Honesty...

really is the best policy. My wife and I came clean with our church yesterday, first about our ministry and then about the finances.
Our Ministry is built on us being a team. Yep, we are indeed "one flesh" and we make home decisions, and church decisions together. Now we are not crazy where I call her about what I am going to have for lunch, but we do discuss major decisions together. I love her insight and discernment and her pushing... and I think she likes my logic and my thinking things through BEFORE we jump. We find that we complete each other in most ways but people have a hard time with that. I think it is a sterotype that "men" are the ministers and the "women" are the piano players and pretty arm hangerons... Wow how many ministers are missing out on a great blessing that GOD gave them by not allowing their wives to participate in ministry.
I am the head, the final authority in my home. But I do not "lord" it over my family, I love them like Christ loved the church and am willing to put aside my wants to see them blessed. The same is for the church as well. But when you don't really know, you would think that some strong willed women rule the roost when it is not really so. So we were honest and straighforward with our congregation in how we do ministry. Will some of them not get it? Perhaps, but at least they know.
Now the next thing was by far more hard. Finances, I hate preaching on them, looking at them or talking about them. But the church needed to know that we have been "bankrolling" the church for some time by not taking a full salary so that bills could be paid. Are we starving? No, GOD has provided through other means but we have sacrificed. And we brought that to the churches attention. I am sure some looked at it as a plea for money, others as a building up of oneself. I just wanted them to know that we are looking out for them and doing everything that we can do make this thing work. I figure if they want to talk about us, and face it, it does happen then they can talk about the good things that we are doing instead of the things that we are not. We are well above $10K in the money that the church has not paid us. Wow, what I could do with that kind of money, but I would not have it any other way. GOD knows and I believe that he will bless us with it at a later time when we really need it.
So in all things be open, honest, and transparent, it feels good!