Do the Word

In yesterday’s post we proposed that Transformational Giving involves a repentant turning away from measuring human (organizational) strength and health and power (which is exactly what traditional/transactional fundraising measures) and turning toward measurements we make of God’s divine strength and health and power that are presently observable in our champions and partners in relation to the cause God has given us to steward.

We noted three philosophical objections to this approach that we need to deal with before we flesh out the practical workings of such a system.

The first is the idea that God’s activity is not easily detectable or definable (especially as compared to traditional transaction fundraising measurements like gross income, recency/frequency/monetary categorizations of giving, and wealth screenings).

This is the criticism of pragmatism, to which we now turn our attention.

Have you ever considered that Jesus began his public ministry by announcing a standard of measurement related to Himself?

According to Luke 4:14-21, that’s exactly what happened:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This was more than Jesus’ opening monologue, as is clear a few chapters later when an imprisoned John the Baptist asked whether Jesus was The One. Of all the ways Jesus could have responded, isn’t it fascinating in Luke 7:18-23 that Jesus responded…by making reference to his earlier measurement?

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ”

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

And lest any of us protest, ‘Well, yeah, but that was Jesus!“, he foreclosed that option in John 14:12:

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

In fact, He indicated in Matthew 7:15-20 that both the fruit of following Him–and the fruit of not following Him–would be observable not only to God, but to discerning believers:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them [emphasis mine].

Someone might quote John 3:8 (“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”) to suggest that God’s activity is not easily detectable or definable. But in that verse Jesus is not claiming that we won’t recognize God’s work when we see it; rather, He is claiming that God’s work is not subject to human structures or boundaries–another blow to traditional/transactional fundraising (ttf) measurements, which only measure activity within the human structure/boundary known as the nonprofit organization.

For example, if a champion gives money to the cause outside of the nonprofit organization, no ttf measurement will detect it nor care to, except it register (ironically) as a failure or a lost opportunity–a gift we didn’t get.

By contrast, TG’s measurement of God’s activity in champions and partners does not require that the activity happen through the nonprofit, because TG measurements are measurements of God’s activity in the organization’s champions and partners, not in the organization itself. The organization is just the tomato trellis–vital to the growth of healthy tomatoes, but not the subject of our measurements (except–and we’ll cover this down the road–insofar as we seek to determine if we are an effective trellis).

This is a second stark contrast between TG and ttf measurements: Not only are ttf measurements focused on human strength and health and power (whereas TG measurements are focused on God’s strength and health and power), but

• ttf measurements are trained on the organization
• TG measurements are trained on the organization’s champions and partners

Others might protest that Jesus’ statement in John 20:29, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”, is an admonition against looking for observable proof of God’s presence. But note that Transformational Giving measurement is not measurement designed to produce belief in unbelievers; instead, it is a process of collaborative measurement and discernment undertaken by a Christian ministry and its individual champions and partners that is designed to help those specific champions and partners grow to full maturity in Christ in relation to the cause.

In other words, what’s at issue in TG measurement is not conversion but sanctification.

In Matthew 13:31-33 Jesus tells parables about yeast and mustard seeds, two entities barely observable at first. Two lessons can be drawn:

1. God’s work in the lives of our champions may be barely observable at first, but it is well worth our keen observation;
2. By God’s grace that barely observable work can grow until it is apparent to everyone.

So yes, it is true that God’s work in the lives of our champions may not initially be visible to the naked or untrained eye. This is exactly why Jesus exhorts us in Mark 13:37:

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’

And so does The God of Measure-become-flesh overcome Objection 1 and command us to train our attention–and, yes, even (and perhaps especially) our development measurements–away from human strength and health and power and toward God’s own activity in relation to the cause, slowly beginning to emerge into the visible realm in the lives of our champions and partners.

In yesterday’s post we concluded that God despises measurements that draw attention to human strength and power and capacity because they tempt us to base our decisions on human strength and power and capacity.

Those kind of measurements pretty well define the purpose of measurement in traditional/transactional fundraising (ttf).

