What else could have been done with the $40,000?
A small army of Christian men organized the 8th annual Soulstock in Athens, Alabama yesterday. Several thousand people attended the outdoor music festival and funnel cake feeding frenzy for free.
I did not. I attended for $3000.
$3000 paid for a rental van, two tanks of gas, Brian to road manage and book the gig, my manager, three musicians to accompany me, per diem for all of us and a large gift to Uncle Sam. That’s a lot of money.
Add to my fee the cost of the gigantic stage, the rental of the field, the crew running the top-notch sound and lighting rigs, catering, bottled water, the cost of artists pricier than I and a preacher – and well, we estimate the total cost of the event at around $40,000.
This money was donated by local businesses who miraculously came together from different industries, different denominations and churches to fund, imagine and volunteer for this annual event whose purpose is to “convert” people.
Musicians play and a pastor preaches. An alter call is given and prayers of contrition and surrender to Jesus are offered up.
Conversion.
And as I participated in the day’s events I was at the same time applauding and appalled. Applauding the zeal and unity of the men putting together Soulstock for the 8th year running. Applauding the fun and excellent music in the air mingling with the fragrance of french fries and chili dogs. Applauding the feel of family among strangers believing in the same God. Applauding the small crowd coming forward to pray with counselors, “rededicating” their lives to Christ or praying for Him to save them.
Appalled that $40,000 and all this cooperation was poured into a field and a few hours of music and talking because it was believed by local pastors and concert organizers to be the best representation, the most convincing announcement, of the true of the story of Jesus. It best represented God to man – they thought. It would bring about conversion.
The festival was fantastic. Well done. Well intentioned. It was good. But I found myself imagining great. What would great have looked like?
What if…
What if the churches in Athens, Alabama didn’t pay the professionals from Nashville to come in and tell their city, their neighbors, their friends about God in an entertaining way? What if they themselves did the talking with words and actions in a need meeting, mercy showing, peace making, loving way? In a way that let people SEE Jesus and not just HEAR about Him?
What if the churches decided to raise $40,000 to house a clinic offering free medical care three days a week in a shopping strip or church building or house? What if doctors didn’t cook funnel cakes or direct traffic at a concert but donated five hours every month to this clinic? What if business men didn’t buy banners and concert ads but bought vaccinations and sonogram machines and insulin?
What if the $40,000 went to create a job training program aimed at preparing and educating women and men who want a way out of welfare but aren’t qualified currently for jobs that would earn them more than welfare is already paying them? What if child care was provided for single mothers while they received that job training and once they got hired?
What if $40,000 gave a scholarship to a kid who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend college? Or built a home for him to sleep in? Or bought his family’s groceries? Or provided counseling for his fighting parents? Or sent him to another country to tell the story of Jesus?
What if $40,000 was given not to Athens, Alabama but to the Church in the Middle East or to some other needy outpost of God’s army? What if it fed, clothed, educated and taught about Jesus 104 children in a third world country for one year through Compassion International?
I just wonder if event driven “conversion”, as noble as it is and as well as it’s served Western Christianity led by Billy Graham and others for decades, converts souls at the neglect of converting entire persons, families and communities – converts minds perhaps without converting neighborhoods, without transforming hunger into nourishment, poverty into life, sickness into health. And I just wonder if we create these events once in a while where Jesus is put on a stage for those outside the Church to see simply because we’ve forgotten what powerful proof of God’s existence and character our all-converting love, mercy and peace can be to our communities every day.
What would Jesus do with $40,000?
We may never know, but what would you do with it? Pretend you have the check in your hand. What does your city need more right now: a concert and a sermon preached by professionals or something else – something locals could accomplish? Where would you spend the money?
We’ve done good all over the nation. Now, imagine great.
.
From what I’m reading you are back pedaling fast. You DID make remarks about Soulstock and the cost that had to be paid out for you to come and how that money should have been used differently. I do not doubt you love God but you seem to have a misconstrued way of showing it and showing your Christianity. You are all about the weak, meek, poor people but its not about that. God called us to reach out to EVERYONE in whatever means necessary. Music is one avenue. A free event is an excellent avenue. Yes “Athenians” are getting perturbed because your original remarks/blog came off as saying you felt put out by having to pour $$ into your trip to Athens when you feel that money should have gone elsewhere. Be careful with your choice of words next time and you will not have this kind of reaction. As it is you have already put your foot in your mouth (maybe unintentional but its done nonetheless). And from what I understand this isn’t the first time you have said something in the wrong manner…as a Christian you are to reach out and share the gospel but you are also not to lead people astray which is what you seem to be doing (in my opinion gathered from what I have read here and from what I understand you have said at other times).
