The Commentary

Austerity Britain is arriving at a platform near you. In June the new Chancellor, George Osborne, steamed in with the first budget of the Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition. It was styled an ‘emergency budget’, aimed at reducing the enormous national debt, and everyone will have to get on board.

The measures introduced included a rise in VAT to 20% from next January, Capital Gains Tax increasing from 18% to 28%, and the freezing of child benefits. In my street already some of the young guys are downsizing from flash cars to motorbikes.

Whatever your own views on this, there are big implications for how we now think and live as believers. Do we need to look at our own spending, and debt burden (Romans 13.8)?

Conferences, churches

I love the big conferences and conventions which have emerged in recent years. They do a great job of giving some concrete expression to the unity there is among many evangelicals and making sound Bible teaching from gifted Bible teachers available to us all.

But, with far less money around, we need to be careful we don’t lose these conferences. Some of these events have run at a loss, and that will not be sustainable in coming years. Organisers will need great wisdom. We should pray for them. A few years ago FIEC’s Cheltenham Bible Festival was sadly lost through financial difficulties. It would be a shame to lose others. Perhaps the conferences need not be quite so swish and ‘first class’ in their packaging and promotion. In an age of austerity, what is wrong with making a virtue of simplicity?

The gravy train will also hit the buffers in local churches. Some analysts are signalling that the Chancellor’s measures may lead to the loss of 1.3 million jobs. And, as church members become unemployed, fellowships will feel the pinch in their own finances.

The years of plenty saw churches employing more paid staff. This provided apprenticeship opportunities for young people, which is good, but has been coupled with a ministry ‘professionalism’ rather alien to the New Testament vision, in which the whole church uses its gifts. Our money substitutes for personal service. Trying to balance the books, churches may be tempted to cancel outreach and missionary giving. But, even in the present emergency, our government has promised not to cut the overseas development budget. How much more important is God’s kingdom worldwide? EN is aware of at least one interdenominational missionary society already in serious financial difficulty.

New opportunities

Our permissive society has railroaded many ordinary people into poverty generally linked with broken family life. Cutbacks will make things even worse for some living in the vicinity of our churches.

How can we show the love of Christ in practical ways? This topic must come onto the agenda for the PCC or deacons’ meeting. Make a plan.

One church in Liverpool already runs a community breakfast, where, for a nominal charge, anyone can come and have a good meal on Saturday mornings. They have six teams which take turns to cook each week. Through this labour of love many outsiders have seen the church and the gospel in a new light.

The idea of ‘word only’ churches is extremely unbiblical and not something which God can own in days like those down the track. If we fail to show compassion, we may well find ourselves shunted into a siding and forgotten by the Spirit. Of course, the preaching of the gospel must have the priority. But the word of God calls us to make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive (Titus 2.10) through kindness and the way we live.

Age of austerity

Conferences, churches

New opportunities

John Benton

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