Can non-believers contribute to the church?
Question:
We recently discussed donations in the church, and I was wondering if you could provide any scriptural basis for them. Can a non-member or unbeliever donate money to the church? Can the church use that donation from him or her?
Thanks!
Answer:
While the topic is not specifically addressed in the Scriptures, we can draw some conclusions about the matter. Non-Christians do attend services at times. I Corinthians 14:23-25 talks about unbelievers who come to the assembly. If those visitors wish to sing with the congregation or bow their heads in prayer with the congregation, we don't tell them they must leave.
In the Old Testament, there were specific laws for how to deal with non-Israelites coming to the worship:
"If an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do so he shall do. As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the LORD. There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you" (Numbers 15:14-16).
We also have examples of Gentiles contributing to the synagogues and the Israelites:
"When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. And a centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue" (Luke 7:1-5).
"Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually" (Acts 10:1-2).
Given these, I see no reason to say that a non-Christian is to be prevented from contributing to the church. Members are required to support the work of the church, but for non-members, it is their decision.
