In case you missed it....Mac announced that he is looking for $180,000 next Sunday in a special offering, as this will put him back on the Inspirational Network for a year's time.
If he was as mad as h-e-double hockey stick and blessed us out last Sunday when only 50 men responded to his request to pray about being his prayer partner, can you imagine how mad he'll be when he doesn't get but 1/4 of what he needs to go back on TV? Won't be a pretty sight.
If you're a church member, or anyone on the church mailing list, you'll get a letter this week from Mac (let's see, about 10,000 mailings at 30 cents bulk mailing rate, a cost of $3000) asking you to give to the special technology evangelism offering. I'm not quite sure what is so "technologically advanced" about putting one's self on nationwide TV on a Christian network, as televangelists have been doing this for decades.
As I said before, if this is "not about Mac Brunson" but its "about reaching people with the gospel", then let's FIRST start with making all of our services, from start to finish, available for "on demand" viewing at our website. We don't need $180,000 to reach every person in the world with Internet access 24/7. So let's start there and see what kind of reach that gives us, then we can talk about $180,000 for the Inspiration network.
Please church member - if you're like most who are struggling to pay your bills and provide for your family, or if you're not but you know families who are, DO NOT give to this special offering to put Mac on TV. By any measure its not money well spent, at least not at this time. You're better off spending the money on helping someone in real terms meet a physical need, or helping someone pay their rent, or pay a vehicle repair bill. Let the very wealthy church lay leaders who can't say no to Mac give their money to help Mac build his nationwide brand image....let's you and I push for our church leadership to maximize our reach WITH THE RESOURCES WE ALREADY HAVE by making video of our services available 24/7 from our own church website.
Besides, as he said right before David Jeremiah's sermon at the Pastor's Conference, Trey himself raised $100,000 to offeset costs associated with the pastor's conference...surely Trey can raise $180,000 for the TV ministry.
Why does he take $500,000 to start the school but is asking now for $180,000 for TV ministry? If he can take $500,000 for the school, why not just take the $180,000 for the TV ministry? Or why not give $180,000 from the church budget for TV ministry if its so important, and ask for a special offering to raise funds for a school?
ReplyDeleteThe video shown during the sermon of Collins Homebuilders and their decision to shut operations down on Sunday. That name "Collins" sounds very familiar. Wasn't the person who gave the Brunson's the piece of property worth several hundred thousand dollars also named Collins?
ReplyDeleteThis is the exact same problem Brunson ran into at FBC-Dallas.
ReplyDeleteBig projects. Big ideas. Poor fundraising support. Scaled back projects and still couldn't raise it. He viewed it as "non-support" and moved on to FBC-Jax.
Please stop him in his tracks. Perhaps his 'spiritual vision' should be in "discipleship" "spiritual depth" and "personal holiness" rather than always judging the church(and pastor) by "new buildings" and ever expanding physical ministries.
Please be one of the first 'mega-churches' to tell its pastor, "NO!"
Maybe it will filter down to some of the other dogmatic mega-pastors.
Anon - so far fundraising has absolutely NOT been a problem for Mac at FBC Jax, either personally or for the church.
ReplyDeleteFor his personal wealth, he was able to land a $300,000 piece of property gift for "love and affection" from one of our donors so he could build his million dollar mansion in a gated community. He has been able to get his wife and son on payroll. He lived rent-free for a year in a multi-million dollar ocean-front condo while waiting for said mansion to be built.
On the church fund-raising side: Trey has been quite a fundraiser, as Mac brought Trey up before the church and the pastors in town for the recent pastor's conference to let everyone know that Trey "raised" $100,000 for the conference, which he said was "more than twice Trey's salary". It was so uncomfortable to hear a preacher claim that his son "raised" the money, and in the context of his salary as though maybe his salary was justified by the fund raising, when in fact the glory should go to God moving in the heart's of God's people to give the money, that David Jeremiah had to make a joke about what he said before he preached his sermon.
He was able to raise money for Bibles in Russia, he was able to raise money for increased missions giving...of course we overspent on missions causing us to be underbudget last year. Now he was able to raise the $500k he needed for the school by getting the trustees to say "YES" to just TAKING IT from the church monies. He asked us to pray that God would "unleash the resources", and then unannounced he had the Wed night crowd vote on "loaning" $500k based on an over-inflated pro-forma for the school assuming inflated tuition and very optimistic enrollment numbers.
Now he wants $180,000 to put him on nationwide TV when we don't even have our video/audio services archived on the Internet for 24/7 on-demand viewing.
So problems with fund raising?
Not at all.
Not yet.
