Posts Tagged ‘church funds’
If an institution was not involved, could the church take care of orphans?
Question: I am familiar that the issues over orphan homes as always been the church giving the money to an institutional board so they can provide for the needs of the children. But would it be an issue if the church avoided the giving of funds to a board and the local church buying a…
Read MoreIs it right for a church to raise money for a preacher school or to have leaders instead of elders?
Question: I have a concern over a recent request from a brethren who is a church leader of the congregation where I was baptized years before. He was asking me to help financially support the church planting mission being undertaken by the missionary training academy established by the congregation over the years. The academy has…
Read MoreDoes the feeding of the 5,000 show we should feed people when we teach them?
Question: Matthew 14 says Jesus fed and healed the 5,000. He said they do not need to go away hungry, give them something to eat. Should we take this literally as an example and feed, help, and teach the lost? Answer: You are seeing what you want to see in this example instead of what…
Read MoreDoes Acts 2 justify churches helping the poor in the general population?
Question: In Acts 2 Christians were selling their property and giving to those in need. Were these individuals giving to individuals or individuals giving to the church and the church giving? If it was the church giving, were they giving to non-Christians or Christians only? I’ve heard this scripture used for the church giving to…
Read MoreCan a church purchase a wheelchair to help transport a frail member?
Question: Recently one of our elderly lady members had such chronic pain that she could barely move. Her health is deteriorating rapidly. She does not drive; one of our members has to pick her up when she feels well enough to attend worship services. They had a difficult time transporting her out to the car. One of…
Read MoreShould churches support retired preachers?
Question: I was reading some articles on your church web site, one concerning paying preachers, written by Terry Benton. I was trying to find New Testament scripture for continuing to pay a retired preacher, I guess like retirement for years of service. I am wanting the Bible to be my guide, not my heart. Any thoughts?…
Read MoreSince the church isn’t the building, you can’t make rules about how the building is used
Question: You are right in that you say the church is not to be an entertainment organization. But the picture you put on that site is not the church! You started out by saying that the church (Did you mean that building in the picture? That isn’t the church!) had no kitchen, etc. But, I…
Read MorePaying Uninspired Gospel Preachers
by Terry W. Benton In discussing the right and expectation preachers ought to have for adequate financial support, I appealed to Paul’s statements in I Corinthians 9:4-14 for the proof of that rightful expectation. A man of the house-church persuasion responded, and I think the exchange hits on some very needed points of scriptural understanding…
Read MoreIs it wrong to sell food, books, candy, drinks, etc. in God’s house to raise money?
Question: Is it wrong to sell food, books, candy, drinks, etc. in God’s house to raise money to go on trips or to help buy the things the church needs? Answer: Your question is actually backward. You should be asking if it is right to do those things. Since God told us that “as His…
Read MoreIs it right for a church to have meetings or parties at the church?
Question: Is it right for the church to have devotionals, Leadership Training for Christ, retreats, summer camps for the youth, Trick or Treat at Halloween, or New Year Eve parties at the church? Answer: A church’s duty foremost is to provide the opportunity of its members to gather for worship. “… when you come together…
Read MoreCan a church receive funds from non-believers or an organization?
Question: Thank you very much for your web site. I find it both educative and encouraging. Can I trouble you, my beloved brother, with some questions? Can a faithful congregation receive aid for the needy in the congregation from a non-believer or an organization? Can a faithful brother solicit relief aid for a church from…
Read MoreQuestions about the use of funds given to the church
Question: Having read your articles and also was a member of the conservative church for 24 years I have some questions. The conservatives say it is ok to use the Lord’s money for a $20,000 yard but wrong to give a sinner some food from the treasury. Really? It is ok to rent a place to…
Read MoreHow much autonomy does a church have when its evangelist is receiving outside support?
Question: How much congregational autonomy does a young church, without elders and deacons, and its evangelist is supported by an overseas congregation? Answer: It remains autonomous. Your evangelist is supported, I assume in part, by one or more congregations. “For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities” (Philippians 4:16). That…
Read MoreCan the church pay for things pertaining to the upkeep of the church building?
Question: Do you think the church can pay for things that pertain to the church building for things such as repairs or the lawn maintenance and work around the grounds to keep it looking presentable and then accommodations such as nursery items (baby bed, rocking chairs, books, maybe even toys, etc…), things that are simply conveniences…
Read MoreWould it be wrong to use the church’s property for a garden?
Question: Is it OKfor a congregation to allow members to use the property to grow a garden if they are in need? One example may be a guy who is living in an apartment and has no property. Another may be a family who has a nice lawn and doesn’t want to bring down their…
Read MoreDo you think it is right for a congregation to go door-knocking while neglecting to help its needy members?
Question: I have a question concerning our church. No church of Christ I have ever attended has done this. I have been disabled and been divorced, biblically, for a long time. No boyfriends and very poor. I got into a bind and could not pay my light bill. I was also asked to move because…
Read MoreCan brethren choose to have a kitchen and clothing pantry to show love to the needy?
Question: I received my calling into the ministry of Christ, to teach and preach the gospel and to feed and clothe the destitute, not as a welfare system, but to those in need; thus, teaching them to fish and not only giving them a fish. So in the like manner, would it be scriptural, if…
Read MoreUse of the Lord’s Money
Text: II Corinthians 9:1-15 I. I received an interesting question from a brother in the Philippines, he wrote: “Here in our country brethren depend on planting tobacco for income. One brother has asked me if it is good for the church to use the Lord’s money to grow tobacco in order for the church to…
Read MoreWhat do you think about a church funding a school or senior housing?
