#checkmychurch #financialabuse #financialexploitation #churchfinances #Christianfinances #Christianchurches #Christiancults #financialdiscernment
One of the quickest and easiest ways to check a pastor or ministry leader for red flags of abuse, corruption, and cultic control is to ask questions. There are several specific and specially worded questions you can ask that will immediately expose what kind of leader they are and what kind of group/organization you're checking into.
Here, I've put together a list of questions you can ask any pastor/ministry leader to check for signs of financial abuse, corruption, and exploitation, along with the most common answers I've heard when I've asked them of church leaders and pastors. I also include what these answers reveal about the church/ministry/pastor's financial practices in parentheses.
Financial Questions to Ask Your Church, Pastor, or Ministry Leader
What does your church/ministry teach about tithing?
"Tithing is the first 10% of the believer's income that goes to the church to worship God and show their love/devotion to Him and obey His command to tithe." (i.e. This church lies about tithing and the Bible to financially exploit believers in Christ for dishonest gain)
"Tithing isn't a command for Christians because it was an Old Testament command of the Law, but we teach the importance of generosity and good stewardship, and tithing is a good starting point/model for how much Christians should give to their church." (i.e. This church tells half-truths about tithing and the Bible to financially exploit believers in Christ for dishonest gain.)
"Tithing doesn't apply to Christians and we don't talk much about giving because it's up to the individual believer how much they can give, if they choose to. See 2 Cor. 9:7." (i.e. This church is telling the whole truth about tithing and doesn't abuse the Bible to financially exploit believers in Christ for dishonest gain.)
How does your church spend its donations? How much money does the pastor/leader take as a salary from the total revenue of the church?
"That's no one's business but the leaders of our church/ministry. We don't share the church's private financial information. Where do you get the nerve to ask for my salary?" (i.e. This church is not financially transparent and feels entitled to take donors' money without being open or honest about how their donations are spent. It's also likely this church isn't a good steward of its money and is financially corrupt; possibly even committing fraud or other nefarious financial practices.)
"We don't share that information with just anyone. If you're a member of the church, we have financial meetings and reports that we provide to show how the church's donations are spent, but we don't share salary information." (i.e. This church is minimally financially transparent and doesn't provide enough meaningful financial information for a donor to truly know how their donations are being spent. Churches like this typically provide a vague pie chart or graph that gives almost no genuine explanation for how donations are spent. They do this to give a false appearance of transparency without providing any. This response exhibits deception, manipulation, and is indicative of churches/ministries that are greedy and potentially financially corrupt/fraudulent as well.)
"We provide all our members and/or anyone who asks with a detailed financial report on how donations are being spent. This report includes absolutely everything the church spends money on, including salaries." (i.e. This church is financially transparent, doesn't exhibit signs of greed or entitlement to donors' money, and is much less likely to be financially nefarious or fraudulent)
What percentage of the church's donations goes towards the building and its maintenance?
"That's none of your business and totally irrelevant. How much of your paycheck goes towards your mortgage?" (i.e. This church probably spends the vast majority of its donations on paying for and maintaining their large and impressive building(s) and are either embarrassed/ashamed or protective of their false public image of being "good stewards of God's money", so rather than being open and honest, they deflect the question by falsely equating their church building, which was paid for with church donations, with your private home, which you're paying for yourself. This answer displays greed, entitlement, deception, abusive/manipulative leadership, and financial corruption.)
"Ugh, it's a lot, which has always been a struggle and a problem for us, and it's embarrassing, but this is how much it is." (i.e. This church displays financial transparency and conviction for spending so much on its building, but has fallen into a common church money-trap. When churches prioritize their physical and material presence in the world, they end up having to spend most of their donations on paying for and maintaining their building(s), leaving very little for other, more important things, such as charity for the poor. Whether this conviction is authentic or not is easily discerned by the church's future goals. If they have plans for more, bigger, and better buildings, they are probably trying to give a false appearance of frugality and good stewardship.)
"Not much, especially compared to most other churches, but here it is." (i.e. This church displays financial transparency and authentically good stewardship because it intentionally avoids spending donors' money on a big, expensive, and attractive building so it can focus on more important things. If this church is also transparent about its pastor's/leader's salary and that's also fairly modest, you have a real winner as far as financial practices go.)
These three questions are paramount in discerning the truth about a church/ministry's financial beliefs and practices. They can also reveal whether the leaders are deceptive, entitled, or narcissistic/insolently prideful.
Asking any of these questions will reveal the leaders' true motives in ministry, whether it's authentically serving Christ, or serving the idol of money and their own bank account. If there's a church you're thinking of joining or have been attending for a while and they either refuse to answer any of these questions or answer them in a way that displays the same attitude I've described here, I would humbly suggest you put the "free" coffee down and back away slowly.
Is this information helpful? Can you think of any important financial questions to ask a church or ministry leader? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments! :)
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