Serious question. No offense intended. This is for real self searching.
Please don´t answer with verses, I won´t read them.
Be sincere, you´d only be fooling yourself if you´re not.
2007-08-05 19:34:24 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I once worked for two brothers who professed to be good christians, yet they were the two worst humans I've even met. They were mean, betraying, judgemental, discrimating and demoralizing.
Every year at Christmas they would bring in their pastor to bless our cheap christmas lunch.
I thought it was strange how the pastor was driving a porsche and dressed to kill. I wonder how much money he pockets for himself.
Just another divine message for me to stay away from organized religion.
2007-08-05 19:47:32 · answer #1 · answered by Jerrid 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes he does, because our church has standards set up in place to make sure that there is no financial impropriety. What we do is to elect a person as the church treasurer. The pastor has limited access to finances in the church. Although my pastor is a man of integrity, he is the first to say that he does not want any hint of impropriety so he is very happy to let the treasurer make any financial disbursements.
If it is a large purchase, the treasurer has to get the signature of the pastor as well as herself. That way, we have a system of checks and balances in place. Also our elected church board sees the financial activity on a regular basis and the regular attenders and members get a printout of the financial summary at year's end. That way, we can see how much of the money was used for each area.
And most churches I have attended do the same system. My father was a pastor and long ago, he told me that he would not allow himself ever to have access to the church funds for the same reason. While my dad has always been careful financially, he believes as a minister that a pastor has a responsibility to lead by actions first and then words second.
2007-08-06 02:46:58 · answer #2 · answered by Searcher 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
At my church, we have a finance meeting every few months to go over the church's finances & know where all the money goes. We are given a print out of a summarized version of it, and are given the opportunity to see the detailed version if we so choose. So not only is it my opinion that my pastor makes honest use of the church's money, but I know it for a fact because I have seen the evidence.
2007-08-06 02:57:22 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Our minister is not connected with the allocation of church funds in any official way. We have a business administrator who handles the finances. Each person gets a quarterly report from the business administrator of how much they have given to the church that quarter, so anyone who notices a discrepancy can report it to the church.
We (the congregation) get quarterly budget statements from the church. We get to see how much goes to salaries, operation expenses, etc... If there were any dishonest spending going on it would be noticed rapidly.
Our budget for missions is kept completely separate from the rest of the church's operating budget; it can only be used to support enumerated missions activities or to support missionaries outside the country. This is also given to us in a quarterly budget report, so again any inappropriate spending would be discovered.
2007-08-06 02:52:56 · answer #4 · answered by SDW 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. My pastor is NOT rich by any stretch of the imagination, and most of the funds from our church go to paying our taxes (we're not tax exempt here in Germany), funding missions around the world (including Chernobyl and a mission in Lwowek Slaski, Poland), and helping out people in the community who aren't very well-off. And of course our bills have to be paid as well.
2007-08-06 02:38:36 · answer #5 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, because he does not deal with the money! The church board and the elders concern themselves with the money and decide how to make the best use of it, including paying his salary. Our pastor concentrates on the spiritual and Biblical parts of ministry, like teaching, preaching, prayer and preparation for those aspects of ministry, praying with and for people, home and hospital visitation, funerals, weddings, water baptism, dedication of infants, ministry meetings, service to others, both inside our fellowship and outside of it.
2007-08-06 03:05:23 · answer #6 · answered by trebor namyl hcaeb 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe I can honestly say yes. We receive a monthly report of where all funds are going to. Nothing is hidden. What a lot of people fail to realize is that churches have bills to pay just like anyone else. But there is no evidence of misuse or abuse of funds.
2007-08-06 02:38:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Wiccan, and the clergy I associate make extremely honest use of money they receive for charity. The Wiccan priestesses I've met who've received money for charity usually take it immediately to where it's intended.
2007-08-06 02:42:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes what money is clected for cahrity certainly goes to it.
2007-08-06 02:37:39 · answer #9 · answered by Mim 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Where are you going with these questions?
2007-08-06 02:38:56 · answer #10 · answered by frosty 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