Cost vs. Value

It was one of those statements that was written in a derogatory way, but it jumped off the page at me. I was reading an autobiography, and the writer was talking about a nemesis who made what he considered to be terrible decisions.

His reasoning was that the man knew all the spreadsheets and financial calculations, but he was never with the people to hear their stories and to understand how all these figures and facts worked themselves out. But the way he worded it is what made it stand out to me.

The statement was this: “He knew the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.”

I just wondered how often that can be true of me.

I am a detail-oriented guy. I live by the clock and the calendar. I’m one of those nerds who actually enjoys making things like organizational charts and who will type up a multi-page proposal to present to the elders about a new program idea, instead of just sitting around and “workshopping” the idea. It’s just the way my mind works.

And I want to know every detail when I do these things. What I can’t figure out will drive me nuts!

Having admitted that, though, I wonder if I ever think about the why in all these charts and figures. Who are these things trying to help? How will this benefit people in their walk with Christ? Will this touch lives, or will it just check something off the list as “done?”

In other words, what is the value of this?

How would this play out? Here are a few areas it might help.

When a congregation is planning an event like Vacation Bible School or a Gospel Meeting, there needs to be someone who can figure costs and areas of service. But before any of that occurs, there needs to be another question answered: Why are we doing this? What is the purpose of our VBS or our Gospel Meeting? How will this touch lives and impact them for eternity?

When a family is thinking about putting their child in another sport or activity, often the only question is “how much will this cost?” But should there not be some other, very important questions asked? Will this impact the amount of time a family can spend together? Is this going to take away–or severely reduce–time spent in family devotionals? Is this adding important value, or is it just something to fill more time?

When elders are working on a congregational budget, do they just look at the bottom line and see that all the money is going “somewhere,” or do they ask how the money is impacting souls? It might mean that a program is discontinued, or that some other difficult conversations have to take place. But the value is what matters; not the cost.

And on and on we could go.

As I said, I am a detail guy, so this is a difficult article to write for someone like me! But, no matter what I am doing, I need to step back from all the details and see more than just the costs (the facts, figures, and charts) and see souls. After all, they are of infinite value, and they are what matter in the end.

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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn