Show Me the Money

[Sherri]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

No stress at all Sheri...

Too many starving, self-sacrificing missionaries to support. Besides, you should have some spiritual sons to support on the field until they become self sufficient. There are too many of the ministry that stand in need. Tithing is for the ministry. It is the IDIOT pastor that thinks it is ALL for him alone. I do not believe that Elder Epley thinks that it is all his alone.

We do support young ministers, struggling churches, missionaries, etc. etc. etc., but from the church budget, not from our personal budget. I just don't like the idea of that much money being filtered through our personal finances. For one thing, I think it would be a huge IRS red flag.

[J-Roc]

Originally Posted by Sherri

Bro. Epley, I understand your stance on the man of God getting all the tithe. But if we did that, we would be making almost a million per year, and I just don't think God intended for us to have that much money from the church we pastor. That's why we are on salary; we get paid well, but not nearly all the tithe. I don't even think I would want to be responsible for that much money from the church. TOO MUCH STRESS!!!

Unfortunately, there are far too many , as the scripture confirms, peddling the Word of God for profit.

Originally Posted by Sherri

We do support young ministers, struggling churches, missionaries, etc. etc. etc., but from the church budget, not from our personal budget. I just don't like the idea of that much money being filtered through our personal finances. For one thing, I think it would be a huge IRS red flag.

Yes, I understand those red flags...been through too many hair pullin' audits m'self.

However, Sherri, Elder Epley is right. The tithe belongs to the ministry. It is not for paying for a new parking lot, adding onto the ss rooms, paying the light bill...which is usually enormous this time of the year, or anything else. It can be shown scripturally that the tithe is holy unto the Lord meant by divine design for the ministry ALONE.

Scratch around somewhere or among some friends and see if you can find Elder M.E. Burr's book entitled, "Tithing and New Testament Government." Good grief! I wish that man was still alive. Never thought I would miss him so much.

[Jehoram]

Originally Posted by J-Roc

Unfortunately, there are far too many , as the scripture confirms, peddling the Word of God for profit.

And most of them are Charismatic and on television.

[J-Roc]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

And most of them are Charismatic and on television.

They're all over, AE...not just charismatic and on TV...

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by Sherri

Bro. Epley, I understand your stance on the man of God getting all the tithe. But if we did that, we would be making almost a million per year, and I just don't think God intended for us to have that much money from the church we pastor. That's why we are on salary; we get paid well, but not nearly all the tithe. I don't even think I would want to be responsible for that much money from the church. TOO MUCH STRESS!!!

Of all the preachers I am associated with NONE of them KEEP all the tithe. Per capita our preachers are the most generous when it comes to missionaries and evangelists and home missions. I am NOT very good at offerings it is just hard for me to take up offerings I have a complex. So most of what gets done is through the tithe. However they are MINE God gave them to me thus I give most back.
But all this talk of sacrificial giving(PHOOEY as Nero Wolfe would say). The folks who talk the most about it do the less. You couldn't operate a church in a chicken coop on what most folks of this mindset give. Missions are you kidding there wouldn't be a missionary in Dallas much less Brazil if you had to depend on their giving it is all posturing.
I would put my PERCENTAGE of giving beside anyone on this forum.

But I do enjoy probably more than I deserve I don't have to have 2 cars though one has 160,000 miles on it and the other has 80,000 miles on it. I could eat bolonia instead of steak. I could buy ALL my clothes at Goodwill(and my wife is a Goodwill and garage sell addict). I just get fed up with arm chair quarterbacks who wouldn't know how to spell sacrifice that constantly indict every preacher who has worked like any other man in their profession and is comfortable. Are some too indulgent? No doubt and God will make them give an account. But I promise their are saints and lay preachers who have NEVER financed a missionary or evangelist or gave til it hurt that live very lavishly.
Again this is NOT the Catholic church and the ministry did NOT take an oath of poverty.
Jealousy is a wicked thing.
The tithe is for the ministry I pay my tithes to the ministry via missionaries-evangelists-home missions. But out of the tithe which is mine I pay most of the bills and am happy to do it.

[Jehoram]

Originally Posted by J-Roc

They're all over, AE...not just charismatic and on TV...

There are only 4200 UPC pastors in North America. What percentage are you suggesting are money hungry thieves?

[SDG]

It's utterly ridiculous and an outright fabrication to insinuate that because some ask
for a biblical God-ordained accounting of the handling of the tithe are in any form or fashion anti-preacher.

I personally have eaten and been clothed by the generosity of some of the hardest-working saints in Pentecost.

What has become apparent is that some modern-day leeching Levites refuse to examine the topic of biblical giving in context to
rest of the Word ... while belittling and slamming any half-brained saint who questions their authority ....and that friends ...
is the crux of the issue.

I've seen and eaten w/ men of God who are Kingdom-minded and not feifdom-obsessed.

I quite frankly refuse not to accept the edicts of carnal men who claim that they hold a monopoly on truth but will only pick and choose
what aspects of truth need to be on the forefront.

For the franchise owners who want to obfuscate ... no matter how you flip it, sautee it, skillet or grill it ... no one
is against giving in abundance to the work of the Kingdom or the man of God ... this is about timeless biblical principles conveniently
ignored about church governance and distribution of the grain in the storehouse. Many criticize the Dolars of the Prosperity movement when they themselves do not realize that they are the pre-cursors to this shameless movement.

Brother Strange, we now have a class of pseudo-ministers among the servants of the Most High ... posing.

P.S. Men died to have the scriptures translated in their vernacular ... for the right to read their own bible ... and the biblical truth of the priesthood of all believers.

[J-Roc]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

And most of them are Charismatic and on television.

Originally Posted by J-Roc

They're all over, AE...not just charismatic and on TV...

We need more Pastors like MOW that have a solid grasp on these financial concepts and their biblical implications.

[Jehoram]

Look, everyone gets it guys. We all agree there should be proper accounting. What more do you want? I refuse to believe that the majority of Oneness preachers are money-hungry and selfish.