Stewardship: Questions to Ask Before You Spend - Kent Morris
Stewardship: Questions to Ask Before You Spend
For worship leaders, one of the more enjoyable aspects of the job is buying cool gear. While the facilities manager is relegated to the mundane world of cleaners and filters, the worship leader, on occasion, is able to delve into the tech arena and emerge with a glistening new tool of the trade. From recording software to intelligent lights, the gear generates excitement. Add in a staff credit card for "inspirational" jaunts to Starbucks along with the authority to hire interns and the potential for money abuse looms large. How then, are we to spend wisely without becoming Scrooge? Here are five questions to ask yourself before flashing the plastic:
1. Does this purchase make my task easier or just make me feel better? While a digital mixing console can improve sonic consistency, it can also be an expensive maze, unassailable by the tech team. Buying one to ease the hectic transition from the 9:30 traditional to the 11:00 contemporary service makes sense. Buying one to post a cool photo on your Facebook page does not.
2. How does this item/person integrate with the worship team's goals? Worship leaders should think in terms of systems, not pieces. Before letting funds go, consider how the product will function within the system. While an intern may hold promise, will her personality meld with the team or become a source of friction?
3. If I were the person giving this money to the church, would I want it spent this way? Naturally, a true gift is to be used as the receiver deems correct, but it does temper usage when the giver is at least considered in the decision. To some extent, the purchase reflects on the benefactor and discretion may dictate a sensitive item be funded through a different source.
4. How effective will this purchase be here versus using the money elsewhere in our ministry? Aside from an odious "souls-per-dollar" directive, there are reasons to evaluate benefit. The key is to balance the raw reach of quantity against the higher personal return of better quality.
If it were spending my personal money, would I buy it? Yes, it may be cool, but is it cool enough to make you part with your own funds to get it? Treating all funds as our own will quell most impulse purchases and allow us to reflect on the item's overall value.
Kent Morris is a thiry-year veteran of worship technology, having mixed for years with Paul Baloche, Tommy Walker, Israel Houghton and Kim Hill. He also consults with numerous manufacturers on new product devlopment and teaches for NAMM, NAB, AES, LDI, and NSCA. For more information visit worshipgear.com
