“On June 2, 1940, a little girl was born to us.  She cost us money from the moment she was born.  As she grew from babyhood, she cost even more – her dresses and shoes were more expensive, and we had to have the doctor through all those childhood diseases.  She was even more expensive during her school and teen years.  She needed long dresses to go to parties.  When she went to college we discovered along with other parents, that all college expenses were not listed in the catalogue.  Then after graduation, she fell in love and married.  She was married in a church wedding and that, too, cost a lot of money. Then, five months after her marriage, she suddenly sickened and within a week she was dead.  She hasn’t cost us a penny since the day we walked away from the grave.
As long as the church is alive, she will cost money.  And the more alive a church is, the more money she will cost.  Only a dead church, like a dead child, is no longer expensive.  Only a living church costs money.  I’ve told you before about the difference between living churches and dead churches.  Living churches have space problems – parking, nursery, classrooms, etc.  Dead churches don’t have to worry about that – they’ve got lots of unused space.  Living churches are always changing things.  Dead churches don’t – they just stay the same.  In living churches they struggle to learn and remember new names.  In dead churches everybody knows everybody – nobody new has shown up for years.  Living churches have a problem developing leaders.  Dead churches don’t – they use the same ones over and over.  Living churches spend much on missions.  Dead churches keep it all at home.  Living churches are filled with generous givers.  Dead churches…”