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LadyDivine · November 13th, 2007, 05:32 PM

Almost all of these MEGA CHURCH PASTORS teach and PREACH for a PRICE. They teach or preach that for someone to receive anything at all from God, he or she must at least tithe and then give a sacrificial offering of some type.

Conversely if God has used them to send a message which has encouraged or motivated you then you should give a monetary payment to God for feeling emotionally better and then buy my tape or book so you can continue to feel better.

Baloney!

People are bargaining with God paying for a promise and for a spiritual high.

GOD cannot be bought and then when we find out that God cannot be bought then our people become disillusioned with the church as a viable institution in our communities.

The black church like it or not…… is the backbone of our communities.

Collectively Black churches own more “real property” than any conglomerate of black businesses.

It is the only thing that we as a people own.
Television has highlighted these Mega-ministries but the majority of the people go to small to mid size church which is doing good in the hood. Begging only to keep the gas and lights on in the church house.

MY home church has 600 members on the church roll and about 200 each Sunday…
My Pastor has been there 37 years. Worked when he first got to the church for the first 10 years. His wife was an educator and always worked. We have built a new church in his 37 years, built a day-care and after school program. Own all the land surrounding us on both sides of the block. Recently opened 12 unit apartment complex for our Senior citizens. We have a one-church, one-addict program, a food pantry on Saturday mornings and we rotate housing the homeless overnight one night a week with other churches.

We participate in the Angel Tree program which buys Christmas gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated. The kids tell their incarcerated parents what they want for Christmas, our church members donate the items and then we deliver it to the children and tell them it is from their parents. People buy bikes, ipods, Tvs. I know one year somebody bought a family a washer and dryer.

My Pastor lives in a upper middle class neighborhood, wife is retired H.S. principal now. First Lady drives a Mercedes and Pastor drives a Ford Bronco. They both dress nice and I have never seen any excess in 37 years.

My Pastor only begs when we need the extra for a particular project.

Example:

#1 We purchased a vacant house to keep the druggies out and needed $15,000 to have a demolition team come in. The Leadership did not want to use our reserve funds so we on a campaign to raise the money.

#2 We needed money to purchase a van to use to transport the Seniors and the children in the before/after school program back and forth….So we went on another fundraising campaign.

I do not think anybody has a problem with the church raising money to meet a NEED and then seeing that NEED met.

Greed has overshadowed Need.

JMHO……Ministry is about meeting a need!!!

November 13th, 2007, 05:32 PM	#29 (permalink)
LadyDivine Afro Resident LadyDivine is offline Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago (suburbs), IL Posts: 802 Thanks: 115 Thanked 161 Times in 93 Posts Rep Power: 35 Credits: 7,398	Almost all of these MEGA CHURCH PASTORS teach and PREACH for a PRICE. They teach or preach that for someone to receive anything at all from God, he or she must at least tithe and then give a sacrificial offering of some type. Conversely if God has used them to send a message which has encouraged or motivated you then you should give a monetary payment to God for feeling emotionally better and then buy my tape or book so you can continue to feel better. Baloney! People are bargaining with God paying for a promise and for a spiritual high. GOD cannot be bought and then when we find out that God cannot be bought then our people become disillusioned with the church as a viable institution in our communities. The black church like it or not…… is the backbone of our communities. Collectively Black churches own more “real property” than any conglomerate of black businesses. It is the only thing that we as a people own. Television has highlighted these Mega-ministries but the majority of the people go to small to mid size church which is doing good in the hood. Begging only to keep the gas and lights on in the church house. MY home church has 600 members on the church roll and about 200 each Sunday… My Pastor has been there 37 years. Worked when he first got to the church for the first 10 years. His wife was an educator and always worked. We have built a new church in his 37 years, built a day-care and after school program. Own all the land surrounding us on both sides of the block. Recently opened 12 unit apartment complex for our Senior citizens. We have a one-church, one-addict program, a food pantry on Saturday mornings and we rotate housing the homeless overnight one night a week with other churches. We participate in the Angel Tree program which buys Christmas gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated. The kids tell their incarcerated parents what they want for Christmas, our church members donate the items and then we deliver it to the children and tell them it is from their parents. People buy bikes, ipods, Tvs. I know one year somebody bought a family a washer and dryer. My Pastor lives in a upper middle class neighborhood, wife is retired H.S. principal now. First Lady drives a Mercedes and Pastor drives a Ford Bronco. They both dress nice and I have never seen any excess in 37 years. My Pastor only begs when we need the extra for a particular project. Example: #1 We purchased a vacant house to keep the druggies out and needed $15,000 to have a demolition team come in. The Leadership did not want to use our reserve funds so we on a campaign to raise the money. #2 We needed money to purchase a van to use to transport the Seniors and the children in the before/after school program back and forth….So we went on another fundraising campaign. I do not think anybody has a problem with the church raising money to meet a NEED and then seeing that NEED met. Greed has overshadowed Need. JMHO……Ministry is about meeting a need!!! __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.