Paying people to go to CHURCH?!?! -- Add your own expletive here -- (LOL, OMG, WT...?!?)

What would you say if a local church in your area ran some advertisements around the community saying...

"Need to make some money in this BAD ECONOMY? Come to church and make 50 bucks an hour."

"Happening at City Church's launch September 13th, 20th, or 27th for a chance to be 1 of 50 people to be paid $50 each week, NO STRINGS attached!!"

How would YOU respond to that?

That is EXACTLY what we're hoping to do! Through a string of events, it has become clear that the next "phase" of life for me is to start a new, vibrant church in Central Orange County built on young leaders and GIVING BACK to the community.

A lot of folks might push back on the thought of giving away $50 to go to church, perhaps Christians particularly; but Jesus always gave people a reason to come to him. Many were motivated by his ability to heal, some just wanted to be part of "the buzz" Jesus created. Others were interested in Jesus' food and good wine! Feeding 5,000 people was no small task; and it was a HUGE crowd draw. Turning water into wine at a big party also gave Jesus a reputation as a GREAT host!

The reason we're hoping to do this is not just to draw a big crowd. The reason we are going to try to give away over $15,000 is to GIVE BACK to the community. See, once you are given something, YOU have a responsibility to give back. You have now been entrusted with precious resources.

It's our prayer to see people take the $50 and DO SOMETHING to make a positive difference in another person's life. Jesus didn't JUST feed the 5,000! Jesus blessed people, encouraged them; and he healed them both in word and deed.

In turn, we will use our Sunday morning services as a platform where people can share HOW they took $50 and made a difference in another person's life.

This is about WAY MORE than giving away money. This is about inspiring people to GIVE BACK. This is about the church blessing people in a tangible way. This is about YOU reaching out to someone hurting and making their life a little bit better.

Will people misuse, squander, and waste the money? Will people just show up, take their fifty bucks and never come back? Absolutely.

My response? In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus heals ten people and only ONE of them thanks him for it and shows appreciation. He didn't "un-heal" the other nine just because they weren't thankful.

A gift is a gift. What we DO WITH the gift is what matters.

***I welcome your thoughts on this. Feel free to leave a comment***
More City Church launch details coming soon...

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