The most pragmatic (and honest) among us will be quick to protest, ‘But surely you’re not saying we shouldn’t track daily income or the results of a direct mail appeal?’

And you’re right: Surely I’m not saying that. See my census example from yesterday for a bit of clarification.

What I am saying, though, is that what God despises is when we base our decisions on human strength and power and capacity…which is typically why we track daily income and the results of our direct mail appeals in the first place. It’s also why we do wealth screening, why we categorize our donors as regular, middle, and major, and why we choose certain fundraising strategies over others: because they maximize human power, strength, and capacity.

And that’s scripturally problematic.

So what’s the alternative to basing decisions on human strength and power and capacity?

Well, let’s move quickly to assert that it’s definitely not the kind of ‘faith budgeting’ Christian nonprofits do when they stick an extra $300,000 in their income line without any idea where it’s coming from and say, ‘We’re believing for that by faith.’ (For information on budgeting and TG, by the way, check out this previous post.)

The alternative to basing decisions on human strength and power and capacity…is to base decisions on God’s strength and power and capacity as presently evident in your network of champions and partners.

In other words, measure not human activity in human beings but rather divine activity in human beings–the parts of Christ that ‘show through them’ in relation to the cause.

Interestingly, that’s what the scriptures show God measuring:

• Sometimes He measures the absence of divine activity (like in Matthew 23:32, where Jesus challenges, ‘Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!’).
• Sometimes He measures the inhibition of divine activity (like in Hebrews 5:12, where the writer castigates, ‘In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!’).
• But most often scripture shows God measuring His own presence in us.

The perfect illustration of the last point is 2 Peter 1:3-9. Give it a careful read in light of the subject of what we measure:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins [emphasis mine].

Evidence of Christ showing through us in increasing measure: that’s the very reality pointed to by our ‘touchstone’ Transformational Giving passage, Ephesians 4:. Check it out also in relation to the subject of what we measure:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ [emphasis mine].

The typical responses to the proposal that TG should measure divine activity in humans (rather than human activity in humans) are that:

1. God’s activity is not easily detectable or definable
2. Such measurement would by nature be far too subjective
3. The process of measuring divine activity is likely to turn us into legalists because of our subjective measurements and God’s indetectability/indefinability

But do such concerns stand up to scriptural scrutiny? And are there ways for us to detect and measure increases of the kind written about in the quotes from 2 Peter and Ephesians, above?

No to the first question. Yes to the second. Onward to tomorrow for the next installment of Adventures In Measurement!

In yesterday’s post, we talked about God’s love of measurement. So prominent an element of His character is it that Paul even refers to Him as ‘The God of Measure’.

But it would be a dreadful mistake to assume that God loves all measurement. In fact, scripture portrays God as actually despising certain measurements that human beings treasure and on which they rely. In other cases, He prohibits certain measurements from being made at all.

On our way to determining what and how Transformational Giving (TG) should measure, we should stop and take somber, serious account of what it should not.

1. ‘Differing weights and differing measures–the LORD detests them both.’ (Proverbs 20:1)

On the face of it, this scripture seems to provide no challenge to the systems of measurement utilized in traditional/transactional fundraising (ttf). After all, the direct reference of the Proverb is to using one set of weights to measuring what one buys, and a different set of weights to measuring what one sells.

But is ttf truly in the free and clear on this count? Or is it actually irredeemably guilty?

John Wesley’s pithy comment on this verse says simply: ‘Divers – One greater for shew and one lesser for use.’

One greater for show and one lesser for use: Wouldn’t that be a fair description of the different measure we use when we generically address a fund raising letter, ‘Dear Friend and Valued Partner of This Ministry’…but then treat that ‘Partner’ as anything but?

• We might go years without calling them.
• We might know nothing about them other than that they send us money.
• More typically, we might fail to exercise our Ephesians 4:12 responsibilities towards them, seeing them as our supporters and content to accept their gifts, rather than what the Bible calls us to be: supporters of them, equipping them to grow in fullness in relation to the cause we represent.

