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True or False: Churches today are More of a Business for profit establishment than they are for saving souls?
15 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
I believe that is true of some churches, but not all of them. --------------------------
- KALLv 71 decade ago
Difficult question...made more difficult by your use of "today". It is always difficult to generalize...what's the frame of reference. Should I focus on the specific churches in my community?...and do I look at the number of churches or the relative size of the congregation (for example, would a large non-denominational church with 2,000 members carry the same weight in the equation as a small church with 50 members? Today complicates the matter...should I compare to my own experience over the last 40 years (is it getting better or worse)...or are we talking about today compared to 100 or 1,000 or 2,000 years ago?
"Profit establishment" is also problematic. From a legal perspective, if a church is making a "profit" it isn't a church. If a church takes in more revenue than it pay out in "expenses", it violates its non-profit status. Of course, some churches justify some ridiculous "expenses" such as a million dollar home for the pastor, huge salaries for employees (including the pastor), elaborate buildings, art, and much more...
Given all that, I'd say that some churches are "revenue-oriented" instead of "people-oriented", but I think it is a relatively small number of individual churches (and a smaller number of denominations in general) that focus on increasing revenue. Far more of them are "doctrine-oriented" rather than "people-oriented", and revenue is a secondary consideration...they aren't focused on saving souls, they are focused on saving themselves (they need just enough revenue to sustain their membership).
Finally, I think there are a growing number of churches that ARE focusing on saving souls...they aren't trying to make their leaders wealthy and they aren't focused on "protecting the flock"...they are reaching out to people where they live, providing for their needs, and sharing the good news that Jesus wants to give them an eternal life.
- zaatheistLv 71 decade ago
Absolutely true. But it is not a modern innovation. Religion has been used to control and extract money from the populace for centuries.
This has nothing to do with right or wrong or religion. It is about MONEY! This stuff sells. If it didn't, no one would do it. It's a business, just like any other, except it is selling a product that doesn't exist. That, however, has never stopped people from paying for it.
- usafbrat64Lv 71 decade ago
I think it depends upon the church. Our current church... we spent the last 2 years praying and trusting in God to make our budget every month. But more of our time has been spent praying and working on letting people know we are out there.
This year... we've been blessed by a few kind hearts. So, we stuck a little away for a rainy day and most of it's going back out to mission work.
Source(s): LCMS Lutheran - How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- Anonymous5 years ago
fake. i grew to become into too busy eating to even comprehend it grew to become into Sunday...i assume i offered that $4 hundred bottle of Johnnie Walker the day gone by then. Wow--this whiskey eating extremely is beginning up to electrify me. And, purely in case all of us is thinking why meaning i could no longer have probable offered this $4 hundred bottle of Johnnie Walker immediately, that is via fact the liquor shops are no longer legally waiting to be open on Sundays right here in Connecticut...what a pile of crap. Even Jesus might choose some Jameson or Jack or Johnnie on a Sunday. If Jesus walked the earth immediately, He'd be a whiskey guy!
- 1 decade ago
False. I have never heard of churches as a profitable establishment. But I've heard of pastors who have strayed.
Source(s): What I've read - Mrs.BlessedLv 71 decade ago
Unfortunately, true. Very few churches nationwide have a burden for visiting and praying for others. At our church, the so-called preacher visits the same few people every week. It is a shame at our missed opportunities.
- BobbyLv 41 decade ago
True, they have fallen into the category of business. Don't forget they have done this in the past too like when they used to sell "indulgences" way back when
- kpbarrLv 41 decade ago
This question is far to general, sorry, so it can't really be answered absolutely true or false.
It is true that many churches have lost sight of what their purpose as a church is.
It is also true that many churches have not, and continue to serve God and His people.
I think there has been a definite increase in the number of Churches who have lost sight of their purpose in this world as of late.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
I'll put it this way: the millions of dollars thrown away on the "Yes on 8" campaign wasn't spent by the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
I would say some. Revelation speaks of all kinds of churches, and this fits with quite a few.