~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: I am having a little trouble understanding money in the church. I believe in tithing 10% of our total income. But,what if the Pastor tells us to give more. For instance,"if you give more, God will bless you more, by your faith in him". Your subject on Pillow Prophets hit me hard. I have been handed papers to join a church. I have not filled them out, because some of the questions they ask don't sit right with. One of these questions ask us if it is ok to to a credit check on us. This just doesn't sound right. Why would the church need to check on my credit, (not that there is anything wrong with it). They also want to check on our health records, Police records, former church, etc. And they ask for financial support. I am a little confused about these matters. I had always thought that to become a member of a church, all you had to do, was to give your name and address, and to LOVE THE LORD! And we LOVE THE LORD!Can you shed some light on this subject?
Answer: It is true that the more we give to God the more He will bless us. I am pleased that you are obedient in the giving of your tithe to the Lord. Anything you give above and beyond that is your gift to God, and you can never out-give God.
Concerning the requirements to become a member of the church you have been attending, I must admit that the things you stated appear to be a little much. Without knowing the details as to why you would be required to grant access to those personal files, I cannot answer as to the purpose of these requirements.
I am not one to encourage being a "member" of any given church just for the sake of having your name on a church roll. However it may be necessary in these days for church organizations to know more about their members than was necessary a few decades ago, due to the legal process of defending themselves in the rare case that the member could reflect an ill name on the organization as a whole if they were indicted with a crime of any nature. An example might include anything from a member filing bankruptcy to being caught in something as heinous as child molestation.
These specific items have been concerns of liability for church organizations in the past couple decades and could generate concern resulting in the church being more cautious as to who should be permitted into the relationship of membership within that church body.
If your church is a Bible believing, Bible teaching and Bible living church, and you feel comfortable attending there, then there should be no cause for alarm. However, if you feel that they are overstepping their bounds, then it would seem that no one is forcing you to join against your will... Find you a Bible believing, Bible teaching and Bible living church you can attend, and join and support it with your might.
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