does god need your donations or is it the preachers who live better than most that need them?

Question

I wouldn't think that god would require anyone to give a percentage of your salary to anyone not in need. I've always heard growing up that church is in the heart. so why does one need to have this physical place of worship in order to be fulfilled?

Answer 1

God doesn't need your donations, but apparently some preachers have dogs that need air conditioned dog houses! Send your money elsewhere such as a local charity that helps the homeless or an abused women's shelter. It will be put to better use!

Answer 2

Where we attend church, are two preachers. One was growing older and wanted some time off so we hired another preacher to have the sunday morning service and he has the Sunday evening service. There is no requirement that the church services be in a building owned by the church but we have one and it is kept in decent shape by our members. The preachers that we have are paid very little as are most of the preachers that I know. The offerring according to the New Testament is to be given on the first day of the week and that money is earmaked for certain things. Most of our money is used to support preachers in other areas. We believe that it is important that those preachers are spreading the GOOD NEWS as CHRIST wants us to do. The giving is specified in the books of Timothy if you are interested in reading about it. We are NOT requiree to tithe according to the New Testament. Tithing was a jewish requirement not a Christian requirement. GOD does want for us to boost one another up. This is difficult to do if we are not attending a church with other Christians. I hope that this answers what you asked. Have a great week.

Answer 3

I really feel sorrow for you and the cyber name you have chosen.

A church is just a building. The people in them are just people.
Nothing can help you unless you have faith and practice it.

The Bibles' tell you to tithe. Those that are faithful in their beliefs consider it burn insurance. It is a commandment that is not in the Ten Commandments. It is practiced world wide.

I will agree that many that consider themselves the leader of a church, have found a way to pad their pockets with "gold." Even the air conditioned dog house is appalling, with the fake tears, wigs, suits, cars, etc. But there are churches that contribute a majority into the community, relief efforts, and programs for those in need.

I only know of one church that no one gets paid for anything. All tithing goes to help build the church and help others, around the world and here in the states. I believe it is the Mormons. They are always on the front line for disaster aid. And they never stand on the soap box telling people how great they are at giving aid.

So lighten up! Not all is what you see. The news agencies, if you haven't noticed, live for bad things that have happened. It is seldom they ever show something that has helped the people, community, state, or world. Like the dog house!

Answer 4

I agree that tithing (giving 10% of your salary) to the church is a ridiculous thing, especially if you are someone who is not in the position to do so; however, giving what you can is a good thing. You may not know what missions or charities need the most help and in giving to the church you put your trust in the church to get the funding where it is most needed. Unfortunately in many churches this lines the pockets of greedy preachers who are not putting that money to good use and it makes people wary of giving and gives most churches a bad name. In my area there is a preacher who lives in a million dollar home surrounded by trailers and its sad, not only does he look like the devil for essentially stealing from his parishoners but they look like fools. I also agree that church is in the heart, and if that is how you feel then give to the charities you deem fit. A lot of people like to come together in thier believes and have a community of faith. But if thats not how you feel don't attend, I don't think God judges you on how many Sundays you spent in a church.

Answer 5

God requires people to give to the Lord's WORK, not Him. Besides, many churches have difficulty keep the lights on and paying their bills.

As to "church is in the heart," that is man's wisdom, and contrary to the Bible.

Here are a couple of pertinent verses: "Give, and it will be given to you. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, you will be measured." (Luke 6:38)

And

"In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who proclaim the gospel should make their living from the gospel." (I Corinthians 9:14)

For church attendance (and not in the heart, but in person): "And let us continue to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day coming nearer." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Answer 6

I don't think God needs our donations, but God needs to see who is truly full of good intentions and who is truly full of evil. Giving donations just shows God that there are kind people in the world, who are selfless and would offer their hard earned money to those in need. I think a physical place of worship in order to be fulfilled is a creation of society, something created to make our lives easier, and a place where everyone comes together to find God. That is what a place of worship is basically, Gods home.Even though Gods home should be in your heart.

Answer 7

Our pastor spends hours meeting the needs of our congregation, he also has a job. If he did not have one, it would be because the congregation required him to be full time. To give that much time requires a paycheck. Most congregations have deacons or elders who meet and are accountable for how the money is spent. Therefore a portion goes to support the minister they reley on constantly.

If you KNEW the Bible, it tells us to support our ministers - we are always needing them and they usually are tirelessly working to councel, work on community projects and care for their congregation.We call on them constantly.
We are all so happy to have a good building to meet in, but do you not consider the MORTGAGE and the UTILITIES and the MATERIAL for teaching has to be paid for somehow.
The Bible is very clear on why we should give,we should not just show up in the building we do not support and eat at the meals we do not pay for and smile and act like we are part of the many ministries that are supported by most churches then sit on our money when there is so much God asks us to support.
I think you should see what most real churches are involved in instead of basing your judgement on a few bad ones that get a lot of publicity.
the Bible says: do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.....
There is a reason for it, no man is an island and we all need accountability - not to keep us on the right track only ( we tend to sometimes get off track, it is good to have someone to help us put things into the right perspective), we need to be uplifted and comforted, we need good people to come along side us for support in times of sorrow as well as rejoice with us in times of happiness.
P.S. I have found God ALWAYS blesses my finances when I give. He said he would in His word. Sorry you have run up on preachers who teach on it too much, but I think it is part of the word and should be taught every so often, we tend to be uncomfortable with teachings the require us to give something. Part of the selfish nature I guess.

Answer 8

God doesnt need money, but the church does..the Catholic Church owns the largest private collection of art anywhere in the world, and that aint cheap. Also, paying off all those child-abuse cases is expensive.

A church was supposed to simply be a place for like-minded people to gather together and worship, and its turned into a statement of wealth. Im a carpenter by trade, and we just fuinished building a 6 *million* dollar church. In the church's newsletter, it reminded people to "use only pre-approved donation envelopes to make collections easier"..

Remember: God created Man, Man created religion.

Answer 9

The good thing about faith is that it is free. For a church to make people feel that they have to give 10% of their salary to support the church, to me, is absurd. As you said, the Priests drive Caddy's...the churches are huge beautiful stone buildings with slate roofs (at least in my neck of the woods). Is all this necassary? Of course not...Faith is free and a bible is $1.50 at the Salvation Army/Goodwill. They guilt people into charity that is like preying on the weak. And in many cases, these people can't even afford a good retirement but feel it necassary to support a church through donations before taking care of their own finances. Truely predatory!

Answer 10

G-d requires obedience....it is a time to prove your faith in G-d over your greed....and the Bible is clear on the blessings and curses associated with giving or failing to give. If the pastor is unrighteous with it, I trust the L-rd to deal with him. The Bible is clear that leaders will be judged with a firmer standard tha others.

If having kids is love from the heart, why is there hospitals? LOL

People of G-d want a place to fellowship with each other! DOn't you like to do things with friends? Isnt it nice to have a place to go and do it? What about paintball? The world could live without it, it is all for profit.....