Care for Members | Universal Basic Income
Perhaps the most dramatic thing church could do in this time and place is to be radically the church. Share our money. Preach on the square. Make it obvious that whoever is in this church is fully cared for.
Care for Members Financially
The earliest commentaries about Christians are critiques of their ridiculous practice of providing for one another. The Christians, the writers offer, are fools, and are being taken advantage of.
Perhaps the story of Ananias and Sapphira (who try to join the church but hold back some of their possessions and then fall dead) is a reaction to the community gossip. Sort of a “you can’t cheat us, God will catch you in the act” response.
We know, from the writings in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-34, and from secular critiques, that the early church shared what they had in common, and provided for their members. Indeed it seemed evidence that God’s Rule was begun. It was a witness to the power of God that this community of diverse followers could pull this off.
What would we need to replicate this practice in in our church today? As the economy fails we will have people in our churches who will need material help to get by. And isn't that what we do best--care for one another?
The thing that helps households most when facing financial difficulty is cash. Giving people money to spend as they choose is what gives the greatest support. It feels counter-cultural just to say that out loud! Can we just give people money?
We could encourage people to give or take from the offering plate as it is passed, although in my churches there is little there (most give by check or online.) We could hand out $50 bills to those who come to worship, encouraging those with plenty to give it away, and those with little to keep it. If you prefer a more organized structure, people with excess in their budgets can create a fund that is distributed (once a month?) among those who don't have enough.
I hear all of your worries as you read this, because I have them too. How will we make sure that only people who need money are receiving it? Like the first century Romans, I worry about cheaters. But also how will we make sure that those who need money will choose to take advantage of the program? Can we take the relaxed approach offered by Sarah Miles in her book Take this Bread: no one can steal from us, because what we are offering is free.
If we limit this to parishioners, then we are talking about caring for people we know. Can we find a way to provide for Marla who sits on the back left; or Harold who sings in the choir, or Juan who comes once a month with his grandson?
We are already doing this ministry in small ways—using the pastor’s discretionary fund, or bags from the food pantry, by individuals noticing a need and taking care of it. What if we just added handing out cash? Is that over the top wild?
We are concerned that it won't be fair. That someone who needs more won't get it or that someone will get more than they need. That someone will feel guilty for not giving, or embarrassed to receive.
Perhaps, like the Romans, we are afraid that hundreds of poor people will join our church just to get their share of the wealth. Certainly that fear gives me pause. Don't we want more people to join, so they can help, and pledge, and hear the good news? (Wait, is that the right order?) We aren't really afraid too many poor people will join us, are we?
The good news in the first century was that Kingdom of God was really, right then, at hand. The community sharing meant that people who were beggars now had a meal every day.
I find it hard to feel God's rule as nearby right now. But if we could create small communities where everyone's financial needs are cared for, wouldn't that be a miracle? Wouldn't that be good news?
What is your church doing to care for those that need financial resources? Reply to this email to let me know what's happening.
This idea is a tiny version of Universal Basic Income (UBI). With UBI everyone gets a basic payment (usually monthly) with no strings attached. Alaska has a form of UBI, and it's been part of our public discourse for quite some time. This article from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gives a history.
Communal living and church that includes living together are today called "the new monasticism". Sometimes when people ask where the young people are I point them to this movement. They aren't waiting for us.
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