Diaconates vs. the Welfare State
When those of us who reject the idea of the welfare state make our case against state-funded wealth-redistribution, someone will say: "What are you doing to help the poor?"
It's a legitimate question, even if asked rhetorically?
Why? Because you can't beat something with nothing.
There will come a day when the welfare state will go belly-up. The USSR did in 1991. China did in 1979. Venezuela is going through it today. Even North Korea will at some point. Welfare states run out of other people's money. Then they collapse.
The unfunded liabilities of the Western welfare states will eventually produce the Great Default. That is the day that people will be serious about finding alternatives.
People who know the welfare state is morally corrupt and also statistically doomed should be testing alternatives. There are small-scale tests going on, but in the United States, the biggest pool of private funding is the churches.
MEGA-CHURCHES
We know from Pareto's 1897 wealth distribution law that about 20% of the churches in any community will have about 80% of the members. These are the leaders.
In 1890, the average Protestant church in America had 90 adult members. In 1776, the average Protestant church had about 75 adult members. Today, it's around 90. Nothing has changed.
Megachurches have at least 1,000 members.
We know that the Pareto law applies to church leadership: 20% of the members do 80% of the work. This cannot be changed. There are programs for changing it, but they cannot change the churches in general. "Don't mess with Pareto."
We know that about 20% of the churches in a community have about 80% of the members.
So, church leadership will come from 4%: 20% of 20%.
These are the churches that should take the lead in designing programs to help people in financial trouble.
This should begin with preaching, but it must be implemented by diaconates. The deacons count the money. If there is going to be economic leadership institutionally, here is where it should begin.
They should be helping people get out of debt in the seven fat years. They will have their hands full in the lean years: recessions. Let us hope the next recession does not last seven years. The one in the 1930's lasted ten.
The West is not ready for this kind of recession. We are told that it cannot happen. Why should we believe this?
NO TRAINING
There is no training for deacons. There should be denominational guidelines: manuals, YouTube presentations, regional seminars, and other training materials. There aren't any. This is why we can be sure that denominations do not take deacons seriously.
This is because they do not take economic crises seriously: in families, businesses, and economies.
When recessions hit, desperate families go to deacons for financial help. This is done as a last resort. These families are facing eviction or something comparable. They don't want others to know.
The deacons don't know what to recommend. They are not trained. They may be having problems in their personal situations.
My goal is to create a training program after I finish my magnum opus on Christian economics. I have targeted this date: summer 2019. Then I will go to work on the diaconate materials.
I think the timing will be right. Two years into the next recession will create demand.
Direct marketers rarely violate this well-known rule: "Buyers will pay for cures, not prevention."
The main price to pay is a change of behavior. Think "diet." People start them after a weight gain, not before.
There will be far greater demand for diaconal training two years into the next recession. If it lasts longer -- I think it will -- demand will keep growing.
I have created this free site: www.DeliveranceFromDebt.com. I will build my training program around that site.
HIDDEN LOCAL PROGRAMS
There may be churches that have programs for helping people who are in a financial jam. Maybe they are online. If they aren't, they should be.
If your congregation has something like this, encourage the deacons to post the details online. They should develop a workbook. They should not hide their lights under a basket. Never forget:
1. We can't beat something with nothing.
2. Something is better than nothing.