Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Tx spent over $250,000.00 per month on utilities last year...?

Question

As reported in the most recent issue of Newsweek. They hired a group to help them conserve and become more green...and it saved them $500,000.00 for the year.

So, their utility bill is now only $208,334.00 per month.

Is this good use of one's tithes and offerings?

How many hungry people could be fed for this amount?
How many poor people could be helped?
How many homes could be built for the homeless?
How many unwed Mother's could be helped with this amount of money?
Would Jesus build such a monstrosity of a building complex and spend so much money on maintaining a building? Or would he take donated land and donated buildings from where to preach and give that money to those who needed it most.

How many people could we lead to Jesus, if they were fed, sheltered and helped...but, how many of these "poor" even feel welcomed coming into the doors of a multi-million dollar facility?

Answer 1

I guess some people feel that they are more "blessed" if they attend a fancy church.As for me,if a preacher truly preaches the word of God ,I would go hear him even if it was in a chicken coop.

Answer 2

I dont know about this specific church, so I am gonna answer this as general as I can. You have to think about what you are asking, first off, this was spent on utilities, that is a necessity- to keep the building warm, cool, lights and running water and etc. Second, they did something to help them conserve energy, that is wonderful. Third, do you even know how big the building is? Think about it, if the building is that big it holds a lot of people, meaning a lot of people are being ministered to and taught. How do you know that this church doesnt have a foreign ministry? You ask how many hungry people could be fed this amount- well Jesus asked said in the bible man shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God Matthew 4:4. Jesus also corrected Martha when she complained that Mary was not doing what she thought she should be doing, helping her to tend to food. Jesus told her that Mary choose the better part, and it would not be taken away from her. See you have to understand everyone has a role. One christian body can't do it all, there is so much need out there, we as individuals have to help too. Some churches are more focused on foreign missions, some more on homelessness in their own community. But who is to say what is more important? God has given us each individual roles- and if he spoke to that pastor and told him to build a great building because he would fed many sheep there and it would be a house of refuge so be it. Sounds to me like he is being a good steward by trying to save energy. As a poor person why in the world would you want to walk into a shabby looking building for help? In heaven they are walking on streets of gold. Yes, correct the pavement in heaven is made of gold. The walls will be made of fine jewels. God created us in his image. Everything that has to do with him, ought to look beautiful. If the whitehouse is beautiful why can't the house of God be beautiful? It represents him.

Answer 3

This is a one-sided question. How much money does this Church give to their works programs. Odds are 208,000 is a slight percentage of their offerings.

My church is small, but we still have utility bills to pay and the utilities are one often because there is always SOMETHING going on.....school, classes, counseling sessions, worship, rehearsals, etc. Now multiply that by the ration of that church.

Donated land and buildings aren't that common and location is very important.

What I'm trying to say is: I'm glad they saved money. But a Church that size would probably have folks in it almost 24/7. What does their overall budget look like?

Answer 4

Praise God, someone agrees with me and was able to put into words what I feel when I walk into my church (I'm only there because I'm allowing my husband to be spiritual head and that's where he wants to go).
Our church spends about $50,000 a month on utilities, and I thought that was bad. I couldn't agree with you more about tthese megachurches. I'm not saying the pastors aren't spiritual or don't teach from the Bible, because some do, I just get sick of this mentality that we need our churches to be entertainment centers to draw in the lost. If my husband wouldn't have brought me into this church, I never would have set foot in it. It doesn't seem like a church, but more like a business to me. All the theatrics with the music, and the big Broadway style drama productions at Easter and Christmas to reach the unsaved. Even their Vacation Bible School is so staged it makes me sick. Yes, we have our missions and our outreaches in the cities, but I agree, how much more could we do if we funneled all the operating costs into helping those who need it and just meet in homes or in some lower cost facility.
Oh, I could write a book on my feelings on this, but I know it wouldn't change anything.

Answer 5

Pastor Billy says: this is one question in which I'll come to the defence of the Baptists. You haven't provided a balanced report to come to the conclusion you have. Basically you aren't really looking for answers. What was the total contributions this congregation did make to the poor? Don't you think you should examine that also before posting up here some cheap-*** media newsprint on their electricity bill?

I'm relieved to see the Prestonwood Baptists are examining ways to reduce this expense but to criticise them for building a place of worship makes little sense. People who wish to come together to worship God in a common place have been doing such for centuries. It is part of the fabric of our civilisation get use to it! I would suggest you accumulate more information before assuming these people spend little on the poor, perhaps they do as you assume but you'll have to provide more evidence to convince me, try finding their financial reports and post them .

