Congregations rarely know the income and expenditure of their church. Believers do not know how much money is donated, what the money is used for; how much has been spent and what has been kept in reserve; who looks after the money; how is the money managed; whether there is evidence about expenditures; whether there is false accounting; and why the congregations are kept uninformed. This lack of accountability reflects poorly on churches who emphasize a spiritual life focused on confession and repentance.
Only one thing is clear to the congregations, and that is how donations are collected. Some churches use donation boxes, some use paper bags and envelopes, some use church staff to collect directly in front of believers, and some simply keep pace with technology by scanning QR codes. Yet, what’s strange is that although churches keep collecting donations, they always seem to be short of money. As for how much money the church has saved, no one asks. In fact, even if you ask, no one will really give a direct answer but usually a vague reply like "It’s used for the house of God" to try and satisfy people’s curiosity.
For a long time, churches’ fuzzy treatment of money donation has become like an incurable chronic disease of an elderly person, which inevitably reduces the enthusiasm of believers in giving money. What’s important is that the end result of this is terrible. Believers have doubts and worries about whether their churches are corrupt. The second is that the church will be filled with all kinds of rumors that do not distinguish between what is true and false. The third is that believers have lost their trust in the church and leaders, and some believers have left their churches while others have been troubled and stopped believing in Christ altogether. As a result, the church loses its integrity and declines, the authority of the Church is constantly challenged, leading even to the rise of divisions.
This situation reminds us of religious reform in the Middle Ages. The direct trigger of the religious reform was the widely practiced sale of indulgences. What the Church lost was not the property and money of believers, but the presence of Christ the Lord. Although this was distressing, corruption continues today. For instance, Zhao Yongji, a pastor of the Yeouido Church in South Korea, and Kang Xi, a famous pastor in Singapore, were found guilty of corruption. I know a church, in which a man embezzled more than one million. In order to cover up his crime, he imitated the handwriting of an upright pastor and falsely claimed that the millions were taken by the pastor. Ultimately, after a thorough inspection conducted by the police, it was that man who pocketed the funds and was finally sentenced to five years in prison. As a result, the church split and there has been no reunification up to now.
It can be seen that the transparency of a church’s revenue and expenditure plays an extraordinary role in curbing corruption and promoting the sustainable development of the church. That is not only related to the belief direction of the whole church but also a means to determine which churches are true and which are false. It is also an important measure to prevent Satan from destroying the roots of the church.
The teaching about tithing has long been delivered by churches as believers are urged to give at every meeting. According to the Bible, tithing was observed by the Children of Israel and it is also necessary for those who believe in Judaism today. However, for Christianity, which follows the requirements and standards in the New Testament, giving goes beyond the system of tithing that was a part of the Old Testament world.
The Gospel of Luke records how a poor woman gave only two pennies to the Temple of God. Jesus witnessed her gift and said that she gave more than everyone else because she gave everything she had. Therefore, the New Testament requires a total donation, including money, time, energy and physical strength. The Book of Romans (12:1) further elaborates: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." This kind of dedication goes far beyond the giving of a tithe, raising the meaning of financial donations to the level of soul and life, and giving has meaning and ultimate value. The Book of Acts records how Ananias deceived the Holy Spirit by keeping privately the proceeds of the property he sold. This is the first case of someone being punished to death by God because of deceiving God.
When we give, we should be willing and grateful to God from the bottom of our hearts instead of fulfilling an obligation stipulated by the law.
The greatest proof of the holiness and godliness of the Church should be reflected in financial management. This is particularly important in this materialistic era. If the church’s financial records are not opaque, all worship and praise, and all reading and praying are just an empty form. Therefore, the financial management of our Church must be transparent and holy. Otherwise, our Church may be destroyed by Satan and become the Church with "golden treasures outwardly but inward darkness."