From my reading your post originally and drawing my thoughts together about what you said it was immediately evident that you thought the festival was good BUT you felt it was ineffective use of time, money, and effort. Others have apparently drawn the same conclusion about your remarks from reading your statements.
I hope you are able to reach others in a good way somehow but maybe you should stick to singing. As it stands I will not be purchasing any CDs of yours or attending any events you will be at simply because I do not feel my money should help support you in any way since I do not agree with a lot of your views.
God Bless and Good luck.
Why do you slam the ones that came to get a blessing from you. Shaun, c’mon man, think. Sure, you have to take money and you have to use it to properly take care of artists who won’t do a concert for free. Do they do this everyday?? No. There are months and months and months of planning and prayer for this. Reaching the world daily should be every Christ followers goal for it is what we are called to do. If this left such a bad taste in your mouth, did you pray and seek God’s will before coming? Because honestly, if you had such a bitter reaction then through discernment, you should have seen that this was “a bad deal”. Something made you do the concert…or did you just feel sorry for those poor Alabama folks?
They believed that bringing you in, would be a special treat for those who believed and that you would reaffirm them. They also believed that they would use this as a mission to reach those in their backyard that might not know Him. So rather than getting some local band that, while can play and do an awesome job, they did go to you, the professional, so that you could offer your wisdom as a missionary in the field of music.
On the subject of money, yeah, it is expensive to put on a good Christian show, but they believed in you enough to warrant it worth the money. I am sure they would have loved to have spent less and yes, feed another organization…or send someone to college, but that takes us to another issue. Why just one? Was Jesus just talking to one? Did He not say that if 2 or more are gathered in my name that I am with them also? A concert reaches more people and can impact them eternally for Christ. Missions.
If you were concerned about the money and how it was appropriated, maybe you should have chosen to donate your cost of the concert back to the organization and specified that it go to something that you designate.
I bet that if they were able to raise that money and all the artists and all the vendors and everyone said they would give of themselves for free, they would probably take that money and put it somewhere else that would do what you outlined. But they raised enough to get the job done.
On Salvation, yes, people need to be saved and saved from everything…sometimes even themselves. How do you do that? Well there are lots of ways. As a musician, you write and you pray and you write and you pray some more. Then you go to the studio and you record and you pray….and as the process goes on you pray more and more and you pray that somehow this round piece of plastic with aluminum foil in it all wrapped up with data in ones and zeros that costs all of 25 cents to make, some how reaches someone and hits them there and brings them to Christ in someway. You may not be able to reach down and personally speak life to millions, but, on that CD, that piece of material, that someone bought for 14.99, you may have just saved someone from dying tonight and maybe, just maybe when SoulStock decided to do a concert that had music and was free, maybe, that was all it needed to be. You made sacrifices, so did they. We all have to follow what Christ asks us to do. Yours was to be a Christian musician; theirs is a yearly Chrisian concert.
How do you want people so sing “Welcome Home” from their heart or just to sing it? And those that have never heard it. Shouldn’t that make an impact? What if you didn’t come to this festival? What if that was the only time someone could have received a blessing and that song was the way to do it? Shaun, its not just words, and you know this
But neither of you are limited to just one just that and that should be understood too.
Post to my post if you want to talk about this by email. I am not here to attack you but from one musician to another, I am here to chat if you want to…
SG said: “Find an alter call given by Jesus in scripture. it isn’t there. Doesn’t mean they’re bad or useless. Just not what was modeled for us by God in the flesh. What he did was heal, feed, forgive, and then preach to the religious to do the same.”
Ok…yes that is true. BUT even Jesus did not go individually to each and every person and share the plan of salvation…His love…with them…He preached to the multitudes! An alter call is a good way to draw those forward who heard, received, and accepted to allow area churches, pastors, counselors the chance to meet those people and talk with them further. They are not left to fend for themselves with no churches following up on them.
To everyone..just remember…its not all about you, doing good, paying off debts (which by the way SG…I have some…why not pay those off for me so I can do better in my life in reaching others?), its not about what charity you support, or even HOW you reach people…whether it be one on one, music, preaching, missions, etc….its about God. Period. GOD. Nuff said.
