Why are Christian churches so expensive and extravagant?

Question

Why are many Christian churches so costly to build? Is it not more the way of Christ to give away the money and instead meet in a poorer setting, perhaps somewhere that didn't cost millions of dollars to build and maintain? Aren't greed and pride sins? What good is an extravagantly expensive church?

Answer 1

So they can go "oooh look at how big and important we are doesn't it impress you com on in come on int. Right you are in now you have to hate the gays, be opposed to scientifically proven fact and believe every word I tell you." churches just another way to stop you from noticing you are being brainwashed. Say no to jesus

Answer 2

Throughout history, man's approach to Christianity has varied greatly. While today it is widely accepted that the best way to be a good Christian is through living simply and giving to others, in the past, especially in ostentatious eras such as the Baroque, it was thought that a grand and costly church was the best way to honour God on earth - in essence, building him a palace fit for his divinity. Expensive surroundings and over the top ceremonies also helped revitalize a suffering Catholic Church after the Protestant Revolution. This is why many old churches, especially in Europe, are so expensive. As for new churches - some people just don't understand the inherent hypocrisy of preaching charity in a church that cost more than the GDP of an entire African nation to build.

Answer 3

Our church is held in a law offices building, we have 30 members but we are Strong in the Lord and are praying for our own building.

There is nothing wrong with having a big church providing that the pastor and members don't get too "big for their britches" meaning that they worship the building and not God.

Greed and pride are sins however to prosper in God in not a sing it is when the prosperity of God becomes more important than God THAT'S when it is a sin,

If they can build all these casinos, houses of ill repute, hotels and resorts of party,party,party there should be a place even if it is big and huge where people can go and pray, worship, mediate, come to know Christ because for some people church is the only thing they have.

Answer 4

I agree with you. Fortunately, there are churches that are not so extravagant, and instead, spend their money to help the poor and needy.

The church I have grown up in is a simple church, and I am very proud that my church has always helped people. We have a food pantry, and we make special donations during Communion that is specifically set aside to help anyone who comes to the church with some special need. People in the area always know that my church is a place where they can go if they get into a situation where they need something.

Recently, however, our church has done some renovations. It's not fancy, but it does look nice. I think as long as we continue to have the means to help those who need help, it is ok to spend at least a certain amount of money in making the House of the Lord look nice. But then again, there's ALWAYS people who need help, and no matter what, we cannot afford to help them all. It seems it would be better to spend that money to help even one more person if we could, instead of having a new grand piano. But I guess it is important to have a nice piano so that people can praise God in song in tune, instead of out of tune!

So I guess it is a balance that has to be reached.

If a church is very fancy, then I expect it to also be one of the churches that is helping the poor of the community the most. If they are not, then they have totally misused their money.

Answer 5

I'd point out that in fact many of the most ornate and beautiful churches were BUILT by the poor. Read up on the story of the great cathedral of Liverpool.

And to claim that ecclesiastic beauty harms the poor is particularly offensive to the poor. For the church is God's house. It is the one ornate and beautiful house where all the sinners and all the poor are welcome. Imagine for a minute: a place like St. Peter's in all its magnificence - and yet it is as accessible to a homeless man as it is to Bill Gates.

For many of the poor, it is the only ornate home they will ever know, the only richly appointed place the poor are welcome. And in our miserliness, we feel we need to take this away from them? No - let the poor enjoy the extravagance and majesty of God's house, for the Kingdom is for such as they.

So why are we extravagant about worshipping Jesus? Mary of Bethany understood. And so did Jesus.

*** Mark 14:4-9 ****

There were some who were indignant. "Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been sold for more than three hundred days' wages and the money given to the poor." They were infuriated with her.

Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

Answer 6

Want some more sobering reality...

If the Catholic church were listed on the fortune 500 list, they would rank around 250!

This is what happens when you spend 5 centuries sailing around the world raping and pillaging in the name of god. They have more hard assets, real estate, gold, stocks and bonds than most big businesses. Quite a conundrum for an entity that is supposed to eschew greed and extravagance. This is just another of the many hypocrisies that the sheep who follow these religions ignore.

Answer 7

Have you seen the homes of these television evalgelists?
They are multimillion dollar mansions. They make billions and have whole fleets of jets and cars and limosenes. The Pharasees of Jesus day didn't live so good. That olsteen made 75,million on one big crusade. All of them are on forbes list of 400 richest men in America. Tammy fae baker had a air conditioned dog house that looked like a town house.
They had golf faucets in their mansion of like 12 bedrooms and 6 bathroom little estate home of which they had several.
While they cry to send money to help the poor they are anything but poor. At least with the Church you can say it was to represent God. What does their palaces represent but greed.

Answer 8

According to the bible jesus didn't need churches to worship in. All that wasted money could be spent on other things that would benefit all people.

Most of the churches over here are all but empty for most of the time anyway, and some have been converted into apartments,and other things of good use to the community.

Answer 9

Yeah, and why do priests drive much more expensive cars then we own ourselves?

Churches are expensive because it costs just as much to build new ones as it does to build a mall these days.

Priests have alot to do with it too. They live the good life on us. They don't have to be held accountable either. They drive nice cars, eat out more then we do, they don't have to work except for sundays and funerals and weddings... they should share some of the responsibility for building costs but they don't because we pay for it instead.

I would never become a priest. they cost too much.

Answer 10

This is the reason why I am ashamed to be Catholic. Didn't Jesus say to be modest? Help others? And do you see that in my Church? Shame, I say. I think it was used to manipulate with people, to give them impression of being mighty, powerful, so that people did not question anything, but blindly follow Church representatives. Well, my Church is the nature, there I find my God and in my heart. This does not make me worse Christian, right?