Church Debt Reduction/Elimination Auctions
 

The purpose of this letter is to explain my vision on church debt reduction/elimination. I believe that it very possible for the church to work together in faith and eliminate the debt that it has. I refer to the New Testament in Acts 4:32-35.

“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, 35 and lay them at the apostles feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.”

I believe that the American Church is very blessed. I am not purposing that everyone sell all they have as was done in Acts. What I do purpose however is that the congregation get together and see what they could contribute. I believe that the vision should be presented for debt reduction/elimination at this time. The first step would be to share the vision and the word (as faith comes by hearing the word). The second step would be to get in faith as a congregation. Have all persons pray about their involvement in the vision. The congregation should pray about what they could give to the church.

I believe that there is a large amount of wealth sitting around in garages and attics. People have old cars that are not being used. Some people have cars that are in inoperable states (and of no use to them). A congregation could pool its resources and have skilled members of the church get these vehicles in working order. There are old collectable items, furniture items, household items etc… available.

In the church there are also many business owners and skilled workers that have services that they can sell (Items/services could also be solicited from outside business’). I believe that if the congregation acted in faith and brought these items into the church. The church could have what is called an Absolute Auction. An absolute auction is an auction in which all items sell regardless of the price. Absolute auctions attract large crowds. And, depending on the items offered can produce large amounts of income.

The church can also sell concessions adding to the amount of money made. The church members benefit as they get a legitimate tax deduction for what they donate. The business owners also benefit as they are promoted to the public (their customer base).
Also, the congregation benefits simply from Gods rule of seedtime and harvest.

The advantage to this type of fund raising is that the funds are generated from outside of the church. The money is brought in from outside the church (not from within). The only commitments that would be necessary would be for the congregation to honestly seek the Lords voice, and to act upon what they are told to do.

The only costs that would be attributed to this would be advertising costs and any costs associated with getting certain items in working condition. I would be willing to donate my time and skills to help put this together. I would also be willing to pay for and provide professional ring persons to spot bids. The sale would be advertised like any other sale and would be open to the public.

I know that this is not a typical form of reducing/eliminating church debt. I do believe that the idea is based upon biblical principles of the congregation coming together and contributing what they can. I do believe that it would work because it has been proven to work in the above scripture. I believe that it is time for the churches to pay off their debts. A financially free church is one that can make a greater impact in the community it serves. Romans 13:8 reads:

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

In no way do I want to make a doctrine of Romans 13:8. I do believe however that if the church were debt free it would be easier for the church to show its love to their neighbors. Benevolence was never intended to be a government function. It was mandated in the bible when we were told to take care of the widows and the orphans. I believe that if we managed to free up our church debts than our personal debts would probably be the next debts to be eliminated.

I encourage you to think about what I have presented to you. Please seek the Lord and see if this would be something that you could do.

In His Service,

Mike Bunach
President – Bunach Auctioneering Company