Megachurches: spreading the word or straight pimpin?

[KMTSista]

Originally Posted by Nyela

Well. I'm one of those who realize it takes finances to keep a church, mosque, synagogue or even a teepee going. There are needs that someone has to contribute to...electricity, water, phone, supplies and such. That being the case, it's absolutely despicable when the purpose of a religious organization becomes raising money moreso than meeting the needs of the less fortunate.

that I can understand electricity, phone, etc, but what does having your own personal jet, expensive cars, jewelry etc have to do with that? I use to be a member of a mega church and the minister used the majority of the money on himself. That's why he's now living like a fake a** retired MC Hammer

[KMTSista]

Originally Posted by DBlack

Well, the Congress is starting to ask questions. Go to any Mega Church on Sundays and you will see the offering basket get passed around more than prayers.

BlingMasters Eddie Long and Creflo Dollah-bill have expressed verbal opposition to the Government's financial inquiry into their purses and operations.

Now, before Bush Administration came into office, I would have been dead against this. But now, seeing that neoconservatism has hijacked religion and allowed taxpayer dollars to support faith-based initiatives, I am now in favor of the inquiry.

I'm curious as to why these churches:

• Need mega churches the size of basketball stadiums
• Are now allowed to influence the political process when constitution clearly supports separation of church and state.
• Need corporate leer and gulfstream jets
• Need Yachts and millionaire toys
• Need 5,000 dollar suits, diamonds and bling when a robe will do.
• Need 3 worship sessions a day; all brining in untold amount of money from the poorest of the congregation.
• Need software to monitor the financial compliance of church members.
• Need to hide their financial earnings and expenses from their own congregation. No one knows what they make and what they are doing with it, except the banks.

The biggest question for me is: Are they paying their 10% of income to do god's work? And what are they doing with the remaining 90%?

From my own personal experience with a former mega church in DC, I can testify that they aren't spending the 90% on anything in regards to the people nor spirituality. This minister payed for the "electricity", but pocketed the rest. This fool was suppose to be building a bigger church but decided to take years of funds to buy his own personal jet, had an expensive car and then some and wound up losing the church in mid-construction.

[DBlack]

....ATM's in the church!? Next they'll have pay-for-prayer booths.

....A Dayum Shame!

[MzKwietStorm]

A guy I used to date attended a church that would have "mega" status here in South Carolina. During one of the church services the pastor stated that they if the you gave them your account number and info, they would draft your account for the monthly tithes, offering etc. When I heard that, all I could do was laugh. It just striked me as the funniest thing because, in all my years of attending church services, I'd never heard anything like this. Needless to say, we didn't last because he LOVES his church and to this day that pastor is flaunting his wifes brand new red Mercedes and all the new stuff he just got for his brand new home. I've never been a big fan of going to church and I've come to a realization that I can worship at home with no problem. It takes too much time to sift through all the black churches to find out which one is legitimate IMO.

[KMTSista]

Originally Posted by MzKwietStorm

A guy I used to date attended a church that would have "mega" status here in South Carolina. During one of the church services the pastor stated that they if the you gave them your account number and info, they would draft your account for the monthly tithes, offering etc. When I heard that, all I could do was laugh. It just striked me as the funniest thing because, in all my years of attending church services, I'd never heard anything like this. Needless to say, we didn't last because he LOVES his church and to this day that pastor is flaunting his wifes brand new red Mercedes and all the new stuff he just got for his brand new home. I've never been a big fan of going to church and I've come to a realization that I can worship at home with no problem. It takes too much time to sift through all the black churches to find out which one is legitimate IMO.

hold up, are you serious?!


I had to rub my eyes and read that three times before it sank in LOL

[MzKwietStorm]

Originally Posted by KMTSista

hold up, are you serious?!

About which part LOL? All of that is true. His mom still goes to that church to this day. He's recently left.

[Istlota]

Originally Posted by Lediamand

Yeah the churches its more like a an auction site nowadays many Pastors stand in the altar calling people down wiht certain amount of money. It's a real shame but then again these people been part of the Church community since the beginning.

The Pastors are a big part of the problem, but it ain't just them. Nobody is putting a gun to the congregation's head and making them pour millions of dollars into these church's coffers. Some people in the congregation are just ignorant due to their refusal to study what Jesus says in that bible they carry under their arm every Sunday. But, others enjoy the social status of being able to brag about "my church" that sits on two city blocks and "my Pastor" who is on TV every Sunday morning [an hour of TV broadcast time is incredibly expensive].

Back when I was a teenager, and my dad was still around in this life, I pointed out to him what Jesus taught in Matthew 6:3 and then asked him why the church he pastored printed people's names, and how much they were tithing, in the Sunday morning bulletins. He said the board and he tried not doing it once, but found that people gave more money if they knew they would publicly get credit for it. So, they went back to publishing names and amounts.

Note that the sins being committed involved a joint venture between the pastor, the board, and the congregation.

[aries323]

In one of the church services I attended the pastor made a statement that the tithes were getting low and that he was going to start circulating a list of members who had not tithed, which I totally don't agree with. People have situations in their life where they may not be able to tithe everytime, and that should be a personal issue between that person and God. I generally enjoy hearing this particular pastor preach but I thought that his comment about calling people out was very tacky.

[LadyDivine]

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!!!

[jimihaze]

It is not just he blacks that have mega churches. creflo dollar started out with and I think he is still with kenneth copeland who has a couple of mega churches under his belt. creflo is a disciple(if you will) of copeland. also joel olsten,benny hin, rod parsley the list goes on and on. creflo and the rest cannot touch these guys or we can not forget billy graham and that whole outfit. If the government starts asking questions they need to start at the top with the likes of all of those heading up tbn and pat roberts billy graham and oral roberts and then work there way down. Start with the really big money first I say.