Comments on: “First of all, let’s not call them inmates…” An Interview with Kim Brown

By: Ian R.

Ian R. — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:20:00 +0000

To be fair, having enough money to pay all the bills isn’t the reality for many, many churches. I go to a church that still depends on outside donations for roughly 40-45% of the budget. We do as much benevolence as we can, but if we were to give away half our collection, the staff and their families would go hungry, the building wouldn’t have heat and the mortgage wouldn’t get paid. Keep that up for a few months, and you have no church.

I absolutely agree that the church universal ought to be doing more to help the poor, and there are some churches that aren’t pulling their weight in that regard. Addressing all churches that way, though, isn’t helpful.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 19:06:00 +0000

Depends on the church. I’ve been in some where the membership wants to reach beyond their walls but the leadership refuses, but I’ve also been in some where the leaders want to engage the community and the membership would rather remain insulated.

By: Yaholo

Yaholo — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:28:00 +0000

“I am sick of churches telling me that they only help members or attenders. Where does the bible say that?” – This a real poison in mainstream Christian culture. We are more tribal and “us vs. them” than most of the secular world.

I have found that within congregations of a church, the members are more willing to look beyond their own walls and engage the community around them. It is mostly the church leaders who put their own brand over Christ. If you want to get response from a church, start with the members, not the clergy.

By: otrotierra

otrotierra — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:03:00 +0000

Fantastic interview. Many thanks Margot Starbuck and Kim Brown.