The Very Rev Albert Bogle argues that a spirit of generosity is the key to renewal in the Church of Scotland

IT’S not only the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is trying to balance the books this autumn – it’s everyone! All around the world energy prices have risen to such a height that many people are at their wits’ end knowing they don’t have the wherewithal to pay the energy bills, let alone anything else.

Families and individuals and charitable organisations are going to be facing financial challenges the likes of which they haven’t seen for many years. Kirk Sessions are going to have to make decisions to work more closely together with their neighbouring congregations, if not for theological reasons, certainly for financial prudence. Church treasurers will be looking for practical help when it comes to finding ways to make the fuel bills smaller.

Not everyone will be able to find immediate practical solutions, however in some situations sharing resources across the board could be the answer to a less stressful life for many of our treasurers.

For example, it makes little sense wasting resources and energy heating up two buildings that stand cheek by jowl, when one building would more-than-adequately meet everyone’s needs. But it’s not about the buildings, we all know that – it’s about something else. Too often congregations have built ditches between themselves and their neighbouring congregations. We come up with all sorts of reasons why we cannot work together side by side. We say our worship is different, we have a different theological approach.

The truth is every obstacle can be overcome if we begin to practise a spirit of generosity towards each other. Finding ways to build bridges must surely be at the heart of our healing as a denomination and a marker that we are becoming more obedient to Jesus – did He not tell his disciples that it was love and unity that would mark them out as different from the world?

Meeting everyone’s needs is a biblical principle. Recently I came across a passage of scripture that made me sit up and take notice. In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, the Apostle Paul writes about the grace that God gave to the Macedonian churches. It was a conversation he was exploring with the Corinthian church about the importance of generosity. It got me thinking that generosity is in fact the essence of what true Presbyterianism is all about.

If you take a moment and read 2 Corinthians 8:1-10, it will not be lost on you that too often we in the Church of Scotland struggle to act as a community of generosity to each other. Don’t misunderstand me. We can be more than generous to charitable causes outwith the church. And we can be overtly friendly with other denominations, but when it comes to sharing our resources within our Church of Scotland family, we can be mean-spirited. We can feel threatened and we can hurt each other often with the throwaway comment. I know not every congregation is like this, but there are a great many who would be shocked to find out that they are holding out for something that makes them lookvery selfish.

Reading this passage in 2 Corinthians 8, it seemed to me that there was a message for all of us. As presbyteries begin to pick up the hot potatoes relating to shared resources and excess resources, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could ask God to send a spirit of generosity among all of us?

A spirit of love and sharing that would create within us all a willingness to share what we have and even go further by drawing alongside each other and, as Paul suggest in Romans 12, “in honour to prefer one another”.

“The truth is every obstacle can be overcome if we begin to practise a spirit of generosity towards each other.

We have a huge task ahead of us within the Church of Scotland to reform and renew our worship and ministry. We need ministers and elders filled with the spirit of generosity living out grace in our relationship and communities. When this begins to take root, lives begin to be changed and communities transformed.

Solutions to stressful situations are discovered and the scripture is fulfilled that says, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory.” ¤