Adedoyin Ogunmola

Dear Pastor, please don't be naive in your approach to church finances. You will suffer unnecessarily if you are not intentional about financial administration in your congregation. The fact that Scripture says believers should give willingly does not mean you should never talk about money, never teach financial responsibility, never coordinate giving or simply leave everybody to contribute whenever and however they feel like it. That is not wisdom! Willing giving does not mean unorganised giving. Voluntary giving does not mean a church should operate without financial structure, planning or accountability. Paul instructed the Corinthian believers concerning organised collections in 1 Corinthians 16:1–2. He did not simply assume that because they were Christians, everybody would automatically understand their financial responsibilities without any instruction. As a pastor, you must teach your members about giving. Explain the financial responsibilities of the church. Communicate what needs to be done, how much is needed, how members can participate and when contributions should be made. You can establish a financial contribution system, encourage regular commitments and follow up appropriately without threatening anyone with curses or manipulating them. There is a difference between coordinating people's giving and coercing them into giving. In fact, I see wisdom in having a proper financial record for church members. You can even introduce a contribution card where members voluntarily record or tick their financial contributions, with appropriate confidentiality. Not because people are purchasing God's blessings or because the church should embarrass those who do not give, but because financial accountability and responsible planning matter. And let me address something that many pastors know from experience but may be reluctant to say publicly. There are people who have the financial capacity to support their local church but deliberately refuse to contribute anything. Yet, when they have personal needs, they expect the same church to take full financial responsibility for them. They will not contribute towards the running of the church. They will not participate in supporting its programmes. They will not help carry any financial responsibility. But when they are getting married, they expect the church to sponsor their wedding. When they give birth, they expect the church to bring money, gifts and financial support. When they have celebrations, they expect the church to contribute. When they encounter personal financial difficulties, the church suddenly becomes their first point of contact. My question is simple: from whose contributions do you expect the church to finance all these responsibilities? The money does not fall from heaven! It comes from the sacrifices and generosity of other members who have accepted responsibility for supporting the congregation. And please, I am not talking about members who are genuinely struggling financially. A widow who has nothing, an unemployed member, a struggling family or someone facing genuine hardship should never be treated as less important because they cannot contribute financially.

I think people need to listen carefully to what the pastor is actually saying instead of taking his statements out of context. His argument is simple: Let us even leave the theological debate about Melchizedek, Abraham and Old Testament tithing aside for a moment. A local church is an institution with financial responsibilities, and those responsibilities must be met by the people who constitute that church. There are facilities to maintain, bills to pay, ministers to support and activities to finance. These things require money. Now, if a particular local church decides that its members should contribute 10% of their income towards meeting those responsibilities, what exactly is inherently unbiblical about that arrangement? The New Testament does not prescribe a compulsory 10% tithe for every Christian. However, neither does it prohibit a local congregation from agreeing on a particular percentage as a financial commitment. In fact, 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 demonstrates that organised and systematic giving has biblical precedent. The important distinction is between presenting 10% as a universal divine command and adopting 10% as an agreed financial responsibility within a particular congregation. Of course, such arrangements must respect the biblical principles of willingness, ability and giving without coercion (2 Corinthians 8:12; 9:7). But we must stop treating every discussion about financial commitment in the local church as though it is automatically financial manipulation. If you belong to a local church, you also have a responsibility to contribute towards its sustenance according to your ability. The church does not run on wishes and theological arguments alone.