By Olatokunbo Odunuga
As earlier stated giving tithe, i.e. ten percent of income had been in vogue even before I was born and no controversy over it two to three decades ago because there were accountability and church income were not personalised or shrouded in secrecy. It is nowadays that we have young “adventurers” with flamboyant life-styles as pastors or overseers, hood-winking the people, that doubt and suspicion crept in. The overseers of many new generation churches and their wives or some compromised cronies are usually the signatories to the account, so they can utilise the tithes as they wish.
At least, I’m aware that in the Mainland Catholic/Protestant churches- committees of church wardens take account of the total income after every Sunday and weekday services, and keep accurate records and the Bishops, Venerables, Reverends, etc are not generally inclined to “judas” from the “purse” at will. The vicars of such Churches are trained, disciplined and, more often than not, modest ministers. That was why there were no issues or controversy over tithes until the advent of independent denominations and ministries.
Indeed the practice in the first century was that the Apostle or Church planter would appoint elders in each city, as it was then one church in every city-Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5, self-accounting, self-administered, self- propagating, and it was not just one person along with one or two collaborators, but the body of elders, assisted by the deacons who administered the resources of the Church. Many of us may not realise the arithmetical dynamics and the immense temptations associated with tithes, not to mention other money-spinning strategies in some churches.
I told you recently how my uncle, an overseer used to collect up to four or five “offerings” on Sundays. Some contemporary church leaders devise means of meeting the overheads cost of running the Church from the offerings and other voluntary or involuntary contributions. Even when some pastors share with the members their project proposals, often by open-ended appeals, and the people cooperate, I would expect that we borrow a leaf from the examples of Moses, who received only from those whose hearts were willing [ Exodus 35: 5, 21, 22 ] and halt further contributions when the budget targets were attained [ Exodus 36: 5-6 ].
So with the entire tithe afloat and intact, in a church of 1,000 committed members, an indiscrete pastor, if he chooses to, can afford to live large as if he is on the income of at least 10% of 1,000 i.e.100 members of his church. If the average monthly income of the members in a low-medium environment is N100,000, he will have control over N10 million per month apart from other incoming “seeds”. Hence an indiscrete pastor over such a church can afford to buy exotic cars regularly, if automobiles are his own area of interest or build a personal house every quarter if so inclined.
It is mind-boggling to imagine what accrues to the pastor sitting over a mega church of 20,000 in a high brow environment where congregants may earn an average of N300,000 monthly. That overseer sitting on such a mega church may have access to at least ten percent of 20,000 times N300,000, i.e. N600,000,000 monthly. One can see why churches with intimidating names on well-packaged bill-boards are springing up at an alarming rate, especially along places like Lekki corridor, which is even a Plantain Mainland compared with Banana Island.
Now imagine churches of 100,000 members and above. In a place like Abuja, the nest of lawmakers, business monguls and the “big boys” where I learnt such mega Churches are now springing up, such may net monthly tithe in multiple billions of naira. I will not want you to just be amazed, please check my Arithmetics; it’s not rocket science. According to reports that I personally heard relayed on the TV some years back, the highest paid salary earner on the planet ( the broadcaster used the word ‘planet’ ) are the Nigerian legislators, and as analysed in one of our front-line Sunday dailies about eight years ago, each legislator earns four times the salary of an American President, 70 times the salary of a Professor and 40 times the salary of a general, yet their ANNUAL income may be far below 5% of the above MONTHLY income that is at the disposal of such a 100,000-seater Mega Church pastor. Hence the reason why summary of accounts are often communicated in small, still voices!
God had not changed his mind about his loving concern as of old for the poor, the widows, the orphans, the aliens, etc; so in the New Testament, Matthew 25: 35-45 came to town and I expect we realise that the standard of God for the Church Age is everywhere a moral upgrade of the “Thou Shalts” and “Thou Shalt Nots” that thundered from Mount Sinai, though without the intimidating threats. Hence Matthew 5: 20. Extending the charity to aliens indeed reveals the compassionate heart of God even for those outside the Church, so those denominations, after letting the children of the kingdom to first be fed [ Mark 7: 27 ], that practise social services, do well except that the trumpets usually associated with such endeavours should be essentially muted [ Matthew 6: 1-4 ].
