These are interesting days and times. And it is not certain this season will pass soon. It’s probably going to keep mutating until the Day of the Lord Jesus.
And it should not be a shock to discerning folks that the issue of monetisation of the gospel is causing a disquiet in the body of Christ.
Preachers started the fireworks. They were miffed that music ministers are charging for their services. They are not just charging, they are literally putting their burden on churches that invite them to minister in songs.
And then the music ministers wondered why the preachers are crying foul since they too charge for their services. There are cases of some who charge for seminars. Even in the regular church you have to pay for some courses and Bible lectures.
At the end of the day it is a case of the kettle calling the pot black.
This conversation did not just start today. By the way let me commend Mr. Praise Fowowe, the iconic family life strategist who recently organised a webinar on the issue and brought some top church leaders including the chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Yemi Davids to talk on it.
I followed the debate and I think many of those who shared their thoughts on that platform made great sense.
They hit the nail on the head when they reached a consensus that everything boils down to proper discipleship. Davids made a crucial point that the equation for the music ministers and indeed for every purveyor of things that have to do with the gospel has a way of finding their balance.
He said there are places that they will be undervalued and there are places they will be overvalued. He then noted that rather than talk about only the places they are undervalued they should also talk about where they are overvalued.
The Bible indeed makes it clear that those who serve at the altar must live by the altar. And then Paul says a labourer is worthy of his wages. He goes on to warn that we should not muzzle the ox that treads the mill.
So there are sufficient scriptures to support the fact that those who labour in God’s vineyard deserve some form of compensation.
The real crux of the matter is, how will this be done. What mode will it take. Is it by asking or by trusting that God will initiate the process. Is it a crime to ask?
We may never reach a consensus on this. The recent altercation between Apostle Femi Lazarus and Timmy Dakolo has indeed opened a can of worms and it seems to me that at the end of the day, all those who claim to be involved in God’s work cannot escape if God were to deliver judgement.
Think of it, what has God got to do with money? Nothing and absolutely nothing. I am one of those who believe that the way to sanity in the church is to stop any form of formal collection during our regular services.
How do we then run the church?
Let people support as the need arises.
In the first place the rot in the church is because there so much money starched away doing nothing . Mega churches are sitting on billions that are not accounted for which ends up in the hands of thieves in the system.
This idea of don’t come before God empty handed is a fraud and misinterpretation of scriptures. The children of Israel that were addressed in that scripture appeared before God three times in a year. And that was what necessitated that instruction.
Even at that Moses showed good example of how to collect money. In the build up of trying to build the Lord’s temple.
Moses called for an offering and as soon as they had enough money for the project he stopped the collection.
In the New Testament we have two instances of money collection before Jesus went to the cross and after his resurrection.
Jesus made us to know there was temple collection and he took out time to commend the widow who gave her mite. And then we see the believers in the Acts of Apostles giving their all.
The giving was spontaneous and was done generously. Money was collected outside the fellowship time. Paul at a point instructed that the believers should make all the contributions they wanted to make before his arrival.
He also instructed they should set something apart at the beginning of the week.
The beauty of the apostles collections was however that they were directed to the poor among them. it was more of welfare collection and perhaps for other contingencies.
This idea of giving money to God is a fraud. We don’t give God money. We spend money for our upkeep. The money is used here. Are we saying if we don’t worship God we will not spend money?
When people say they need money for evangelism they make it look as if without money their voice will seize or the anointing will dry up. Yes we need money. But at the end of the day 80 percent of the money has to do without our welfare while 20 percent goes to the logistics of evangelism which can also be incurred in our private lives
The music minister and the preacher who charge for their services are looking for money to attend to their basic needs. The pastor who is paid honorarium is being paid so he could take care of his needs.
The whole idea of collecting money is to satisfy our needs. God has nothing to do with it. Do you know what is happening in Iran now? People are seeing the vision of Jesus and are giving their lives to Christ. Nobody is preaching to them . God can do his work without us. It’s a privilege when we are given the opportunity to be co-labourers in his vineyard. We should not abuse it.
That said. No church should make it look like if they don’t have musical band the work of God will be stranded. Every worshiper in a service is a musician. I grew up to know churches where there was no single instrument accompanying worship and we all had great time of fellowship.
We clapped our hands and rejoiced before God. The atmosphere was always electric and filled with love. Today, musical instrument in some cases have drained our spirituality.
And we should not make it look like if a particular man of God has not come to minister in our church people will not be blessed. If every church gathering sits up and does what is right the issue of people charging will thin out.
Why do I need a Tope Alabi for a church event?. Why do we even need a choir band? If you interrogate this matter very well, it will be clear how we have turned the gospel and indeed the church to a theatre house where people go to watch skits and all kinds of things that amuse them. It is no longer about God. It is about ourselves and how we can meet our needs.
Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Community Bible Church captured it succinctly when he said the cinema house and a good number of churches are the same. The only difference according to him is that people pay after they enter the church to be entertained but in the cinema house you pay before you enter.
We have made business out of God’s service. I don’t think God is annoyed with this because the servants of God must flourish in the court of the Lord.
But I think God is annoyed at our indiscretion and hypocrisy.
There are pastors who have made it look as if as soon as funds are collected in the church they are taken straight to the throne of heaven.
I remember listening to Bishop David Abioye saying that he had nothing to do with tithe. He said the tithe goes straight to Jesus. Is that not laughable.
If we look at the issue critically, we are all making merchandise of God. Like I said earlier, I don’t think God is annoyed.
What we should be worried about is the hold of mammon on us. We deserve all the compensation but how do we go about it.? Must I be annoyed that a music minister or a preacher is charging me for the gospel?
I think it is the right of anybody to place a price on his talent and it is the right of another to stay on his lane..I don’t have to invite you for my programme if you charge.
If we all stay on our lanes we won’t have this debate. If you invite a Dakolo and he says pay N10 million. And you go looking for the money to pay him, it’s clear you see value in him and you think his coming will add value to you.
At the end of the day, you have just done business not gospel .A true man of God will not even bother to bring such minister as soon as the person names a price except that God says otherwise.
The way I know it runs is that people who minister are appreciated depending on the resources available and not on the demand of the invited guest. It is a privilege to be invited to minister. Both the invited guest and the host minister should not abuse that privilege.
For instance there are some costs that the church cant run away from. I used to help out with a church magazine. I remember doing the editorial work for this church journal without charge. The church did not think it was wise to pay me for my service. They believed I was doing God’s work. Yet this magazine was sold. Yet, when they go to the printer to print, they have to pay the printer. Can you see the hypocrisy? I did not complain because for me, it was a joy doing it. And I was doing it at my leisure.
But the other way to look at it is that I have done just an article of about 2000 words for a man who paid me as much as six figures. I am not kidding. That is the balancing that Yemi Davids talked about.
You can’t work for God faithfully and not be compensated one way or the other. But we must stop the hypocrisy of making it look as if we are doing God’s work when in actual fact it’s about about our survival.
Apostle Lazarus and indeed all those who preach and charge will now have to explain why they charge for the gift God has given them. We are all wired to profit with the gift of God. But it has to be done with the fear of God.
Money should be put where it belongs. It is not every service we should collect offering. It is really sometimes irritating that every time people step into church they have to pay something.
The offering could be done once in a week and perhaps once in a month. I can put aside something every month as my support for the work of God. When offering plates are displayed indiscriminately during service and people are put under undue pressure to give, the gospel loses its grip. People will think it’s all about money.
There are people who don’t go to church because they can’t stand the shame of not being part of the people who give.
I have not in anyway said money is not needed. We need money. And particularly the money is for our own welfare. God has nothing to do with it.
But then we need some decorum in the way we go about it. When a man brings an outrageous bill for a music service we simply ignore him. It shows he is a hireling and business man. We don’t need to have a sleepless night over such matter.
But what I think is more critical is every church gathering should be content. You don’t need a Tope Alabi to grow your church. The moment you start thinking that by bringing a Tope Alabi your church will grow, its either you are a business man or you think you can help the holy Spirit do his work.
You don’t need an Adeboye in your church to come and preach for God to move. As soon as your minds gravitate to him and you think the growth of your church hangs on him, you are doing enterprise with God’s work.
If God ask you to invite a minister and the minister puts a burden on you, be sure that it was Satan who spoke to you not God. If God is involved he would have prepared the vessel in a way that he will not be a burden.
There are countless people who are doing ministry without stress and without making money an issue. I have attended a number of events organised by Bro Gbile Akanni where offering was not mentioned and we ate in those programmes. We should find out how he does it.
I know Prof Duro Adegboye who has massive camp ground in Offa, Kwara State. Churches come to use the camp for their programmes. There are about 14 different structures in the place including hostel facility for campers.
He does not charge for the use of the place except the users pay maintenance at their own will. This Prof does not run a church. I have lost count of the number of conferences I attend there. I don’t hear undue talk about money.
Unfortunately we are are in the generation of Pastor Korede Komaiya who praises money to the high heavens and who believes Jesus went to the cross because of money issue. We are in an untoward generation where everything is seen in the light of money and no man wants to render service again. It is all about gain.
But let not the hireling pastors look down on the egregious music ministers. They are both in a game of merchandising the anointing. They should spare the church the trouble of their indiscretion.
