VALLEY CITY, N.D. — Carol Umsted got more than the word of God during services this summer at the Congregational United Church of Christ of Valley City.
She also got $50 worth of free gas.
Churches nationwide are making similar offers, ranging from gas card raffles to 99 cent gas sales at local stations, to boost attendance during the vacation season and attract new members.
But some Christians question whether a financial incentive should be used to draw people into church.
Robert Kruschwitz, director of The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, called the promotions “unseemly” and “misguided.”
Umstead, a church official, said a couple of Valley City congregants stopped attending because they considered it “a bribe.” But the Rev. Carl Borden, pastor of the congregation, said the overriding goal is to have a little fun and remind people that the church is there.
“It’s a method of marketing for the church,” he said. “For a $200 investment we’ve made, we got featured in the local newspaper once, twice on TV, and it’s the buzz around town. I can’t get a quarter-page ad for $200.”
David T. Olson, director of the American Church Research Project and head of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, said there are other more effective ways of drawing newcomers.
“I personally would encourage them that having people from their church build relationships with their friends who do not attend church, and invite them as their friend, would be a much better strategy,” Olson said.
Nathan White, an Atlanta-area Baptist, was troubled by a church gas card raffle he learned about at a Baptist church in Snellville, Ga. The corporate executive, who plans to become a pastor, thinks gas giveaways are shameful financial gimmicks that undermine the Gospel. “The Bible warns very explicitly about the dangers of greed, the love of money being the root of all evil. Appealing to the selfish motives of people is not Christianity.”
The nondenominational Liquid Church in Morristown, N.J., took its gas promotion outside of the church. Members went to a local service station in August, bought $10,000 worth of fuel and sold it for 99 cents a gallon.
“We canceled services that day, and said our service to the community will be our service,” said the Rev. Tim Lucas.
“This wasn’t a gimmick, ‘Hey, come to our church.’ We didn’t try to convert people. We just wanted to show we care,” he said.
Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank, said there is a fine line between advertising a church and using what he called “huckster” means to entice outsiders.
He called the gas promotions in general “a clever tool.”
“There are a lot worse things that people can be doing in life than getting people to come to church,” he said.
Kruschwitz worries that people who come to church because of the enticements won’t stick around long enough to listen to the preaching and join the worship. “Are they being tempted to think the church is about such gimmicks and external rewards?” he asked.
Religion
Godly or gimmicky?
Gasoline inducements fuel debate
- Religion
-
-
Are we terminal generation? Signs suggest so; are you ready?
America is being threatened on all fronts. But is anyone even paying attention? Our very way of life as we know it is at stake. As Jesus revealed the future of the world to His disciples and the future church in Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus three critical questions concerning the future.
-
To cure our ills, we should reflect unity in our community
I write this on that special and official day that we honor the remarkable ministry and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And by the time you read this, I will have had the privilege of addressing those gathered in West Middlesex for the Christian Unity Service, sponsored by the Christian Associates of the Shenango Valley.
-
Christmas lights gone, but would you be a light in dark times?
“Wow! Look at all the beautiful lights” was something we heard in our car driving through downtown Sharon and the surrounding communities during Christmas. For my family, John 1:4-5 says it: “The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.”
-
Blessing of Water outdoors 1st time
Area Orthodox churches will gather on the banks of the Shenango River in downtown Sharon to perform the Blessing of Water at 1 p.m. Sunday.
-
Blessings from God come with obedience to Him
I can't imagine how frustrated God must become when He watches us strut around like a Bantam rooster as we allow our pride to get the best of us.
-
A plea like that of David: God, this year please change my life
Whenever we enter into the psalms, it feels like we are entering holy ground. We are entering a person’s inner sanctum. But, to enter the inner sanctum of a person confessing his sin to God is a place we are never allowed. The exception to the rule is Psalm 51.
-
Words can be cheap, but the right words have the power to save
My attendance at a recent Veterans’ Day program placed me within earshot of some words that characterized not only that gathering, but also provided some rich food for thought. Referring to veterans past and present, a speaker said, “We will never forget your sacrifice for us.”
-
Grinch had it right: Christmas doesn’t come from a store
December marks the beginning of winter which, to the joy of many children (and child-like adults), means the beginning of the snow season. And speaking of children, December is when we celebrate the saint of children – Saint Nicholas, known more commonly in the West as Father Christmas, Santa Claus. And if we spend this cold winter month in the quiet embrace of our families, then we end it with a bang.
-
Giving thanks is oft times overlooked on Thanksgiving
One has to admit that Thanksgiving has grown into quite an important and beautiful holiday since back in 1863 when President Lincoln first proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. However, I believe that in too many homes the one thing that is missing from the Thanksgiving table is prayer and moments of discussion of the various blessings of life which enabled us to reach this day.
-
The good and bad about the Wall Street protesters
They may have left the front page, at least most days, at least for now. But they most certainly have not left Zuccotti Park in Manhattan’s financial district. It seems that the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who’ve inspired similar acts of civil disobedience around the country and overseas, advocate some sort of direct government intervention, to “level” the economic playing field.
- More Religion Headlines
-
Are we terminal generation? Signs suggest so; are you ready?
