D-Day Part 1

Thursday is Decision Day, Part 1. The immediate course of the old career will be determined. The committee that deals with little things like salary proposals will convene to make the 2008 recommendation. I pushed this as close to the end of the year as is possible in our system, so that the financials will be about as complete as they can be. Results: the third straight Best Financial Year Ever for our little arm of the Lord's Work. Now, it's really put up or shut up. I have done the missional, serve-at-a-discount thing for three years. That's ok. But now, we're looking down the barrel of three kids in college at the same time this fall, and the options are gone. After two salary cycles, we're still $12,000 behind the old assignment, which was a dying, no-hope type of situation. It is time for this thriving, growing, rolling in dough place to act like what it has become.
I cannot claim that I'm a big enough person that last year's disappointment hasn't been hard to carry around at times. When you have a double digit surplus, and they moan that 4% is absolutely all they can afford, they just aren't telling the truth. But thie time, another inadequate sharing of the proceeds of good work will mean a change of venue. I can't see how they won't step up, but then again, I thought the same thing last year. Last year's 12% budget surplus has become about 22% this year. Last year's decision to stick it all into a savings account will not fly this year. And what has become a financial emergency for me is turning into a tragedy for the church. They just can't afford any more to hang around that starter or never-made-it type of salary, given the church that they now are. And I don't know if they get that or not.
Pardon an ego moment here, but the growth in the town predates my arrival by a good 8 years. Why didn't the church grow before? Why didn't the membership rise? Why didn't the attendance swell? Why didn't the program grow? Why didn't the giving increase (18% in new dollars this year)? The people in the pews didn't suddenly begin to be friendly. They didn't conjure up a new, shiny space in which to worship. An immodest evaluation: only the guy in the pulpit changed. They really need to understand that I came down about three salary levels to serve here. They cannot afford to return to the level they are paying for. If they don't come up, I'm out, and they are out of luck. It seems a very, very simple fix: just turn loose of some of what we've accomplished together, and we can keep going.
Please! I don't want to go anywhere! Give me the option of staying!