- Translated by Charlie Li
教会奉献款：何时能在财务收支上有一个透明度？
有些教会的奉献款，不管是在收入和支出上的信息，教会的信众很少有知道的。教会究竟每次能收到多少奉献款，这些钱款究竟都用在了什么地方，支出多少，还剩余多少，哪些人掌握这些钱款，都是怎么操作的，有没有支出凭据，有没有假账现象，为什么不向信众公布等等，这一个又一个的未解之谜，使得教会财务上的灰色地带不是在认罪悔改中走向圣洁。
不过，信众只有一个信息是清楚明白的，那就是收取奉献款的方式。有的是用奉献箱，有的是用纸袋和信封，有的是直接由侍奉人员到信徒面前收取，有的干脆在收取奉献款上也与时俱进了，以扫二维码的形式进行收取。但奇怪的是教会虽在不断地收取，可教会似乎总是在缺钱，至于教会究竟积蓄了多少奉献款，信众却没有一个人过问。其实，即使过问了，也不会有人真正给以解答，只一句都“用在神家了”就给打发了。
长期以来，教会这种对奉献款的模糊处理，就如同一个老年病人那样成为一种难以治愈的痼疾，这难免不让信众在奉献上的热心逐渐淡化。重要的是，这种淡化所酿成的结果是非常可怕的，第一个是信徒对教会是否腐败产生怀疑和担忧。第二个是信徒私下里产生的种种议论以及莫辨真假的传言，充塞着教会。第三个是信徒失去了对教会和牧者领袖的信任，有的信徒因此离开所在教会，有的信徒被绊倒不再信基督了。由此造成教会整体信仰素质的下滑，教会的权威也不断被挑战，甚至分裂现象也由此产生。
这种状况，不能不叫我们想起中世纪的宗教改革。引起这一宗教改革的直接导火索就是蔓延教会的购买赎罪劵事件。教会的贪腐，失去的不是信众的财产和金钱，而是基督的教会与神的同在。这虽然令人痛心，但即使在今天，贪腐现象也始终没有断绝。如韩国汝矣岛教会的牧师赵庸基以及新加坡名牧康希的贪腐事件。笔者见过一家教会，其中就有一位弟兄贪腐一百多万后，为了掩盖自己的罪恶，居然模仿一位正直牧师的笔迹，诬陷这笔百万资金是被某牧师所贪的，结果经过公安部门查实，居然是这位弟兄把这笔资金揣进了自己的腰包，最后被判五年徒刑，教会也因此事而形成了分裂的状态，并且至今也没有合一。
可见，奉献款在收支上的透明度，对遏制贪腐，促进教会的持续发展起着非同寻常的作用，既关涉到整个教会的信仰方向，也是衡量真假教会的一块试金石。更是防止撒旦从根基上毁灭教会的一个重要举措。
有关十一奉献的真理早已经成为教会经常提及的，有的教会甚至每次聚会都会督促信徒奉献。按圣经所言，十一奉献本属以色列人所应该遵守的，也是现今犹太教信徒必须做到的。但对基督教来说，秉承的是新约上的奉献要求和标准，这一要求和标准是超越律法所定的十一奉献的，这就与犹太教区别开来。
谁都知道，路加福音记载了基督传道时，称赞的那个仅奉献了两个小钱的穷妇人，并说她比众人奉献的都多，因为按照自己所得的比例她奉献的是最高的，已经把自己所有的都献上了。因此，新约要求的是全然的奉献，包括金钱、时间和精力体力等。罗马书更是进行了深一层的阐述：“所以，我以神的慈悲劝你们，将身体献上当做活祭。”这样的奉献远远超越了十一奉献的物质性，将奉献的意义提升到了灵魂与生命的程度上，奉献也就有了生命的意义和价值。所以，使徒行传记载的亚拿尼亚欺哄圣灵，把所卖田产的价银私自留下的事，成为因奉献欺骗神而被惩罚至死的历史第一个案例。
当我们奉献的时候都应该是甘心乐意的，从心灵深处发出来的对神的感恩而不是依照律法规定的一种义务履行。
教会的圣洁和属神与否，最大的凭据就应该体现在财务管理上。尤其在当今物欲横流的时代，这一点显得特殊的重要。如果财务不透明，所有的一切敬拜和赞美，一切的读经和祷告，都不过是一种空洞的形式而已。所以，我们教会的财务管理必须要走向透明和圣洁。否则，我们的教会就有可能被撒旦毁造成一个“金玉其外而败絮其中”的教会。
教会奉献款：何时能在财务收支上有一个透明度？
Congregations rarely know the income and expenditure of their church. Believers do not know how much money is donated, what the money is used for; how much has been spent and what has been kept in reserve; who looks after the money; how is the money managed; whether there is evidence about expenditures; whether there is false accounting; and why the congregations are kept uninformed. This lack of accountability reflects poorly on churches who emphasize a spiritual life focused on confession and repentance.
