The “Business” Called Church
This write-up was pre-empted by a programme by BBC which centered on church and money. This programme was aired on the first day of September, 2011. Invited to the studio for the programme was a wealthy Nigerian pastor. His was to react competently to the sensitive issues that were raised in the programme since these issues concerned him and his colleagues in the same 'business' or vocation as the case may be.
This Nigerian pastor resides in England and was termed wealthy because, as we (the listeners) were made to know, he possessed about three to four buildings, one of which he bought with one million pounds (about 260 million naira) which a member of his congregation gave him as a result of his kind gesture of giving 4000 pounds to a member of his congregation who had some mortgage problems.
Asked why investing such amount of money in acquiring buildings while most of his members are facing one financial difficulty or the other and in real need of money, he vehemently claimed that the money was used for God, that is, the buildings acquired are for God. Furthermore, he was asked to explain the apparent gulf in lifestyle (as regards wealth) between pastors and their members.
He admitted that there should not be a lacuna yet he was better-placed than most of his church members. Compounding issues for him were the messages sent in by listeners. One of the messages from a listener in Delta state, Nigeria unmitigatedly and lucidly stated that church in Nigeria is a big business. Another from a listener in Sierra Leon bemoaned the endemic situation in Sierraleone of Nigerian pastors swindling Sierra Leonians in the name of God. In fact, at the end of the programme I felt pity for the Nigerian pastor for he was totally humiliated and not given any chance.
Such was the case of this Nigerian pastor during the programme. Yet the issues raised at the programme cannot be swept under the carpet. They precipitate serious reflection. Looking around, especially in our country, Nigeria, one would discover the increasing rate at which churches are established by those who claimed that they are called by God. Wondering why this, one cannot but say that it is the filthy lucre that motivates and not God's call. Not just that alone, looking at the lives of these men of God, one cannot but observe a sharp contrast in their lives and that of Jesus Christ they are to imitate.
They appear and act mundanely. In short, scarcely can one find a pastor that is poor. If there is any, then it must be that the person is still new into the church 'business'. These men, when the money starts to come in, quickly change their wardrobes, buy and start driving flashy and ostentatious cars, and acquire buildings. These they do all in the name of God. A man of God must always look good and be presentable to the public forgetting that Jesus while on earth was homeless, not accepted by his own people and had to live from hand to mouth relying heavily on other's contribution.
When accused of their apparent lust for riches, they will outrightly deny such, claiming that what they have are as a result of people's generosity. Well this may be the case, however, their sermon betrays them. They emphasise a lot on being successful in their churches. Why this? If not for what they will gain if any of their members becomes successful. It is not that pastors should not eat from preaching the word of God.
Not that! But for them to discharge their duties solely for what they will gain materially is what I am against. There is one who calls himself prophet that I know. He became a prophet after experiencing a huge financial setback in his former trading business. What he does now is that he prays for the problems of people who come to him to be solved. If these problems are finally solved by God and these people fail to thank him substantially or recognize him as the channel through which their problems were solved, it then becomes a big issue. This goes on to reveal why many who claim that they were called by God are opening up churches. It is the quest to control money that propels.
Coming to the sensitive issue of the gulf in lifestyle of our pastors and their church members, it is something that is common and taken for granted. The lifestyle of our pastors cannot be compared in any manner with that of their church members. These pastors' lifestyle is simply termed as luxurious. There is no big difference between these pastors and wealthy business men. They live in magnificent houses, drive luxurious cars, wear the best of robes and have fat bank accounts.
While this is the case, most of their church members are languishing in abject penury. Most of them lack the wherewithal to afford three-square-meal per day. While many of these church members attend church bare-footedly, their pastors come with luxurious cars. Instead of this gulf in lifestyle becoming a source of worry for these pastors, they go on to widening this gulf by selling the things of God to their church members.
Nonetheless, this gulf in lifestyle should not exist. In the Holy Writ, we are made to know that the lifestyle of Jesus Christ was not different from his followers. They were all poor. Or was it noted therein that Jesus Christ had magnificent buildings or wore costly robes? Even when he has to proclaim his kingship, he did it riding on a mule. Yet our pastors fail to yield meaning to the life of Jesus Christ when they read the Holy Writ.
This gulf in lifestyle should not exist in whatsoever manner. The preaching of a pastor becomes impactful if the member listening, looks at pastor and discovers that the pastor is in every manner like him in lifestyle. In fact, just as Jesus Christ was poor so also should every pastor be. This situation is possible. The day I met a Catholic pastor, Fr. Ohai, a reverend gentleman in Onitsha Arcdiocese murdered for his good works, I mistook him for a driver.
He was too ordinary to be compared with his colleagues of nowadays. Surprisingly, he did not have a car of his own to drive. He saw and considered himself being a pastor as a servant to all. Indeed, he was a servant not just to the people he helped in curing of their infirmities and in solving their problems but also, to God. He remains a paradigm in lifestyle for other pastors to imitate.
While the phenomenon of church being coordinated as a business thrives in our country, it is high time we told ourselves the truth and directed our efforts towards halting this phenomenon. Yes, this phenomenon has to be terminated. People have been double-crossed or made to lose their faith on account of adhering to these so called pastors. To ensure that this obnoxious phenomenon is halted, measures such as the following have to be adequately considered: First, there is the need to properly orientate these men of God.
They need this so as to forestall them considering the church as an avenue of making money. They need to come to terms with the fact that they did not on their own assume the honour of being a pastor but were called to it by God. A call that has its demand of one being like Jesus Christ in all one's actions. The consequent proposition goes like this: if Jesus Christ is poor, a pastor has to be poor. Secondly, the church members have a serious role to play here.
They have to constitute themselves as watchdogs of their pastors. They have to monitor the financial activities that occur in their churches and see to it that proper accounts are rendered. While it remains the onus of these church members to carter for their pastors, it is also lies in their responsibility to see that their pastors are not led astray by the type of gifts they offer them.
Thirdly, it is also suggested that to forestall the phenomenon of considering the church as a business venture, these pastors should be constrained to incorporate their churches and also, pay tax. With this in play, many will less fancy being a pastor since one will remit as much as one accrues from one's church to the government.
In conclusion, it is pertinent to note that what has been done here is not a kind of tainting or deriding people's revered opinion of their pastors but a redress of the spoilt perception of pastorship. It is a good thing to serve God but doing that solely for self-gratification rather for the upliftment of God's glory is highly unacceptable. The church, of which I still attend and believe in, is the body of Jesus Christ and not a business venture. It is imperative that church pastors should consider their church as the body of Jesus Christ and not a money-spinning business.