Hence, to my understanding, willing and cheerful giving of one’s income, exceeding the righteousness practice of the Scribes and Pharisees, is scriptural. Remember John Wesley was giving 95.2% according to a report I read personally. But for emphasis and implicitly, for emphasis, such “revenues” are to flow directly into the Church account, not to be at the beck and call of the pastor as is the laudable example of typical Catholic/Protestant Churches. Such income of the Churches would consistently meet the genuine needs or necessities including Missions in a recurrent manner, as the Church is primarily not supposed to be a Vault.
In essence, having satisfied the less privileged ones, the bulk of the left-over should meet the demands of Mission. Because “Missions and Mission” is an expenditure, not a revenue generating item, it is not given priority, if at all, by many denominations. Yet it is the heart-beat of God, his final farewell wish before leaving this planet!- Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15,19; Acts 1:8-9. The idea of rainy day, as in other parallels of Proverbs, portrays the wisdom of Solomon, as the ultimate in human philosophy but it is in the physical realm, and not a Christian standpoint.
Life of faith and discipleship essentially has no identification with the idea of rainy day, just as the Vault is a travesty of Matthew 6: 19-21; Luke 12:15. But, alas based on the mood of the New Testament with no direct literal specificity on Tithing, some opportunists among believers become miserly in giving, forgetting that the standard of God in the Church Age is altogether a moral upgrade of the Judaistic obligations and they become oblivious to their responsibility to the Church’s role as a spiritual clearing-house to support the less privileged ones and for Missions and evangelistic endeavours.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t operate on tithing but if one gives thought to the vast resources they expend annually from their freewill contributions on free distribution of their New World Translation Bibles, books, tracts and literatures all over the world in probably about a hundred languages, it will dawn on one that indeed khaki is not leather!
I heard T. B. J. on U-tube that his followers are permitted to use their tithes, i.e.10% of their income, to execute Matthew 25: 35-45. Knowing a little bit about homo sapiens, such will be taken advantage of by some who may henceforth not give at all. A poll was taken in USA many years ago, even before the present decadence; the average giving of the Churches if I recall correctly, fell below half of the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees of old.
I listened with amazement about a year ago where an Abuja-based pastor announced on U-tube to the congregation that he had just divorced his wife but that he had settled her and her children with a house he purchased for her for $1,000,000 in USA. What even amazed me more was that after the announcement, there was no outrage from the members and he just proceeded with the day’s ministration. One can see why, for those privately-owned churches, Malachi 3 :8-10 has become more of a mantra and much more attractive than Luke 12: 15 or Luke 16: 13 and whoever touches it inordinately among the followership touches the apple [ correctly, pupil ] of the pastor’s eye. Hence they cannot but preach prosperity messages more often to justify their larger than life manners of living.
I should not forget to mention that there are basis in scriptures for voluntary and cheerful and liberal giving in cash or in kind from the brethren to the pastors and other ministers of the gospel- 1 Corinthians 9: 7, 11; 2 Corinthians 8: 12, 9: 7. Paul sustained himself from his tent-making (or saddle-making )-Acts 18: 3, 20: 34-35, and occasional direct personalised gifts from the brethren- Philippians 4: 15-16. Imagine a “whole” Paul working : “And because he was of the same trade [with Aquila and Priscilla ], he [Paul ] worked……..” My God! Having expressed the foregoing, there are relative degrees of observable indiscretions and lapses on financial modalities and administration within the body of Christ on a global trend. May we continually pray that the Lord will have mercy while we all take deliberate and decisive steps to flow back into the will of God. Shalom!-CONCLUDED