PCT responds to income disparity within and between churches

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

      Taiwan Church News

      3056 Edition

      September 20~26, 2010

       

       

      PCT responds to income disparity within and between churches

       

      Reported by staff reporters

      Written by Lydia Ma

       

       



      A recent report released by the Ministry of the Interior made 
headlines when it announced the 

      difference in disposable income between the richest 5% and the 
poorest 5% in Taiwan had 

      risen to about 66%. Meanwhile, the number of families living 
under the poverty line in the past 

      2 years increased.

       



      From problems due to more and more homeless people living in 
the streets, to policies and 

      tax breaks favoring the rich and powerful, we have to wonder if 
poverty is a social ill that is 

      both normal and inevitable.

       



      Churches cannot stand in the sidelines or remain unaffected by 
this growing disparity that 

      touches everyone. Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed plenty of big 
churches becoming richer and 

      bigger as small churches wilt and struggle making ends meet in 
recent years. And yet, as 

      Christians, we believe God’s economy operates vastly different 
than our economic system.

       



      How churches manage or spend the remainder of their general 
funds at the end of each year 

      varies from church to church. Nevertheless, PCT General 
Secretary Andrew Chang has urged 

      churches to adopt a “Reset-to-Zero Movement” whereby 
financially stable churches give away 

      surpluses from their general funds to churches and 
organizations that have less.

       



      Chang reports that churches in Seven Stars and Taichung 
presbyteries have already begun 

      doing so and most donations of annual general fund surpluses 
have usually gone to 

      seminaries or social welfare organizations.

       



      “All this money is God-given,” Chen Po-jie said. He is pastor 
at Wu-Jie Presbyterian Church, 

      located in a small rural town in Ilan. His church firmly 
believes in tithing and at a time when 

      many full-fledged churches are saying they don’t have much to 
give and are resource-

      strapped, this small church, which has yet to become a 
full-fledged church, is setting an example. 

       



      PCT church laws require that all full-fledged churches be 
financially self- supporting and most 

      churches start out as “gospel centers” before they reach that 
goal. Most of these small gospel 

      centers” rely on support from another church or their 
presbytery both in terms of financial 

      provision and human capital.

       



      Despite Wu-Jie Church’s limited resources, Chen said that his 
church has been helping other 

      smaller churches in the area for about 6 years now. It has been 
giving away about 12.5% of its 

      revenue every year in financial donations to other churches 
that are struggling to maintain a 

      meeting place or hire a pastor.

       



      In another example of churches supporting one another, Taiwan 
Church News reported earlier 

      this year that Rukai Presbytery was starting a new church for 
Aborigines living in Tainan city 

      with help from Hsin-Hsing Presbyterian Church, which was in 
turn helped by Liuzhangli 

      Presbyterian Church. 

       



      As Hsin-Hsing Church got ready to move to a new location and 
church building, it hoped its 

      old church buildings would continue to serve some evangelistic 
purpose instead of being sold 

      to pay for a new mortgage. 

       



      After contacting PCT officials, it was discovered that Rukai 
Presbytery wanted to start a 

      church in Tainan city to minister to Aborigines working in 
urban areas. So, without further ado, 

      Hsin-Hsing Church offered its old building to Rukai Presbytery 
and became its partner in 

      ministering to Aborigines who’ve migrated to urban areas. 

       



      On August 1, 2010, both churches cemented their partnership 
during a thanksgiving service 

      complete with signing of a partnership agreement. Hsin-Hsing 
Church reported afterward that 

      Liuzhangli Church in Taipei had offered to loan NT$5 million 
free of interest charge to help the 

      church pay off its mortgage as soon as possible.

       



      For all the churches involved in this partnership, the way 
everything turned out is yet another 

      reminder of God’s grace and provision. It is a wonderful 
example of a church in need that 

      decided to lend a helping hand and give graciously despite its 
circumstances. When it did so, 

      it discovered that God also met its needs through timely help 
from another church.

       



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