shmatt.com

 We’ve been deliberately backward in forward planning regarding the community(s) that we feel God has lead us to build (”The Church“), but still, we have a web site and an email address, both of which are listed in a few church directories in the hope of attracting others that would be interested in working with us as we plant.

This attracts an email every now and then, some from people visiting from out of town looking for a Sunday service to visit (we don’t run one) and, more often, emails from some person, business or ministry attempting to solicit our attention, money or in the case of last night’s email, my phone account.

The email goes (names removed to protect the innocent):

Some 12 months ago my wife and I commenced the operation of our company _________. Prior to this I felt led of the Lord to create a Christian business that would help finance the Gospel. I am aware that as a company we cannot finance every Christian work, but I felt the Lord give me a clear directive in the following areas:

• Support my local fellowship
• Help other Christian works free up finances used on utilities
• Show congregations how they can help at no cost to them
• Help people get out of debt

I am aware that many businesses may try various marketing strategies to get you to use their products or services for a price. We are not one of those businesses. We are here to help fellowships reduce costs not increase them and show them how congregations can help too, without cost to them.

** Let me interject for a second **

You tell me you are not using a marketing strategy to get us to use your products and services.  Ok I’ll believe you for now.  Otherwise, I would have already pressed the delete button.  Continue..

I am also aware that we all get scams from time to time in our email in-box. Should you feel at this stage this may be one of those scams, click here and return a blank email and you will be deleted from our database. Alternatively, you will find all my contact details at the conclusion of this letter along with the option of contacting my pastor for a reference.

For your information we fellowship at ____________, _______, Queensland (east of Brisbane). If you require a reference please let me know and I will send you my pastor?s details.

_____________ has helped many people save money each month on their telecommunications bills. Sometimes as much as 68%, but more typically 20-40%.

If you can imagine for a moment making these savings each month, the savings can then be applied elsewhere in your Christian work.

I am conscious that this might not sound much, but it does add up especially when you add to it our option of any person or business within your fellowship who also joins _____________, not only will we provide good discounted rates for them too, we will give to your fellowship each and every month 20% of our profits from the accounts of those in your fellowship involved in the program.

I would like if possible the opportunity of sharing more with you if you are interested.

I will honour you and your fellowship and not contact you personally unless you invite me to do so.

So let me understand this correctly - you are not one of those business using marketing strategy to get me to use your products and services.  Your products and services are so good that you are doing me a favour by telling me about them?

This is the eternal blindness of the “Spammer”.  Yes, this is spam, and illegal in Australia.

Marketing no-no’s aside - I’ll leave that to Seth Godin for now - this email irks me for a couple of reasons.

First, this well meaning person (and I do believe he is well meaning) suggests that his company deserves my attention because he is doing for the sake of the Gospel.  He started business for the sake of raising money to help others and/or the cause of Christ.  After asking him the question by return email exactly to what degree the company supports the Gospel, he assures me that he keeps all the profits, less what he tithes to his local congregation (I am guessing he means 10% of the gross profits) and whatever else he feels directed to give.

So, if you look at only the part of his business that he is promoting here (which is only a small portion of his business activity) we have:

Gross profits (100%) - Tithe (10%) - Giving (perhaps 10%) - Commission to my church (20%) =  his profits (60%)

So it’s not entirely set up to fund the Gospel.  That’s fine.  But don’t allude otherwise.  You are a Christian running a business (like myself and many others), but you don’t run a “Christian business”.  This is the unfortunate attitude of many ‘Kingdom business” people - I can aim to get rich doing business, but as long as I give some of the money away, I can call it a ministry and expect God to bless it. 

My second, and more concerning issue here is the viewing of the Church as a marketplace.  Fair enough, we all pay a phone bill and switching to you may save me money that I would have to pay anyway (but I am still paying them money - let’s be clear on this).  Even better than that, the church itself will make some money from it.

Please explain to me how this is any different to the sellers and money changers described in John Chapter 2?  They were providing a service that the worshippers would have had to use anyway, and the temple would have been certain to be receiving a cut of the profits (the priesthood were all Jews). 

“Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!”

That goes for you too, Koorong.

I’ve offered the gentlemen in question the right of reply, as anyone has around here.