I am of the opinion that when you walk out of church and you are stepping over homeless people on your way to your car, something is terribly wrong with that picture. When people are meeting you with signs that ask you for spare change as you walk out the church door, something is wrong with this scene. I am also of the opinion that Black Mega Churches are more about feeding the egos & pockets of Pastors, their friends, their families, their mistresses & their boyfriends.... than feeding those in the nearby communities. Let me give you a little background. I use to belong to an Atlanta suburban based "mega church" lead by a Pastor who certainly lives up to his last name; as he is truly making the dollars! Let me just say, I was all for the message of prosperity and I put my money where my worship is! I still respect my old Pastor, but you have to ask, "where does all the money go?"
With all of the rumors swirling about Pastors expecting members to produce W-2 forms to make sure they are truly tithing 10%, I think it's time for the Pastor to show the church their W-2. Fair exchange, no robbery. If you are hurting in the recession and in the process of losing your home, I'm told if you seek assistance from many Mega Churches, they "background check" your membership status which includes taking a look at how much you have given since being a member. I say fair enough. We want to make sure that tithing members are properly served, sort of like an investment club (sic). However, since a church can provide such detailed statements on how much each member gives, they certainly can provide each member with the same detailed account of how your giving is being used.
I've heard many excuses as to why Black folks don't demand accountability from the churches they financially support. Every idiom from "I just give from my heart so what THEY do with the money has nothing to do with me." "It's in God's hands so I just don't worry about it." WHY must we always leave everything up to emotion and chance? This is one of the many reasons why our community is constantly getting bamboozled & left feeling victimized in the end.
As a member of a mega church, members should want & seek a complete accountability of ALL the "revenue" the church has coming in the door. We should expect a year end detailed financial statement showing how much was given, raised and/or earned by the Church Corporation. How was the money distributed and to whom and for what. AND in what amounts...down to the dollar details. How much is spent on salaries, perks and incomes for all Pastors, Staff, Employees including visiting Ministers & Honorariums. How much is given to each specific type of ministry outreach within the church and how much of that was specifically spent on the core focus of that specific ministry function. If you DON'T know your Pastor's salary, "housing" allowance, travel allowance, boyfriend allowance, mistress allowance and associated expenses...something is wrong!
As a Minister, I certainly agree that a Pastor should be well paid for the tireless work and good many of them do. But when you are running a multimillion dollar corporation or church conglomerate you have a responsibility to the Kingdom of God & the people of God to be ACCOUNTABLE for your good works. Be real! Church is a business. A non-profit corporation, but a Corporation yet and STILL. Pastors with Bentley's, Range Rovers & Million Dollar Estates all while the people around you are poor, needy & broke, are NOT doing the work! The mission of the Church is not being performed. And your Pastor should be FIRED!
I don't think anyone would argue that a Church's first responsibility is serving its members and the immediate community. Everything within a 25 mile radius of a Mega Church should be prospering. There should be zero homeless people and zero hungry people near that church.....IF the church is doing its job in serving the people. Mega Churches raise hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars on any given Sunday, but give out food baskets once or twice a year as a token act of sentimentality. Mega Churches raise money for ministry outreach, but then ask the congregation to give used clothing so that the homeless outreach will have something to provide the community. I just wanna know what happened to the cash we gave in the weekly and sometimes 2-3 times weekly offering(s)?! I'm giving you clothes, therefore; that's no longer an expense. So, tell me where has the cash we are giving in our Missions offerings gone? And why are you asking the congregation for free clothes & can goods? You should have a budget that covers all of that.
As a community of people, we've got to stop being so dang foolish. Following and going along with nonsense & madness because we don't want to so call "question" God. You are NOT questioning God. You are "questioning" that negro in the Armani suit & gators. You are asking that same negro to "show me the money". Checks and balances are the only way to keep a man or woman honest. It's a business. God's business. And God's business is about ORDER. "It aint that I don't trust you darlin'. It's your private thoughts that give me pause......"
