Lazarus at the Gate group members in Jamaica Plain, Mass., set budgets in order to live gratefully, spend less, buy justly, and give more. (Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)
A spiritual approach to money
One group’s formula for trying times: Live gratefully, spend less, buy justly, give more.
By Jane Lampman | Staff writer/ February 1, 2009 edition
Mary Knox Merrill/Staff
Gift list: Jasmine Beach-Ferrara identifies her preferences for nonprofits to receive donations from her Bible study group.
Reporter Jane Lampman
In turbulent economic times, the watchwords are usually: Cut back. Live frugally. Hunker down and put money in safe places!
But here in Boston, small groups of churchgoers have been applying a different message to money management. During the past two years, they have studied what the Bible teaches about money and wealth, discussed their personal budgets, and taken concrete steps aimed at four commitments: “Living gratefully, spending less, buying justly, and giving more.”
With gratitude as a foundational principle, the study groups follow a 12-session curriculum called “Lazarus at the Gate,” referring to the challenging gospel story about a rich man who persistently ignored a beggar named Lazarus at his gate (Luke 16). They discuss passages from the Old or New Testaments that consider wealth as a blessing, a potential idol, a resource for meeting needs, and to be justly distributed.
“Right now there are a lot of opportunities to feel fear when thinking about money. But if you start from a place of gratitude and abundance, it radically changes your perspective,” says Rachel Anderson, director of Boston Faith & Justice Network (BFJN), which coordinates the small-group program. “How we choose to spend our money – there are many justice issues there and room for change to steward Earth’s resources better and alleviate poverty.”
Many participants say the experience has been eye-opening and life-changing, as they explore the meaning of economic discipleship.
Each individual decides on ways to live more simply, such as not buying sodas or snacks during the week or selling a car and taking public transportation instead. At the final session, they commit some of the resources saved from new spending habits to charitable organizations they’ve researched and prioritized.
The first group to follow the Lazarus program met once a month for 12 months in 2007.
“It was a fantastic experience. The group of 14 people wound up giving $40,000 to five organizations dealing with poverty around the world,” says Mako Nagasawa, of InterVarsity Campus Ministry. He and Gary Vanderpol, a Boston pastor, initiated the program, and worked with BFJN to offer it to churches in the area.
For Jo Hunter Adams and her husband, Eugene, the small-group experience brought remarkable results in their own lives along with an increased capacity to give.
“Creating our first budget and sharing it with the group really helped us. We didn’t buy anything we didn’t need, and we didn’t eat out,” says Ms. Adams, a public health worker. “We stayed away from ‘lifestyle inflation.’ ”
Instead of moving into a larger apartment as they had planned, Adams and her husband remained where they were.
As a result, the couple managed over the year to reduce the $50,000 they had in student loans to only $3,000. “It was miraculous!” she says.
A step in the process that really opened her eyes, she adds, was checking their financial position in the global economy on the website, globalrichlist.com. After entering their annual income, she learned that they were among the top 0.7 percent in the world. While she had always thought she could give time and energy to good causes but not much money, “now I see I can give a lot of money, actually,” she says.
What she most appreciates, however, is being able to live her Christian values more consistently. “I tended to think that being saved was the most important thing. Now I’m more interested in reflecting God’s love as much as possible,” she says. “And God wants us to be involved in dealing with poverty and justice.”
For most people, discussing budgets is not easy, but the questions aim to be helpful, not judgmental. At High Rock Covenant Church in Arlington, Mass., the experience brought people together. “When we shared budgets, that vulnerability created a real bond,” says Austin Calhoun, director of a church ministry. “Everyone is much closer, and we continue to meet to support each other in this discipline of simplicity.”
Along with Bible study, the Lazarus curriculum guides groups through research on global poverty and development. Participants educate each other about specific organizations active in development, microfinance, and fair trade.
Earlier this month in Jamaica Plain, seven women gathered for Saturday brunch and their 12th meeting to select the groups that would receive their donations in the coming year. After sharing individual progress, each made a pitch.
Two were keen on an agricultural development program, one spoke for a small business initiative in Afghanistan, and others highlighted public-health projects. One was passionate about efforts to get bikes to African women who walk miles each day to gather water for their families.
Reaching consensus on four organizations, the women decided to divide their pledged pot of $6,000 evenly among them. As they joined hands in prayer, group leader Angela Letizia began: “Dear God, Your abundance is clearly felt today, and we are grateful for what You have given us and how You have opened our eyes to the world.”
Each woman will write four checks a month, giving her a chance to pray for those who will receive them, and for sustaining the changes in her own life.
“I think this is reimagining the body of Christ to include both those in rich and poor countries,” Ms. Letizia says in an interview. “Today, when we all have so much information about the world, Lazarus is at our gate, so we can’t pretend that we don’t see him.”
Many involved speak of the way the Lazarus process builds community, enabling each group member to accomplish more than he or she would on their own. For instance, Letizia was giving away 1 or 2 percent of her yearly income though she had thought about giving more.