I always ask executive directors and development personnel: if ‘donors’ heard the way we talk about them in private–if they knew the labels we use for them (regular, middle, major)–and the way we track information about them in our databases, might they not say about us, ‘One greater for shew and one lesser for use’?

Sum it up and say: God detests any measurements that cause us to speak to people one way to their face (‘valued supporter’, ‘partner’) and another in our fund raising reporting (‘regular’, ‘middle’, ‘major’, ‘ripe plum waiting to be picked’, ‘guy with some serious cash’).

2. ‘Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.’ (1 Chronicles 21:1)

What’s wrong with taking a census? In and of itself, nothing. God Himself even directs it from time to time.

The problem comes with the reason for taking a census. When one takes a census in order to measure one’s strength and capacity and health…one runs into a few problems with God, who tends to get rankled anytime one puts one’s strength in what one can see and in what one has in one’s hand…or one’s bank account.

Interesting, isn’t it, that when God talks about a census in Exodus 30:12, He says, ‘When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.’

In other words, every time you count, you need to recognize that each individual is provided by the grace of God. Keeps one from the plague of pride and self-sufficiency…or the plague of despair and faithlessness at not having ‘enough’ to do what God has called one to do.

I am ever amazed at true men and women of God–brave, stalwart firebrands of The Word–who become anything but brave and stalwart when they look at their support accounts or the profit/loss statements for their organization. They continually ‘take a census’…agonizing over the daily income reports, getting frustrated and resentful that people don’t give more, and whoring about for any tool or technique or strategy that will provide an immediate alleviation of an income shortfall. Even their demeanor changes, from peace to passion…to anxiety and anger.

Have you ever considered your own review of your finances as a kind of census? Is it possible that Satan may be inciting you to take your daily ‘census’ in the way you do? What might it mean for you to ‘ransom’ each champion each time you count them?

(Side note: Fascinating, isn’t it, that when David makes the offering that stays the hand of the angel of death, that he does so on the site where the temple is later raised up–the temple, which is one of God’s favorite subjects for measurement?)

3. ‘But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.’ (Revelation 11:2)

Don’t worry–I won’t prophesy a date for the end of the world here. (We’ll save that for the premium subscription version of the blog.)

My point in referencing this verse is simply to note that there are some things that God commands that we exclude from measurement.

What kinds of things?

• Secular things.
• By secular people.
• With secular purposes in mind–purposes that trample on God’s purposes.

Have you ever noticed that the measurements we Christian nonprofits make in our development efforts match completely with the measurements that our secular counterparts track? If we’re tracking the same things they are for the same purposes they are and making the same decisions they do with the same data they have…then is it possible that we, too, are trampling on the purposes of The God of Measure by measuring the things He intends us to exclude and by excluding the things He intends us to measure?

This is of course not to say that you shouldn’t maintain a proper profit and loss statement for your organization. By no means. After all, the problem is not with taking a census. It’s with not following God’s guidelines for what to do when you take a census. The problem is the certain measurements really do tempt us to act and think and rely in ways that aren’t consistent with God’s design for us, His leaders, and for His people.

4. Conclusion

If we pay careful attention, we can see a trend emerging:

God despises measurements that draw attention to human strength and power and capacity because they tempt us to base our decisions on human strength and power and capacity.

Nowhere is that more true–and nowhere is the temptation to do that more acute–than in the arena of fundraising.

If you’re astute, you can almost precisely invert the above statement and predict the kind of measurements God wants us to make and on which He wants us to make our decisions. The surprising thing, though, is the specificity with which the scriptures indicates what those measurements are and how to take them. The measurements scripture directs are literally detailed and practical enough that one can (and is in fact called to) base an entire development program on them.

To these we turn tomorrow.

In the mean time, observe for yourself your own demeanor as you review certain of the measurements you and your organization make. Who is inciting you to measure in such ways? And what might it mean to ransom those statistics in God’s sight?