This past month in Kenya we were working with an awesome pastor of a large church in the small town of Bungoma. Him and his wife were like parents to us, and we were truly blessed and encouraged by their church, particularly seeing how our pastor led his congregation and stewarded his resources. Throughout our time in Africa, we have been exposed to a variety of pastors, and it has been interesting seeing consistent themes across individuals we meet. There is an interesting subsection of African pastors who are habitually jet-setting over to America or elsewhere as a means of soliciting funds for their churches or other ministries, yielding the expected detachment and dependence. Admirably, our pastor this month was notably opposed to this practice, instead trusting in the Lord to provide from within his own church body.“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked“
-Luke 12:48
On top of these convictions, he always believes in strong spiritual and financial accountability, seeing the danger in taking church gifts as individual funds but instead ensuring all money goes through and to official church channels. Spritually, as the church has grown he has ensured church leadership has grown as well, to ensure that no one man is to be glorified as God makes things grow. Financial blessings to his church have not meant personal abundance for a large house and other luxuries, but greater opportunities for the church to expand upon the vision they have. Most recently, the church began an admirable bus service to and from Nairobi as a church-run business, employing church members and providing church finances. All of these things result in a humble man, living in a rented house, driving a finicky car given as a gift, with a strong commitment to the body of believers he has been placed over.
“What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”
-1 Corinthians 4:7
As it is clearly the body’s efforts yielding the church’s finances, it can not be the result of one man’s work. As with us, how we hold dearly to the chains of control, consciously or not so that we can attempt to garner the glory for it. When we see fruit of something under our control, under our leadership, we can much more readily take the credit. We resist the community of accountability and support that can threaten our crusade for personal glory, instead of embracing them as an opportunity to give greater glory to our God who really makes all things grow. Lord, let me not rob your glory, but rejoice that you choose to work through an unworthy vessel, so you get the rightful credit for the fruit that’s produced.“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth”
-1 Corinthians 3:7