Answer 6

The mega-church trend reflects a mentality I see in America's Christians these days. Basically, it is, 'If God loves you, you will Prosper and if God hates you, you will be poor'. Where did this attitude come from? I am glad to see you and another answerer who are Christians who are bothered by this. My Dad is too and has said what you have said many times. I agree with you.

Answer 7

Well, good on them for bothering to try and cut down, but the effort would of course be unnecessary if the place didn't exist at all. That kind of obscene ostentation is just one of the many things which turns me away from organised religion.

It's refreshing to see this coming from a Christian, though, good for you. I'll be really worried if I see any one try to defend the flagrantly un-Christlike behaviour of this 'Church' *prepares to look at rest of answers and be really worried*

Answer 8

Some good points were made about not knowing what the church does with the rest of its money and resources, but when it gets to be too showy, I'm less interested. Since I don't know what they do, I cannot judge.

I agree with you, though. My experiences with megachurches (one in particuluar) is that they are too big and too impersonal and almost too focused on themselves and what they can do for those already in their church. I went to one that had a brunch buffet (less food and more money than the buffet restaurant down the street), a coffee place (where one had to buy the coffee and food with prices similar to Starbucks), their own bookstore, which I did not visit, etc. They had a praise band with the modern contemporary church songs of the moment (i.e, Top 40 Christian Radio, for lack of better phrase). Even communion was impersonal. My husband and I did not know this at the time, but we were supposed to pick up a little pre-wrapped cracker and cup of probably grape juice as we entered the sanctuary (which reminded me of a small auditorium). Therefore, we did not go up to the altar to be given the elements as is the practice in the Lutheran Chruch (we're members of the Evengelical Lutheran Church in America), but it was basically do it yourself as the pastor said the Words of Institution. ("In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread... It's the Last Supper account in either First or Second Corinthians; I should know which.) Come to think of it, those little disposable containers do wonders for the environment, too.

As I said, I'm a church member. I'm in church for at least one service every weekend. (I am in a bigger church that offers four services-- One on Saturday evening, which I usually go to because that one always has Communion, and three on Sunday. The first one is traditional, the second contemporary, the third is traditional with some newer stuff thrown in. The Saturday evening service has all new stuff, but follows the "outline" of the traditional service. I don't normally go to the Sunday middle service becuase it's too contemporary for my taste.) Yet, it's personal because members take the time to know people. I have said to people I've gotten friendly with that I feel welcomed there, not because I'm the intern (student) pastor's wife, but becuase I was a new person whom they realized needed to and wanted to fit in. There is a coffee hour between the first and second and second and third services, but people donate goods and the coffee is donated by the church (Equal Exchange coffee that my husband and I even buy) and there is a basket for donations.

Our church, through monetary and physical donations, do do things (do do things? Is that correct grammar?) like work with Habitat for Humanity, clothing drives for the community (I benefitted from that one last month with clothes for the daughter with whom I'm pregnant; I brought stuff [children's pants that I rescued from a Dumpster] over and looked to see, on the off chance, if there were some maternity clothes), donations of school supplies and backpacks last summer for children who needed them. (A member who is a hair dresser offered free hair cuts; Another member who is a nurse offered free health screenings for the kids.)

The active people of the church (those who do more than just show up for a weekly service; Now, I know there are people who want to do more but have family obligations as well, or don't feel comfortable stepping out of their cocoons, I'm talking about those who just feel as though it's their weekly obligation to show up for an hour on Sunday and be done with it for the week) realize that because of the size we are able to do more for others, even if more money comes out of their pockets or they donate more time.

I'm not saying this to toot the church's horn. We are a bigger church and know that becaus of our size we can do more. However, we never lose our focus and for whom we are doing this.

Also, what gets me with seeing some of these oversized churches on TV is the pastors (I use that term loosely) saying that if the people donate money (even more than what they might be able to afford at that time) to their church ministry (nowhere else) then God will doubly, tirplely (okay, I know that's not a real word, but it fits) bless them with material stuff. So what. I have a 2006 Saturn Ion with only 9,000 odd miles on it. What good does that car (or all of my other material dribble) benefit me if I were to die in a car accident? That's not waht it's about.

Yeah, they're too showy for my tastes. Even with my current church, I had to get used to the size, as I spent most of my life in small, rural churches where everybody knew everybody and in one of the churches especially, everybody was related to everybody three or four genrations back. In both churches there were descendants of founding members. I like the smaller, personal feel of a church. It's more of a family. Not a business type thing.

Okay. I'm off my soapbox.

Answer 9

Stop throwing stones/judging and look at the man in the mirror. What have YOU done for the poor?? - that is the only question you need ask.

"For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always." - Jesus