I have read and re-read your blog as well as the comments under them and keep coming to the same conclusion. You are throwing all Christian concerts into the same catagory with Soulstock. I know each one of these “small army of Christian men” that planned and PRAYED about and brought Soulstock to Athens and I promise you will not find a group of men more dedicated to being in the will of God than they are. I think God’s Word makes it clear that we are not all the same part of the Body. The ones called to start these medical clincs, to buy sonogram machines, to participate in charity/relief programs are doing what God has called them to do. At the same time, the men involved in Soulstock are doing what God has called them to do as a group. Each of these men and their families are VERY involved in other mission efforts, other charity/relief programs through their local church or on an individual basis. The mission statement of Soulstock is “To plant the seed of Jesus Christ in the hearts of our youth and to promote a spirit of unity among all who put their trust in Him” as I believe Soulstock truly does. I guess I’m just a little confused as to how you think this is such a waste of money but yet you continue to make and sell CDs and do concerts. Another fact that you may not be aware of is that all money collected over the amount needed IS donated to ministries. They do not keep money from one year to the next but invest it in ministries that do a lot of the same things you mentioned should be done with the money. There is no way you could know everything that God has done to confirm in the hearts of all involved that they are right where He wants them to be. Until HE tells that small army of Christian men otherwise, I have no doubt that Soulstock will continue to exist. If and when He gets ready for something else to happen, it will. Until then, may God continue to use those men and Soulstock to plant the seed of Jesus Christ in the hearts of our youth and to promote a spirit of unity among all who put their trust in Him. To God be the glory.
Shaun,
I am sorry for all the negativity everyone’s comments have caused in our christian fellowship with each other. I am the wife of one of the men dedicated to this event named Soulstock. I think all these discussions are going down a dangerous path, and we should ALL take a deep breath and start praying for peaceful words and thoughts on the subject. We are only hurting each other at this point, and nothing productive can come from that. I am sure your intention was to provoke prayer and challenge us all to work to carry out God’s will for our lives, and we are getting sidetracked by furthing these debates. I can only say that I, like Nan, know each and every man and person involved, and we all ONLY want to do what glorifies God. I wish you could be told all the miracles we have experienced by being involved in Soulstock. We would all love to share them with you, all you have to do is ask. They are an amazing tribute to GOd and his love for us all! I am sorry this has turned into a bad experience for you. To my knowledge, we have never had that happen before, and I pray it never does again. Let me assure you we will listen to your music and your words of ministry, both now and in the future. We wish you well and hope God continues to use you in every action you take.
The only thing I would like to suggest is maybe before you posted your comments it would have been great to have talked to someone you worked with in Soulstock to let them know you had convictions on your heart about these matters. I think many Athenians were caught off guard and became defensive simply because we had no idea we were going to be caught up in this great debate. Another reason for the defensiveness is because we all love and cherish each other, we pray daily that God will show us what to do to serve him , and if Soulstock is not it, then we don’t want to do it!. Again, I and my husband respect your opinions and we wish your ministry to grow in the Lord. May God bless us all, and use us to further his kingdom by all means necessary.
Dana Pool
“I am simply asking if it is the only way and the best way of doing evangelism. I am provoking us to think about the scope of salvation and how to bring that to our communities as a non-event driven ministry. Obviously I have miscommunicated this. You all, I am assuming, are intelligent people, so the only explanation for this venom now heaped on me is that I’ve earned it by typing unclearly. I apologize for that and hope these answers clarify somewhat for you.”
Well of course you want to find new ways to reach the lost, but you have to bring the Gospel to the People. Sure, why not go the the places that no one goes and reach those people that no one sees, the ones that no one talks to. I agree, I believe if you are a Christian…a True Believer you would never ever give up the opportunity to witness and minister to anyone and everyone who asks for it. You must also watch your motives and check them with what Jesus asks of us. If this were just a money pit that then those are the wrong motives. If we play to just Christians, then we are preaching to the choir and we get that nod of “I know what you mean” but even in that moment, you have to cut into the quick of everyone and ask them to evaluate their life. For me, it is about sharing with everyone.
Is there another way, sure, go for it. As Christians we have to find new ways to reach people. If satan can come out of the darkness in the form of beauty that kills, then we as Christians have to try to come up with ways to first, identify the enemy and then come up with ways to combat satan’s evil.
So sure, yeah, 40 grand would go to any number of things. But for a concert that reached those that just came for a concert and then heard you shake their foundation as you said you were there to do, then, yes the money is justified because, you should have come to do the work you said you would do….
No matter the cost….
