How churches get by financially

Most Christian churches imply financial obligation on the part of the member/attenders. Some churches/ministries directly ask for money. And not like Pepsi does. Advertising in the corporate world is a cultural menace, but at least it is honest. Their message is "Buy out product because we want to be rich and look. . . it tastes really good." Kind of a win-win.

Churches ask for money (Generally a percentage of total income that should make the almond growers' "a can a week" request look very small) with very little in return. Some Christians "sense" that there is a social obligation to support the educational aspects of the church programs. Some live with the message that God follows our lead: if a person gives, God will give; if a person buys a nice tv instead, God/life will let it break the day after the warranty runs out.

God has said that He will work out our lives. Either He is taking care of us, or He isn't. I believe that He is taking care of us, irrespective of what I do or who we are. Feel free to consider all the scripture references that come to mind about God rejecting us, or spitting us out of his mouth, or our working out of out our own salvation. If you read them as God spurning you, I believe you are mistaken. I do not think that the last few decades, perhaps back to the third great awakening of the 1880's here in America, Christians have really believed that God taking care of them unless they were "really good". Thus the message that if someone is wealthy, God must want it that way. Get a clue: God doesn't care if we are wealthy, ugly, blind, native american, or if we speak tagalog.

Churches will be fine even if they stop asking for money. By churches, I don't mean corporate-like entities. I mean Christians. They may need to re-think their lives, but God is the active agent, not we ourselves.