And 100% of the offering went for mission - a story that makes me uncomfortable

By the time I reached seminary, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Dr. G. Ray Jordan stories had become historical in proportion … kind of like, larger than life itself. Every professor that taught at the school when he was still on the faculty had at least one or more of their favorites. I had already picked up a couple from pastors that I knew back in Miami. And then I got assigned to me student appointment 50 miles west of Atlanta and they had a couple to share as well.

The one that got repeated often dealt with the time that Dr. Jordan felt that he needed to be applying what he taught. Dr. Jordan was the professor of homiletics – the craft and art of preaching. He had been teaching for a number of years and wanted to continue to teach, but he felt a real spiritual need to stand before a congregation and “break the bread of life” on a regular basis.

One Sunday afternoon, so the story is told, he and his wife were out for a Sunday afternoon drive on the outskirts of Atlanta. They drove past an old, boarded up, abandoned Methodist church. Come Monday morning he was on the phone with the bishop of the area asking for permission to see what he could do with that old, boarded up, abandoned church. Naturally the bishop thought that Dr. Jordan had lost his mind, but why not … so he gave permission to try to reopen that old church.

All Dr. Jordan did that first week was pull off the piece of plywood that covered the front door and hand painted a little sign that read: Worship on Sunday 11 am ... nothing more … nothing less. He had five people show up for worship. He led them in worship, preached his sermon and took up an offering. He shared that the offering was going to be used 100% for missions – not to clean up the yard in front of the church, not to get someone to come in a clean the windows and dust the pews, not to get the piano fixed … but 100% was to be used for missions. And, then he added, I’ll be back here next Sunday tell your friends.

Next Sunday came and the number of worshippers had increased. Plus, someone during the week had removed all the plywood, dusted the pews and cut the yard. Dr. Jordan led them in worship, preached his sermon and took up an offering which he told them, as he had done their first Sunday together, that would be used 100% for missions. He ended the service with the same announcement as last Sunday, “I’ll be back here next Sunday tell your friends.”

Next Sunday came and the number of worshippers had increased. And the church was cleaned, someone paid to have the electricity turned on, someone else had fixed the piano and found someone to play … and they had church. When the offering was taken Dr. Jordan again announced that it would be given 100% for missions.

And so it went, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. The numbers grew, things got done, hymnals purchased, a Sunday school got started, literature ordered, a secretary was brought on first as a volunteer and then as a paid position … and still the offering on Sunday morning was being taken up to be used 100% for missions. Not one single penny was to be used to pay any of the local church’s expenses nor given to Dr. Jordan for his efforts … 100% for missions.

Well, you know where this is going don’t you. After several years Dr. Jordan finally had to call the bishop and share that the conference needed to appoint a full time pastor. It had grown so much that he just couldn’t handle all of the responsibilities any longer.

A full time pastor came and continued the tradition that Dr. Jordan had established of taking up the offering and giving it 100% for missions. But, over time, the pastor began to question the practicality of such a practice. The church was a going concern, there were many needs, some got met others went unmet for a period of time. It just wasn’t practical or logical to be giving 100% of their offering to missions. After all more staff was needed and other programs should be established. So the board decided to reduce the amount of the offering for missions to 75% … then 60% … then 50% … gradually reducing it to 10%. Their thinking was that they were giving a tithe to missions.

Gradually the worship attendance leveled off, membership wasn’t growing any more, the excitement of this little abandoned church was starting to die … people found some other things to do on Sunday morning instead of attend worship. Over the years this dynamic church has become a small membership church. It had lost its focus and its commitment to missions and started to struggle to stay afloat. How sad!

It was shared that Dr. Jordan’s favorite quote was by Finley Peter Dunne as to the role of the preacher/pastor: “Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.” Whenever I get too comfortable in my role as pastor/preacher I pull out this G. Ray Jordan story and mull it over. I also read blogs by people like Rachel Held Evans that make me uncomfortable and get me to think ... and evaluate where I am and what I am doing. I listen to radio preachers that are in a different camp theologically than me. Or pick up a book that is not normally on my reading schedule. I don’t need to only listen to, read or hear from people I would agree with and that agree with me … individuals who kind of confirm that what I am doing for the Kingdom of God is okay. What I need is to be afflicted in my comfort zone.

It is dangerous to get too comfortable. One of the reasons that the religious leaders turned against Jesus and crucified him was that he made them extremely uncomfortable. I think the time has come for those who are afflicted to find comfort in the church, but for the majority of us that are comfortable it is time to get afflicted!