I participate in a lot of crowdfunded projects. My financial contribution, along with hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other people’s makes it possible for a creator (or a team of creators) to produce something amazing. That’s my hope at least. 

On Patreon, I give a certain amount of money every month to a creator who makes really great infographics. It isn’t enough to pay this creator’s utility bills and rent, but my contribution combined with a lot of other people’s makes it possible for this creator to keep spending time and energy producing something we all value.

There are even different “tiers” of patronage. I could give a little bit and get pdfs I can print on my own or advance glimpses at a piece of art. Or I could give more and get physical things in the mail. A part of my decision is about what I will get in return. A part of my decision is about how much I have at my disposal to realistically commit to providing every month. And a part of my decision is how much I value what I’ve already received from this creator. I trust that whatever tier of patronage I decide for myself, other people will contribute appropriate amounts to continue to sustain this creator’s efforts. 

I belong to another group that is a different kind of crowdsourcing. There’s a little bit of financial expense, but the group isn’t pooling resources to fund a specific creator. Instead, the group is creating something all together. Every person in the group makes a creative contribution, and the end result isn’t any one person’s creation—it’s the result of collective intention. A story that isn’t scripted by a single author, but by every person involved. 

It takes a little more mindfulness. I don’t just pay a certain amount of money and wait to receive my product from a creator. I’m literally one of the creators. I have to pay attention to what other people are contributing so that my creative efforts move things in a common direction. 

Membership in a congregation is an even different kind of crowdsourcing. On the one hand, it’s kind of like a Patreon system where every person provides funding at the level that makes sense to them, and everyone’s resources all together create a sustainable budget for the year ahead. It’s different from Patreon, though, because congregation members don’t just pay a certain amount and get different benefits as a result. 

Your pledge isn’t advance rental of space for a family gathering, although you can certainly use the church space for a personal event. It doesn’t matter how much your pledge is. Every member gets the same equitable access to the community’s space. Just like every member gets a single voice in decision making. You don’t get a different amount of voices (or a different volume of voice) because of your pledge level. A financial contribution doesn’t entitle us to anything—it’s a commitment to something greater than ourselves. A pledge is an expression of care.

We trust that everyone contributes more than financial resources, though. Maybe a person serves in a leadership capacity. Maybe a person offers some kind of service to help sustain the congregation or our shared space. Maybe a person volunteers to facilitate courses or small groups that contribute to the spiritual depth of the congregation. We do lots and lots of things that go beyond the monetary resources necessary for the church to thrive. 

Congregations are crowdsourced. When we embrace what it means to be co-creators, we find sustainable and nourishing ways to contribute, and we open gracious space for others to contribute at whatever their capacity may be. And together, we define what we create with and for one another.     

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