“Doing it in community lends a different joy and excitement,” she says. “This year is the first time I’ve been able to give 10 percent, and it comes from doing it with others.”
The question for many is whether they can sustain the lifestyle changes and commitments – or build on them. Some groups decide to continue meeting weekly or monthly. A few participants are leading new groups to spread the message. So far, 18 groups have completed the Lazarus program in Boston, and 15 more are getting under way this spring.
The curriculum is available on the Web (click here) to encourage churches in other parts of the country to sponsor groups.
It’s now being used in La Jolla, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo., and perhaps soon in New York, Mr. Nagasawa says. He’s also created an eight-week version for use by college students. The Lazarus program is part of a broader BFJN initiative to encourage people to consider what it might look like to have a “gratitude economy.”
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Comments
2. Olivia | 02.01.09
What a great idea!
The practices of the Lazarus at the Gate group fit neatly with the ideas in a book I’m in the middle of reading now called “MOST GOOD, LEAST HARM: A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE FOR A BETTER WORLD AND MEANINGFUL LIFE” by Zoe Weil, who founded and runs the Institute for Humane Education (www.HumaneEducation.org).
Thanks for writing about this hopeful trend, Jane.
3. Silverlokk | 02.02.09
Minor correction, Ms Jane: the URL’s http://lazarusatthegate.org/, not .com. That aside, great coverage.
5. Shirley Freeman | 02.02.09
This humble group gives praise to God. In remembering the poor, we should also remember the hungry, jobless in our own country. In Charlotte County, where I live, food pantries report running out of food a couple of weeks before their scheduled replenishment due to higher numbers of families applying for assistance. As we are all aware, the numbers of such applicants can only increase in the months ahead. Thank you for your article, and praise God for all who participate in Lazarus at the Gate.
6. Kay Clark | 02.02.09
Usually when I print an article, it is done in two pages. This used four. In an article about “A Spiritual Approach to Money”, this was a blatant waste!
7. N.Walker | 02.02.09
Thanks for news on the Lazarus at the Gate program. I have no connection to it, but I would add that the Crown Financial Ministry’s “Money Matters” is a Bible-based and mainly free program for spiritual understanding of and management of wealth. I caught their radio show years ago and it was the turning point for me financially. No, I didn’t get rich, in fact I eventually declared bankruptcy, but I learned a lot along the way and have a firm foundation for steering through personal economic shoals and accepting the very hard lessons our society must learn until it bows to Reality.
The safety and security of a scripturally-based economy are unbeatable. The Bible, when detached from our worldly expectations, delivers. Anything else is “sinking sand.” Would that our world could realize it. There is a way through and out of materialistic attitudes.
When we look outside our society, we can certainly sympathize with the global struggle for survival, but we also should be aware of its disdain/anger/incomprehension when they see us neck-deep in goods while at the same time we are in such pitiful lack of the spirituality that is their wealth and abundance.
8. Butngog | 02.02.09
My mother taught me that heaven and hell are exactly the same ; both are beautiful and abundant. Except when it comes time to eat; the arms are stiffened and the those in hell cannot get the food in their mouth; those in heaven feed each other.
9. Abbi | 02.02.09
The Lazarus groups are a phenomenal experience. It sounds like a really scary commitment at first, but God will support you in astonishing ways. Its so much easier than you think!
10. Barb Prater | 02.02.09
Really wonderful clarity in practical fellowship! Thanks for the sharing of proven avenues for rudimental, effective, Scriptural guidance in the financial realm. Please continue to follow this trend in your coverage.
11. Uday | 02.02.09
Excellent demonstrative Christianity. This a great example of “making the best use of the money God has given me.” I am sure this will lead to the, “Good steward curicullam” 
Were the money is not mine to decide how to spend it.
Jesus praised the two penny of the widow as well as the seemigly waste of a fortune on the perfume that was put on His feet.
God’s ways are so different and i am sure that God has seen the intent of your heart and will lead you on into a higher level of obedience and wisdom in this regard.
I will like to share a link in this regard - ie the two Gods man tend to serve is the living triune God or Money… http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/articles.php?display=article05
12. Miguel | 02.02.09
I wonder if one of the uses of money shouldn’t be “invest” - invest in the poor, invest in the praise of God by building or beautifying churches, invest in new technologies or companies that will tackle the world’s problems?
13. Larty | 02.02.09
To John Corbett:
Preaching the good news is the great cop out. When you believe that saving souls is your mission, you can keep your wealth to yourself. Isn’t it a better testament to give without strings then, when asked why, explain that Jesus taught us to share. Come with me and learn about him.
14. Lyrazel Brown | 02.04.09
I notice from the photo they are all young. Most probably do not have children. Giving is a wonderful and sustainable practice but one of the more important things is taking care your own self does not end up a Lazarus in a few years. Boston food banks are hard pressed and would have appreciated a 40k donation from the group. Why do so many throw their money at overseas unregulated charities when so many regulated charities, health centers in America need monetary/time donations?
