewarding paths for those people who have departed. I believe St. James will continue to be blessed by God through Daniel’s pursuit of Holy Orders at Wycliffe College. Our continued Support of Daniel is similar to supporting a missionary. God blesses us as a congregation. It is stewardship for the future of God’s church and St. James.
If God calls upon us to make additional cuts and I pray that He will not, I have been thinking about what assets are primary to the continuation of St. James as a Community of Christians. While our property and buildings provide a place and contribute to a continuing identity for St. James, they also require maintenance. The question then becomes, “Do we continue to sacrifice positions for the sake of holding onto property”?
What is a more important asset to a faith community? I believe it is the clergy that serve the congregation. We are a congregation that holds fast to the doctrine of apostolic succession and the ordinals. We believe that only some are called to Holy Orders. Clergy are not only an important asset to our church, they are a necessary asset. Over the years, I watched three congregations flounder. In one case the clergy-person was impaired and this led to divisions and a significant decline in membership. In the second case, the congregation was slow to replace a priest in ill health who eventually retired and died soon thereafter. In the last example the clergy person was impaired and heretical. That congregation remains adrift and the membership contentious.
St. James is blessed to have two Godly Priests Fathers Carlos and Van, who have made personal sacrifices to be and remain at St. James. As both a parishioner and Priest who serves both the Diocese and St. James, I would ask you to consider our Priests as assets that we should hold onto for the sake of our spiritual health. Unlike the buildings, they are journeymen priests in good spiritual and physical health who continue to season in God’s Grace. They are building our faith, equipping us for service and providing incarnational models of the normal Christian life. It is my hope and prayer that you would see and understand this blessing God has provided for us. Amen.