[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by Ohio

I struggle here too. We regularly attended a community church with Pentecostal leanings. After the recession hit, there were endless requests for tithes, offerings, gifts, sowing seeds, etc. Eventually, I concluded that I could not afford to be a Christian anymore. The final straw for us was the altar call (following some sharing on Gen. 50.20), and as some went forward, the minister said there were buckets available to "sow seeds" of $20 and $50.

I do believe one of the corruptive forces at work is the transition from a church to a ministry. This happened in the LC's and that community church we visited. Initially, the ministers served the church acc. to the needs of the flock, but later the church began to exist for the building up of the man's ministry. The church thus becomes a business. It is run like a business. People exist only for the furtherance of the business.

This is why the Bible has so many warnings for leaders. LC leaders failed us miserably. Eventually I had to accept the inevitable conclusion that my LC only existed for the LSM and later for TC's work. Real churches have shepherds that place the flock first. Ministries have workers that place the business first. Sometimes it's hard to tell which is which until finances get tight. Then the true colors become evident.

Ohio THANK YOU for such a GREAT RESPONSE !! I especially Laughed out Loud at your comment: Eventually, I concluded that I could not afford to be a Christian anymore. Oh and at one church, they give a 20 minute sermon on Malachi 3:16 I believe it is...robbing God with your tithes.