An Unmoveable Feast

The other day I had a conversation that punched me in the gut some. I say it's an "unmoveable feast" because Hemmingway's book, A Moveable Feast, was basically about a time of life when things were as they should be, life was what it was meant to be. Now, things are different. For all of us.

This blog is basically about watching me go through life as we launch a new ministry in a full-time fashion. So, it's important to me to be very blunt and transparent with you on things I deal with. And I hope I've done that.

Back to my conversation. Basically, I "heard it through the grapevine" that this guy had said that Outdoor Ministry Network was "all about the money" - and that we were "unwilling to help him out."

Now that's surprising. For many reasons.

First, the guy in question asked me if our ministry could help out his cause. I told him that our demographic for what we do for churches probably wouldn't be able to help him in what he was attempting to do in a specific ministry niche. However, there were two specific ways I did think we could help him out.

One was to produce a video for him, which, by the way, he said he'd been thinking about.
Two was to give leadership coaching for his leaders, which he said he wanted.

Now comes the kicker ... I can't do it for free. And I think that is where the rub came. I am sure the guy didn't expect us to do it for free, but that's the feeling I had ... that we should donate.

Let me tell you something about the words "Free" and "Donation"

* Free is a myth. Somebody had to pay for it.
* Donations will kill you. You cannot stay alive if you always give out and never take in. Should you donate, yes, but you cannot stay alive if you donated every time someone asks you to.

Why do we charge for our ministry resources?

Well now ... it ain't rocket science is it?

If you can tell me how we can operate a ministry on the national level we do, and pay full-time staff, as well as feed my family ... without money ... then brotha', I'm all ears!!!

I'd love that ministry model ... but I can tell you right now it never has nor ever will exist.

(FYI: churches can't even do that)

I cannot for the life of me figure out why there are some people that cannot understand this. There is nothing wrong with making money when:

1 - your motives are pure
2 - the money you make goes to further the cause

See, OMN is a "for profit" venture.

Reason being ... we cannot qualify as a Non-Profit because we actually sell things: like dvds, hunting packages/retreats, turkey calls, caps, books, conferences, etc.

And if we tried to get a 501 status, we'd be highly suspect in the IRS' eyes.

So I guess I'm just frustrated. Frustrated because every now and then I hear this hint of "righteous" judgement coming from a few folks who somehow expect me to be Superman.

They are not bad people. Just short sighted.