Church Planters' Workshop

Why we refuse to charge for Ministry

Part of our clear understanding of Scriptures regarding the local church is that the financial income of the local church is to be solely based in the tithes and offerings of its people. The local church is not to “sell” anything, not even cakes or cookies. They are not to have bingo nights, or charge for their services. In some churches understanding (and I am in total agreement here), not even the visitors are asked to participate in their offerings. They clearly release the visitors from any idea of obligation on their part before every offering is taken. This is visitors that are unsaved and even visitors that are visiting from other good churches.

The thinking here is that if tithes and offerings are spiritual sacrifices by which God does His work, why would God even want the unsaved or the unspiritual to partake in the work of God? By their participation they contaminate the work of God rather than help it. If the visitors are members of good other local churches, then they should be tithing and giving there and not here.

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Typical Argument – We can do more, and do it better if we consolidate our forces.

This is the typical siren of neo-evangelicalism, let’s consolidate our forces. But here we want to look at this from a different perspective. God did not set up Christianity under the structure and form that, for example, the Roman Catholic church uses, one big over arching government and administration to “really do things well”. God set up a multiplicity of small local churches. Why? Where is the advantage in that?

Contaminate the only Source, and you contaminate all

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