Question: I was just wanting to get more information on schools in the Lord’s church. Our minister is in the process of obtaining funds from the church to open up a school in order to teach the children to read. He also mentioned opening a home for the seniors with church funds. I just wanted…
Read MoreCan a church support a saint who doesn’t believe as you do?
Question: Since you do not believe that the church, out of the church treasury, can help non-saints, do you believe the church can help a saint that does not believe in some of these matters as you do? Answer: The church is restricted to helping members of the church because that is the only example…
Read MoreShould an unused preacher’s home be rented out by a church?
Question: How do you feel about a preacher’s home that the preacher does not live in being rented out? The congregation also has one other home that it rents out. Is that scripturally wrong? Answer: The problem is a lack of authority. The Scriptures are clear that a church is to raise its funds by…
Read MoreWhy is eating in the building an issue?
Question: I have a question I’ve never heard answered satisfactorily. Why is “eating in the building” even an issue at all? Where does that come from and how is the argument supported? Answer: “Eating in the building” is actually a misnomer. The issue is over having large social gatherings in a church-owned building where the…
Read MoreShould the church building be used for weddings or funerals?
Question: A good friend of mine told me about your web site and that your material has been a wonderful resource for him. You have a wonderful article answering the question: “Is it scriptural to have recorded music (not vocal) in a wedding ceremony that is held in the church building?“ In that article you…
Read MoreBenevolence
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Read Lk 10:25-37 A. We understand that God wants us to be charitable to those around us B. But when faced with opportunities we often hesitate 1. Does this person really need help? 2. Is it part of a complex con-game? 3. Was it brought on by their own foolishness? 4. The government has programs to help…
Read MoreIs it right or wrong to sell inside the church?
Question: Is it right or wrong to sell inside the church? Answer: Before I can answer the main question, I must address a miscomprehension. In the New Testament, the word church refers to the people called out of the world to serve the Christ. The church, in the universal sense, refers to all Christians past,…
Read MoreNotes on Church Spending
Eldership I Timothy 5:18 Preaching Matthew 10:5-10 Luke 10:7-8 I Corinthians 9:3-14 II Corinthians 8:1-8 II Corinthians 11:8 Philippians 4:15-18 I Timothy 5:18 Widows Acts 6:1-6 I Timothy 5:3-16 See also: Notes on Benevolence
Read MoreCan the church use its funds to send flowers?
Question: In an attempt to justify the church using money out of its treasury to send flowers to sick or bereaved members, an argument has been made that it is a “gift” meant to encourage, like the gifts sent to Paul in Philippians 4:15-19. In comments I have read in discussions and debates, it seems as…
Read MoreCan a bake sale be held at a church?
Question: I wanted to have a bake sale at our church to raise money for my pastor’s anniversary. One of the deacons told me that I was wrong about this. I was told about how Jesus got angry at the people for using the temple for a den of thieves. I do not see that…
Read MoreThe Silver Thermometer
by Homer Hailey via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec. 1951. It is easier to describe and evaluate the tangible than to describe or evaluate the intangible. Because this is so, the Lord’s churches are often led to place undue emphasis on numbers added to their membership and to the size of their weekly…
Read MoreIs the church a business?
Question: Is the church a business? Answer: Generally, a business is “an organization established for generating profit; a commercial organization.” As such, the church is not a business. It is an organization, established by God for the primary purpose of worshiping Him and spreading the good news of salvation to mankind. The church holds assemblies.…
Read MoreA Church Treasury, Only in an Emergency?
by Gordon J. Pennock via Truth Magazine – January 1961 It seems that considerable controversy has arisen regarding what we call the church treasury, meaning of course the funds contributed by the members of local churches. This controversy seems to be a by-product of the discussion of scriptural and unscriptural ways in which such funds are spent.…
Read MoreCan money be used from the church treasury to do good for non-Christians?
Comment: The following is taken from a list of questions sent to me by my request. The author is from a more liberally-minded group who is preparing lessons on the issues that separate some churches of Christ. He was interested in the other side’s point of view and I was interested in how he would…
Read MoreThe Local Church Treasury
by Robert F. Turner via Guardian of Truth XXX: 15, August 21, 1986, pp. 486, 505 My first experience with one who questioned a “church treasury” was in 1943, in Phoenix, Arizona. While taking some exercise, I made a chance acquaintance with an elderly gentleman and we walked along together. When we passed a small church building…
Read MoreOrphans and Their Care
I. Orphans are not mentioned often in the New Testament, once to be precise, but many have developed unusual ideas about how to care for the orphans in our midst. A. Unusual, because their teaching does not follow the plain statements of the New Testament. B. The passage we will delve into is James 1:27. II. The Bible’s…
Read MoreCan the church sponsor the growing of tobacco to raise funds?
Question: Some people depend on raising tobacco for income. Is it good for the church to use the Lord’s money to sponsor this kind of agriculture? Answer: I found this question particularly intriguing because of the underlying assumptions. In order to answer the question well, I need to address several related issues. How may a…
Read MoreCan a hall used by a church for worship also be rented for a potluck by members?
Question: Our congregation meets in a rented hall. Would it be wrong to make use of the facilities available for a potluck gathering? I understand that the church doesn’t have authority to own a kitchen, but I was wondering why we couldn’t rent the facility where we happen to meet for a meal that is…
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