Suggestions for congregational leaders

Using the “open letter” on the tax rebates to stir reflection and action in local churches

1. People are already making plans for spending the tax rebate. One parent in our congregation reported that her four-grader came home from school talking about a friend’s question: “Are your folks going to let you spend your part of the tax rebate?” (Most common figure used: about $168 billion to be distributed, with about 60% going directly to individual households. Checks will be in the mail as early as May.)

2. Find an appropriate occasion to ask if there’s interest among your members in thinking of alternate spending plans. Maybe raise this in a sermon, Sunday school lesson, newsletter column, prayer meeting, etc.

3. Tease your people’s imagination, doing a rough calculation of the total amount coming to the households in your congregation. (The calculus is a bit complicated, but generally speaking middle-income folk with get $600 per adult, $300 per dependent child. For instance, based on rough estimates our congregation of 48 adults and 25 children will collectively receive at least $25,000—four times our ’08 missions budget.) Then tell your folk, “That’s a huge infusion of cash. The majority of us can get along without it. Is this a time for us to be bold? Think about what we could do with that money that would support the values we profess.”

4. Sound the call. Organize a time to allow interested members to discuss such ideas. Give people a chance to daydream about what might be done with this money. You probably already have some mission projects that could use a boost. There are probably others things you’ve wanted to do but haven’t had the resources.

5. Feel free to use or adapt the Circle of Mercy “open letter” in any way you think appropriate. Better yet, draft your own statement for circulation within your congregation and elsewhere.

6. Avoid issuing a “y’all think about this” appeal. This is a moment to use your pastoral authority. This is a time when the revivalist tradition of having a “hymn of decision” is appropriate for spiritual formation. You don’t have to squeeze people—just ask who’s ready to make a commitment based on joyful response.

7. Assure everyone’sfreedom of choice, including whether to contribute, how much to contribute, and where to contribute. (In our case we requested those voting on the open letter be willing to give away at least 10%.)

8. Consider communal decision-making. Some in our Circle will make joint decisions, first developing a list of potential recipients (including brief advocacy statements), then agreeing on terms of the final vote (how many different recipients? gifts to be equal or proportionate?), narrowing the list by a first round of voting, then a second vote to come up with the final list of recipients. This method takes more time. But there’s an important community-building element in the process.

9. Make this a public event. Contact your local media if you take this step. A story like this is juicy enough to merit press coverage.

10. Use this exercise to stimulate additional reflectionand action on economic justice to prompt ongoing attention for Bible study and commitment. There are several excellent books and articles on the “sabbath economics” tradition in Scripture. Raise the possibility of alternative investing, via socially-responsible and/or microcredit lending institutions (for your own congregation’s savings and/or endowment, as well as that of individual members). Find ways to get acquainted with leaders of nonprofit agencies in your own area, both those who foster emergency relief and who work for economic justice.

—Ken Sehested, co-pastor, Circle of Mercy Congregation, Asheville, NC, 3.3.08