Commerce in the Church

A sweet little girl came to me last Sunday between the services and gave me a hug. I felt ten feet tall. Then she said, sweetly, “Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies?"

She is good.

But I’d like to talk about that. Not just Girl Scout Cookies (which I love and buy every year), but many of the other proposals that are sometimes peddled in churches before and after services. Some people attempt to raise funds for a school or charitable cause or promote their multilevel marketing products. I understand why it happens. After all, our friends are there. Why not use that time and opportunity to market something or promote a cause we believe in?

Think of it through the eyes of those coming to church. Is it really fair for them to be put on the spot…at church? You might think that you are not doing that, but how do they feel? As a pastor, my concern is that I do not want anyone coming to church to feel as though they have to say, “No,” to a friend or a child for a fund raiser or an invitation to purchase something.

It’s just not what church is for.

So while it’s hard for us to communicate this regularly, a policy the elders at The Bridge established years ago states that there is to be no third party fundraisers or marketing invitations or transactions on church property, unless it has been predetermined by the elders to be a project that is aligned with our mission and entered into by the church as a whole. 

In other words, please do not sell any wares or ask people while at church to donate to your fund raiser. :-)

Any address, phone, or email list that your church provides for ministry purposes should also not be used for marketing or fund-raising.

It’s important that as we are focused on the one mission God has given to the church (connecting people with God). We need to view each other and our guests as those we want to help bring closer to Jesus, not as merchandising opportunities.

And thanks for not getting mad at me about this! :-)