50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 636 The Billionaire's Guidance

Upon hearing Father Owen's words, Bishop Wilson's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Sun Zhiwei.

Sun Zhiwei could only nod; it seemed he had no choice but to offer some advice today.

Fortunately, he had studied how temples made money in his previous life, so he was quite clear about the tricks of the trade.

Although churches and temples are different, as long as the established money-making model is followed, and then improvements are made according to the differences between different temples, there will definitely be no problem using it.

That's a classic economic model that generations of highly educated abbots and scenic spot planners have jointly researched and summarized, using various tricks to see through people's hearts.

This model was once applied to 8.5 temples across the country and operated for nearly half a century without any of them losing money.

Now, he only needs to show a little bit of his face to improve the dire financial situation of St. John's Cathedral.

Bishop Wilson was very pleased to see Sun Zhiwei nod. Although he was a devout believer, he was not suited for business and was somewhat at a loss in the face of the current predicament.

Now that I've received guidance from a very wealthy person, I'm sure it will be of some use.

However, a bishop is a bishop; even in trouble, he doesn't lose any of his dignity.

He didn't ask any questions immediately, but instead led Sun Zhiwei and his wife through a door to a small reception room.

This small reception room is located on the top spire of the church, with one wall being a one-way floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

The winter sun shone through the glass into the room, and with the fireplace burning large chunks of wood for warmth, the whole room felt as warm as spring.

The living room is not large, but it is decorated very luxuriously.

The room has a high dome at the top, and the walls are decorated with carved biblical murals. The floor is made of Italian Calacatta marble.

The marble floor is covered with Turkish handmade kirim carpets, and the surrounding furniture is custom-made from the century-old Italian brand Poltrona Frau.

These pieces of furniture are decorated with many luxury porcelain items from Spain.

As the three of them sat down on the cashmere sofa in front of the fireplace, a handcrafted floor clock from the French royal workshop of Sèvres struck 11 o'clock on the hour.

Looking at the luxurious decorations in the room, Sun Zhiwei finally understood why St. John's Cathedral had been under construction for almost 100 years and was still not finished.

If all churches were built to this standard, they would truly be built with mountains of gold and seas of silver.

But then he thought about how the entire dome of the church hall was covered in gold, and he felt relieved.

Their goal is to build the world's most prestigious church. They can wait if they don't have enough money, but they can't lose the overall style.

However, the designers failed to consider many unforeseen factors, which led to the project being repeatedly delayed.

Today, what were once luxuries are now even more expensive, and construction costs continue to rise, which has led to St. John's Cathedral's current predicament.

The three of them had just sat down when a small door opened.

Father Owen entered with several servants and served them a set of antique Chinese porcelain teaware, with a pot of black tea already brewed in the center.

Bishop Wilson poured the first cup of black tea for Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia, while Father Owen took out paper and pen to take notes.

Sun Zhiwei and Bishop Wilson started by chatting casually before gradually getting to the topic of the church.

“I have found that our church currently has only two main sources of income: donations from believers and revenue from tourist tickets.”

"What's wrong with that? Aren't all churches like this?"

"So, that's the problem. Neither of these two sources of income is much, and they're less on ordinary days and more on holidays, isn't that right?" "That's true, but what other sources of income can a church have?"

"In my opinion, there are so many projects that churches can develop, and many of them are in urgent need of believers."

As Sun Zhiwei spoke, he took a sip of tea, a slight smile playing on his lips, radiating confidence. When it came to making money, he was the real expert.

“Mr. James, please teach me.” Father Owen respectfully refilled Sun Zhiwei’s cup with more black tea.

"First of all, we must understand that believers come to church to seek spiritual sustenance."

“Some people have money, and some people don’t. Believers who don’t have money are willing to do volunteer work, while believers who have money may donate more.”

"However, you don't see any positive feedback from donating money."

“They donate money, but they don’t know if their donations are effective. Over time, they will reduce their donations or even refuse to donate.”

"So, how can we improve this situation?" Irving asked while taking notes.

“We need to create a file for each believer, record their various contributions, and convert them into a quantifiable number.”

"For example, we can call it 'contribution level'."

"But piety can't be measured by money, otherwise wouldn't the most pious people all be rich?"

"Of course not. Contributions are not just about donations. They can also include volunteering, attending church activities on time, or even special contributions defined by some churches."

"For example, if you need a trustworthy person to deliver a letter to another person, you can issue the task to the believers."

"A believer will receive one point of 'contribution' upon completing this task."

"For example, a believer who frequently participates in church activities will receive 1 'contribution point' each time."

"He will receive an extra 'contribution' reward for every 10th, 50th, and 100th consecutive time he participates in the activity."

What is the use of this 'contribution score'?

"This is the key point I'm trying to make: churches can classify believers into different levels based on their 'contributions'."

"The higher the rank of the believer, the different treatment they will receive in the church."

"For example, you can sit in the front row during Mass, so you are closer to the Lord."

"For example, when eating communion, one can participate in a meal personally presided over by the bishop in the small dining room."

"for example."

Sun Zhiwei was still giving examples when Father Wilson suddenly interrupted him, saying, "But now I personally preside over every communion."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhiwei shook his head and said, "Excuse my bluntness, Your Excellency, what you are doing is wrong."

"Why? As the cathedral priest, isn't it my duty to preside over Holy Communion for the faithful?"

“Your Excellency, if you were just a priest in a small church, you could certainly do this personally, as it would be a better way to spread the doctrine.”

“But you are the bishop of such a large church as St. John’s Church. Your responsibility is to spread the gospel of the Lord better, not to be a cook.”

(End of this chapter)