Guys we can agree to disagree all day long…many of our responses were generated to do what you were asking…biggest question why…and I think that has been answered. But I think for me, I just wanted to come in and say what Christian Festivals usually are supposed to be for.
Absolutely, people are unscrupulous and many have no morals, and yet, they put on a “Christian Concert” but have no intention of seeing the lost impacted. To those people, don’t put on the event…but even in that, “God uses cracked pots” and he will work in mysterious ways.
So then what do you do? So let’s say that for some unknown reason you are in the same bill as Collective Soul and they say..just do your thing…don’t change…and you have 1:30 for it all. Do you turn that opportunity down, or do you pull out all the stops to reach anyone and everyone? For me, absolutely.
I don’t mean to speak in venom, but I also, like you, want people to dig down and think about what is being said and how does all of this Glorify our Creator?
In all things do everything you can to bring Glory to God…Dig down deeper to ask the questions that you don’t want to ask and fight for everyone that do not know about Christ and then fight all the more for those that do and have strayed….for they are on a darker road than most of those who do not know Him.
Hey! This reminded me of what the Cachinator and I were talking about recently… “Christian Music Day” at Six Flags! Seriously…what sense does THAT make?
I remember my high school days working at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Christian music day was just the same as every other day. Except the girls typically wore less and there were a LOT more obnoxious kids running, screaming, pushing, and making HUGE idiots of themselves.
And what made it really funny is these same kids were usually wearing those “See You At the Pole” and “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter” shirts. What a swell witness!
Shaun,
Since I posted already I want to share a quick comment about the “event” you particapated in. I think it can be good or even very good but the key is what are you doing with these people who have committed or recommitted their lives to Christ and who get excited there.
If there is no funneling to the local churches and follow up with all these individuals most all will be lost.
They need to be followed up with and nourished and gotten to the local churches and have the questions answered and help them in their walk with the Lord.
If they are left to fend for themselve most of them will be back where they where for the most part.
There is a time and a place for these “events” I believe but only if we have away to capture and strengthen these brothers and sisters after the event.
We also always have to look at are hearts and ask What would Jesus do what would he have me do?
There are good things everywhere but are we to do the most vital and important things to brings and keeps souls yearning for Jesus Christ and a relaionship with him.
I love Jesus,
KIM
Shaun,
My name is Kim and I saw you in Shoreview a few weeks ago. I know one thing my church does that I dont know of any other. Not saying any other does not do it I just dont know.
We have a Fast and Testimony Sunday once a month. It is for all the members. It is regarding the law of the Fast that Isaiah talks about and others. If you want scriptual references I will find them.
Reason I bring that up is we fast for 2 meals or about 24 hours and atleast give that amount of money or what we feel led or where we want to be strethced each month as fast offerings. That money goes to the local congreatations first. To help feed those that are needing as in the book of James and others. To help other who might need medical care in seriousness situations or to clothes the naked and help put have a roof safe shelter overhead.
It is managed by allmost all volunteers if not all and if we can we give some to the church overall to help others over all the world who do not have enough to support their own.
I realize there are more important ways to use $40,00 as we help people come to Jesus Christ they will change their disposition and heart and I have seen it as im sure you have become amazing people as Heavenly Father had for them. But this is a great way to be like Jesus and all the more faith in Christ the members have how this can bless over only 2 meals a month. Let alone what it does for the member if they are fasting and prayer and using it to have there most desirious prayers answered and grow in the Lord.
Also as a sidenote it actually has been medical proven it is healthy to cleanse the body like this once a month.
We can can do so much and Jesus knows it and Satan does too. Lets Jesus led us always in His ways!
KIM
40K
So I’d do a concert.
I’d get a local speaker(s) and/or musicians. Ask them to volunteer.
I’d ask the same for equipment, lights, sound, food etc.
Then I’d take the 40K and work with the team that was going to be doing the counseling, I’d pay for their time off of work or any cost they had involved in that as well as the follow up that ensues.
hmmm. check in hand. Honest. I’d pay off debt, so I can afford to offer more than a smile to those in need of only that. I get what you’re saying, Shaun. We get so caught up in our big ideas that we overlook the big need all around us.
Looking at things from heaven’s veiw rather than our earthly perspective will set your head spinning. It’s overwhelming to look at all there is to be done just on a local level.
Right now, I’d love to sell my home and use that to pay off debt. Then I’d use that check to off for a country where people are hungering after our Jesus rather than offended by Him.
Carolyn