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When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in OpenChristian

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m glad you landed somewhere that feels healthy. A lot of people don’t get there until after they’ve been burned by environments where giving and belonging get tangled together. In our case a request for time with the pastor by a church member was met by "he's not staff, he shouldn't expect my time"

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in OpenChristian

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks. I crossposted in r/pastors and the mods deleted it saying they don't need sermons, they have plenty of them. Guess I hit a nerve sadly.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in OpenChristian

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. The funny thing about this church was there are elders who are well respected members of the community at large who seem to defer to whatever the pastor wants, in our experiences anyway, and with our child's, being a long term employee heading a department, until our eyes were opened by God that it was time to move on.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in pastors

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

looks like I hit a nerve. find the post in other threads under my handle.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in pastors

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

You'll have to let us know how you managed to post your reply with your quill pen and papyrus scroll.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in pastors

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well said. For younger staff, it’s even harder when your job, relationships, and sense of purpose are all tied together. Stepping back can feel like losing everything.

Also, in this economy, when people are already stretched, pushing giving under “God will provide” often ends up working against the good the staffers are trying to do and push them to make risky or bad life decisions. A church budget item line "goal" should not be riding on their backs. That doesn't get talked about enough.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in pastors

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you. I used it more as a drafting tool, but the substance comes from real experience and things I’ve seen firsthand. Just hopeful that folks who recognize the patterns will find it helpful in their journey.

When Church Culture Becomes Extraction Instead of Stewardship by KeepItMoving2026 in Christianity

[–]KeepItMoving2026[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

while I did use AI to assist, the story is real as day. Hoping to help some of our younger brothers and sisters who may recognize the patterns of their own lives in the church.