Only one thing is clear to the congregations, and that is how donations are collected. Some churches use donation boxes, some use paper bags and envelopes, some use church staff to collect directly in front of believers, and some simply keep pace with technology by scanning QR codes. Yet, what’s strange is that although churches keep collecting donations, they always seem to be short of money. As for how much money the church has saved, no one asks. In fact, even if you ask, no one will really give a direct answer but usually a vague reply like "It’s used for the house of God" to try and satisfy people’s curiosity.
For a long time, churches’ fuzzy treatment of money donation has become like an incurable chronic disease of an elderly person, which inevitably reduces the enthusiasm of believers in giving money. What’s important is that the end result of this is terrible. Believers have doubts and worries about whether their churches are corrupt. The second is that the church will be filled with all kinds of rumors that do not distinguish between what is true and false. The third is that believers have lost their trust in the church and leaders, and some believers have left their churches while others have been troubled and stopped believing in Christ altogether. As a result, the church loses its integrity and declines, the authority of the Church is constantly challenged, leading even to the rise of divisions.
This situation reminds us of religious reform in the Middle Ages. The direct trigger of the religious reform was the widely practiced sale of indulgences. What the Church lost was not the property and money of believers, but the presence of Christ the Lord. Although this was distressing, corruption continues today. For instance, Zhao Yongji, a pastor of the Yeouido Church in South Korea, and Kang Xi, a famous pastor in Singapore, were found guilty of corruption. I know a church, in which a man embezzled more than one million. In order to cover up his crime, he imitated the handwriting of an upright pastor and falsely claimed that the millions were taken by the pastor. Ultimately, after a thorough inspection conducted by the police, it was that man who pocketed the funds and was finally sentenced to five years in prison. As a result, the church split and there has been no reunification up to now.
It can be seen that the transparency of a church’s revenue and expenditure plays an extraordinary role in curbing corruption and promoting the sustainable development of the church. That is not only related to the belief direction of the whole church but also a means to determine which churches are true and which are false. It is also an important measure to prevent Satan from destroying the roots of the church.
The teaching about tithing has long been delivered by churches as believers are urged to give at every meeting. According to the Bible, tithing was observed by the Children of Israel and it is also necessary for those who believe in Judaism today. However, for Christianity, which follows the requirements and standards in the New Testament, giving goes beyond the system of tithing that was a part of the Old Testament world.
The Gospel of Luke records how a poor woman gave only two pennies to the Temple of God. Jesus witnessed her gift and said that she gave more than everyone else because she gave everything she had. Therefore, the New Testament requires a total donation, including money, time, energy and physical strength. The Book of Romans (12:1) further elaborates: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." This kind of dedication goes far beyond the giving of a tithe, raising the meaning of financial donations to the level of soul and life, and giving has meaning and ultimate value. The Book of Acts records how Ananias deceived the Holy Spirit by keeping privately the proceeds of the property he sold. This is the first case of someone being punished to death by God because of deceiving God.
When we give, we should be willing and grateful to God from the bottom of our hearts instead of fulfilling an obligation stipulated by the law.
The greatest proof of the holiness and godliness of the Church should be reflected in financial management. This is particularly important in this materialistic era. If the church’s financial records are not opaque, all worship and praise, and all reading and praying are just an empty form. Therefore, the financial management of our Church must be transparent and holy. Otherwise, our Church may be destroyed by Satan and become the Church with "golden treasures outwardly but inward darkness."
- Translated by Charlie Li
Church Should Be Transparent in Financial Revenue, Expenditure
