I’ve got a few thoughts on the relationship between churches and non-profits sparked muchly by lp’s current predicament. I’ll get to them later, though…
Let me just lead in with this…who’s the greatest non-profit organizer of early Christianity? Paul. Just look at Acts or–far more telling–look at the long list of people in his organizattion that he lists at the ends of his various letters. He had quite a missionary organization going. It wasn’t just a solitary tentmaker wandering around, that’s for sure…
Now, with this in mind, re-read Philippians as a gift acknowledgment letter that triggers another ask.
Even more surprising–re-read Philemon. Throw out everything you think you know about it. I’ve become entirely convinced that the slavery reading we’ve been stuck in for the past couple hundred years completely obscures what it really is.
It’s a major gift ask…