15. Jodi | 02.04.09
I am one of the original members of the first Lazarus at the Gate group and would like to respond to Lyrazel’s comment. Three couples in that original group have children and it IS possibly to live simply and give generously and provide your children with what they need. In fact, it’s a real joy to have your children learn about generosity instead of the automatic “mine” attitude which most of us learn at a very young age. And yes, there are many needs in North America. But from my experience living in very low-income areas in the United States and living abroad (Latin America, Asia) they usually do not compare to the material and physical needs of many places around the world.
16. bill s | 02.05.09
This article makes me think about the founder of Habitat for Humanity, Millard Fuller, who died Monday. Fuller taught me and hundreds of thousands of others (both Christian and not) about “putting faith into action” and the “theology of enough.” Hats off to the Lazarus group who are trying their best to put their faith into action too. Christianity and all faiths need more groups of this type.
Hey Lazarus people, ever considered being foster parents? It is a huge domestic need. Foster kids are living in the margins of our society, and government needs help caring for them.
17. The guy | 02.06.09
Awesome! In response to those who don’t think this group is spreading the gospel, I think you didn’t read the story. This is definitely spreading the gospel. Jesus’s gospel was, “the least among these” and “take care of my sheep.” In fact, He more often said “do not tell anyone about me” to people, like the woman at the well, but continuously challenged us to love each other, and take care of each other like this group is doing. Do not simply preach through words, but through action.
18. Judith | 02.07.09
Thank you for this thought - provoking article. I like especially the first part about living gratefully. As I was out in my car yesterday, I was listening to the news about the economy - sad - on the radio - but looking out the window, I saw the abundance of snow, the beauty of nature and it’s simplicity - and was grateful for that. I wondered if anyone else noticed..
Last winter, a friend was privileged to help a homeless man a little in my town when she came upon him sleeping on a bench in the grocery store entry way with freezing cold hands. She just knew he needed help and asked the clerk if she could bring some gloves out for him to try on and if he wanted them and they fit she would come back and pay them for them. Yes, he did want them and yes, they fit and he was so humbly grateful and yes, she went back and paid for them..grateful for the store’s trust and compassion. Later, when she asked if he wanted something to eat he chose one thing, - an orange - and subsequent times when she met up with him, that was always what he chose, - a fresh orange..and he was so grateful. It was a very good feeling to be able to help someone in such a simple way and to have it mean so much…
20. Lisa | 02.17.09
This group sounds like a really good thing and I commend them for their efforts. I agree that we need to be good stewards of what God has given us.
But I also agree that only through sharing and living the gospel of Jesus Christ will we be able to overcome the poverty in the world.
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” Jacob 2:18,19
21. LInda B | 02.21.09
John Corbett’s and others’ insistence on a very narrow definition of Christianity is both sad and out of date. Forcing a needy person to accept your religious beliefs in order to receive aid is not Christian–it is bullying. I personally rejoice when I see Christians helping others without expectation of anything in return. It is not our place to tell others how to believe, but it is our responsibility to help others in Jesus’ name.
22. Andrea G.-B. | 03.12.09
I am very impressed - thank you for this article. I wonder whether there are already similar groups in Germany? Is there any written material which I could present to the ministers in my parish?
23. Jim Kramer | 03.17.09
I am happy to hear of your group. My wife, Liz and I, have
worked for Menonnite Board of Missions, and for a number of
years lived in a Christian student housing cooperative. We
also have belonged to inner city churches since our time with
the Mennonites, and belong to a church of our denomination,
the Christian Reformed Church. Many Mennonite, Christian Reformed,
and many, many other church missionaries live like you are attempting
to live. We are trying to live like your “Lazarus at the Gate” group,
and do so as a way to be living with heaven as a final end, and as
serving our “risen Lord Jesus”. The 3 cookbooks of the Mennonites
- The More with Less Cookbook, Gathered at the Table, and Simply in
Season are excellent resources. So is the “lifestyle eating” of the
7th Day Adventists. I would love to learn more from your “Lazarus at
the Gate” group. I was sent a large group of Christian Science Monitors
from my Christian Science mother-in-law today, and found your article in
the middle of the pile, in the middle of Febuary 2, 2009 edition. I think
of it as a “God” thing, a miraculous, serendiptious event. I was blessed
by you today. Oh, my mother-in-law is from Arlington, MA, and I have been
to the High Rock Covenant Church mentioned. It was a very nice article to
read, let me reassure you. Thank you again.
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5. Churches and economic hard times: moving beyond fear and into generosity | Civil Religion | STLtoday | 03.02.09
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1. John Corbett | 02.01.09
Where is the support for missionaries to both help the poor and preach the Gospel to them? All I read in this article is poverty and justice. This is supposed to be a Christian concept and yet I can’t find any reference to spreading the Good News of Christ’s redemptive plan. This is truly sad and a commentary on what passes for American Christianity.