I hate to be repetitive..........but has anyone checked to see if the Inspirational Network is available in Jacksonville? I would hate to pay for something we don't get. Check out their sales program on the Internet. I know Mac is looking for a nationwide audience...just be glad theres not life on other planets as that would really want a big donation. Maybe he could have a garage sale to raise money...oh, thats right they don't have garage sales in gated communities. Maybe he could hold a car wash, oh thats right he probably doesn't wash his own cars. Maybe he could hold a bake sale at church but what did Jesus do when he was angry at the money changers making money off the church....right...Jesus turned over the tables and threw them out of the synagogue. Well, I guess its back to you giving him more money. Seriously, I know this is a silly and pitiful attempt at humor about a serious problem, but Mac is really looking ridiculous now. I wonder if his supporters arn't getting a little embarrassed now. Dr Lindsay (both of them) only mentioned money once a year when preaching on tithing. God grew the church into what it was when Mac took it over. I am worried now that spiritually, financially, and even the membership is going backward under our present leadership. If we didn't have money for "extras" when the Lindsays were in charge we didn't proceed until we did. Much was accomplished waiting on the Lord. We prayed, and worked on the Lords' timetable. Neither of the Lindsays brow beat anyone. They loved us and we loved them. I personally don't see that anything is going to get better down there. Mac is in charge and is going to do exactly as he pleases and no one will tell him no or do anything about it. He will keep on keeping on.......the church will eventually go broke or just become totally irrelevant because no one will take them seriously anymore. I have read in Revelation about God removing His Candlestick from the church in the latter days. We are in the church age of Laodicea. The bible says in II Tim 4:2..preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. I see very little longsuffering and doctrine. The bible doesn't mention schools, tv programs starring oneself, books, tapes, functions, or marketing strategies. It says preach the Word. God is perfectly capable of leading and growing the church.. We don't need anything else but a pastor and people humbly sold out to Him. P.S. I just learned on the saving bellevue website that Ms. Rogers has left that church. What a shame....I am so sorry that she has had to leave her church.
ReplyDeleteI have Comcast Digital Cable with all of the regular channels, movie channels, HD, etc. and I do not believe INSP is on here. The reason perhaps that he is on that network is that first off it might be cheaper than some of the others. Secondly, while I don't know this to be fact, if you backtrack INSP's lineage, I believe it comes off the ACTS network which I believe was a more conservative/baptist network. Again, I don't know that for sure so don't quote me, but I seem to remember back in the old Continental Cable days we had the ACTS network, and one day it became INSP.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the problem isn't the money. It isn't the lack of utilizing the website properly either. A lot of people aren't going to watch church messages on the internet. I wouldn't. I have no interest in watching full length programs on my computer, nor do a lot of other people. TV is a tried and true medium that has worked and, most importantly, CONTINUES to work for things such as this.
If I were a member there I would have no problem taking up money to get on a national Christian channel, or even local TV stations in markets around the country other than the very few you have now. My problem is that it would be hard for me to justify giving to it, when you as pastor have de-emphasized the local broadcasts and are not using the equipment you have to it's fullest capabilities.
Why yes I believe that Ashley Collins, the owner of Collins Homebuilders who was featured in a video during Brunson's sermon yesterday (the video highlighted his decision to close the business on Sundays) is the son or maybe grandson of J.D. Collins whose name is on the Brunson deed as the giver of the Deerwood property valued at $275,000. The land was gifted to the Brunsons upon their arrival at Jax back in 2006.
ReplyDeleteI was quite surprised to see our church using its resources to put that video together for a man's business. If Brunson wanted to use them as an example he could have explained it and not given their name.
If the free promo (and its broadcast locally next week on TV) wasn't a quid pro quo for the land gift, it sure looked like one. I'm sure that will drum up some good leads for those fine young men.
Anon March 16 3:51
ReplyDeleteFrom Dallas - Mac raised the money to clear up very old debt when he first came.
We gave more to missions.
We accomplished more than anyone ever really expected by building the new Criswell Center.
Those that whine about the debt do not know how to read a balance sheet. We have a asset worth more than 50MM and have about 10MM in debt. Not including all our other assets.
Mac left First Dallas in a stonger financial situation than when he came.
Also, I tend to agree with alot of others on this blog. If you are this unhappy with your Pastor you should begin to seek another church.
We now have a great Pastor and so does FBCJAX. If you are unhappy please go find a place where you can be happy, you are hurting yourself and your own relationship with God and not glorifying anybody or anything with this approach.
To those that say "If you are un-happy, then find somewhere else to go to church", How many of you would have your Father/Mother-in-law move in with you and later make changes and decisions that are contrary to those you and your spouse have been making, and your in-law and or spouse tell you that if you are now so un-happy why don't you go find another family to join? That is just lame to say that to someone. I don't go to First Baptist JAX, but the one I do attend is doing the same thing you are, we are just about 1 year behind. I have been a menber 47 years and someone from outside tells me go somewhere else! How dare you have that attitude.
ReplyDeleteSAB GA.
What is the truth about this land that I keep hearing about? I don't necessarily believe what I'm reading here from people who have it in for the pastor, but what IS the truth about this so called land deal? Did our church leaders give him a gift when he came was it a gift of a member or just what is it?
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:52 your analogy makes no sense. First of all, the inlaws would be moving into YOUR house (which if you are foolish enough to do that, so be it), therefore they have no right to do anything they don't ask YOU about first. It's YOURS, not theirs! So if it was a problem, they get kicked out, not you...it's YOURS!
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is a lot of the problem. For it is not ANYONE'S house, it's the LORD'S house allegedly. If it is, then let HIM deal with it. If the presiding mentality is it belongs to the membership, then the pastor should not lead, but follow the whims of whatever the popular vote is of the day. However, if he is truly God's man for the job then the congregation should follow his leadership.In any event, shouldn't everyone involved be asking the LORD for his guidance in what they should do since it is allegedly HIS house?
But of course, as one who does not attend, none of those "If's" above are my call.
"Anon March 16 3:51
ReplyDeleteThose that whine about the debt do not know how to read a balance sheet. We have a asset worth more than 50MM and have about 10MM in debt. Not including all our other assets."
That may be fine for First Dallas, but Dr. Lindsey Sr. brought our church out of debt many years ago and we made it church policy to be a debt free church. FBC Jax owns at least a dozen blocks in downtown Jax and there isn't the first note against one of those buildings. If we want to buy or renovate a building or purchase something that isn't in our budget, we set up a specific fund. Not until that fund is fulfilled do we begin a project. As someone who has been a member since birth, I do not want to see some pastor come in and leverage the financial stability of our church for his own personal agenda.
Everyone keep an eye out for a Howard White video since he "pulled the permit/built" the Brunson estate.
To all the wonderful people at FBC Jax...stop reading and writing here. That's exactly what these people want, to stir up mistrust and discontent. This person (and it is just one person) has been identified and talked with by fellow church members, and his Bible fellowship teacher, in accordance with the procedure set forth in scripture. He refuses to see what he is doing as sin. He has tried to "remove" himself from the focus by asking other family members to write for him under his direction. Then he has moved his site out of the area to try to evade scrutiny. He is like a snake, hiding under a rock (in fact similar to his true father in the garden of Eden) Don't reply or write anything here. In fact, I feel that you shouldn't even visit his blog again. Let the lies and slander continue for his own enjoyment. He will answer for it someday. Judgment comes to us all.
ReplyDeleteFrom Dallas again
ReplyDeleteThat's fine, if your church believes in a no debt approach then be no debt. My point was to another writer and many others in the past regarding what a mess Mac left First Dallas in, which he left us in a great financial position considering all the factors. (march 16, 3:51pm)
However that WAS Homer's direction. Mac IS your pastor and God's selected leader. Debt is not evil if used right, a good steward can use debt to buy a house or expand a business. Again, if careful debt to expand God's kingdom is just as healthy.
On the other comment about leaving the church. In Laws and Pastors are two differnt things. God's Man for FBCJax is Mac and if one can not support him they are hurting themselves more than anyone else. This is advice from a church that has been through it already. Learn from us and don't struggle as we have, get behind your new pastor or find one you can get behind.
Anon 1:19 - very interesting post. I'm interested in knowing who you think I am. You certainly have the wrong person based on the facts of your post.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with you - people who find information on this blog hurtful should consider not coming back.
To the wonderful people of FBC Jax - probably this post is from one of the influential deacons or lay leaders of our church posting the Anon note. Look at what they tell you....don't come here and read or write anything - this is in keeping with Brunson's view of the congregation and apparently they have bought into it too - they believe you're we're all too stupid to read and understand and evaluate logical thoughts and discussions about your church on the Internet. Just keep your blinders on, come to church and "listen" to what Mac says, take the bashings, dig deep in your wallet for the school and to put Mac on TV...that's what they want you to do.
This person comes here to call me a snake and of my father the devil...pretty harsh, I don't think we've ever dared to claim anyone in the church leadership is of the devil, yet this person dares to say that about me. That's fine, the Bible speaks of people who dare to cast eternal judgements on people.
I would hope that leaders of our church, if he is indeed a leader of the church, would instead of coming here to encourage church members to not read and think, and instead of coming here to call the blogger a snake and a son of the devil in perhaps an attempt to intimidate them into silence, that instead they might actually share information that might be helpful. Maybe an explanation of the $300,000 land deal to show that it was not just a direct gift to the pastor from one of our donors...maybe there is a logical explanation...but no, they don't want to share that information. They just like to lump everything here as "slander" and not address any of it.
No answers. No information. Just attacks on and assumptions about a person's eternal destiny.
Pretty sad.