Here are 25 good things that your Nigerian church can do for you
Provide snacks for Children Sunday School classes. This will help you save a little cash. Buying snacks by the church gate for kids before taking them to their classes?
HERE
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Stop telling little Kids who haven’t started earning any income that not bringing offering is a sin. Because The parent’s Tithe and offering covers them too.
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Stop making members feel like God is some kind of magician who calculates the amount you give him and instantly makes you rich when you give big amounts. God is no magician, he works in mysterious ways.
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Tell the congregation that God is interested first in you as a person. I am yet to see where God says that if you need a big car, you have to SOW your property or a huge amount of cash to get it. Tell the people that he is not a God of ” The more you give the more you get”
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Teach members that loud singing and clapping by 5am, Use of microphones early in the morning and late at night in residential areas can be classified under noise pollution.
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Teach the congregation that Christians who are not members of your local church are also recognized by the creator.
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Use part of monies invested in big Businesses for charity.
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Provide for the needy from the purse without necessarily raising an offering every time help is to be rendered.
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Shop and buy musical instruments from accumulated Tithes and offerings without tasking members .
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Build orphanages for the poor.
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Provide good health care centers in rural areas and even towns.
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Build schools that are affordable. Schools where the offering payers and pledgers can send their children without going into debt.
SEE NUMBER 12 TO 18 BELOW
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Provide low cost houses to reduce the number of homeless people on the streets. Some people go to church from uncompleted buildings.
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Scholarships for children of struggling church members.
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Care for orphans and widows in a physical way apart from giving them daily doses of spiritual food. Provide physical help aside from praying that God provides for them.
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Pay the junior pastors well because they buy from the same market as other members of society and also have to care for their families and pay school fees.
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Pay church workers. Those who dedicate all or most of their time singing while offerings are collected or serving in the church deserve to be paid a little something. I know students who spend most of their pocket money on transportation to church on a daily basis.
They have to be there because it is either that they are playing musical instruments for an event or teaching others to sing and play.
When their money is exhausted, they either starve or begin to trek long distances to perform these duties at church pending when their parents send money to them. These students and even job seekers who are also church workers, is it scripturally wrong to pay them something?
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Organize Christmas parties for kids without necessarily asking these kids to pay and get their receipts if they want to attend.What happens to children who cannot afford to raise money for these parties? They stay at home while the “rich kids” go and have fun in the house of the lord.
NUMBER 19 TO 25 DOWN HERE
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Organize holiday camps for students without collecting Registration fee from them. Churches over here are very rich and can afford to camp a few students without asking them to pay. That is what Jesus would have done. Is everything in most of our churches being monetized or what?
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Provide portable drinking water for some rural areas where people have to trek long distances to get drinking water. This is a possibility. No single church can handle all the projects alone. However if every Big church did just a little that they can. This Society would have been a better place for us all.
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Teach that it is not only members who should be giving to pastors, that Rich and Very comfortable pastors can also provide financial help to church members in need of help aside from prayers.
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Teach that Tithing is not the way to heaven, Jesus is. Give sermons that will make the congregation realize that paying Tithe from ill gotten money does not guarantee blessings from God.
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Many members rush to pay tithe after “runs” and lying to obtain money because what they are taught is that only tithe payers are recognized by God.
That, if you do not pay from every dime, you will either fall sick and spend that money at the hospital or get robbed. Some even teach that if you pay tithe, then you cannot lack, be in need or fall sick. So, does that mean every sick person has defaulted in tithe payment at some time in their lives?
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Provide free transportation to church,i e for members who cannot afford it. Considering we are a developing country, there are many who really want to go worship in a church, but cannot afford even the subsidized rates.
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Have a kind of giving back by way of providing even a free couples night a year, free Valentine’s Day celebrations, or even a love feast sponsored by the Church. This is also possible. Who says a local church in Nigeria cannot organize a get together for it’s members without members contributing or raising funds for it.
OTHERS
IF ONLY
If only the churches can teach a little bit more on Modesty and Contentment, it will go along way in reducing corruption in our Country. What do you expect from a society where what you hear most Sundays is “Money Sermons” Money, Prosperity and a good life are what we all need, YES! But should that be the major Sermon Topics we listen to all the time?
Kids were so well taken care of so much so that when you come back to pick your child after service, s/he just refuses to go home. Snacks and drinks are provided by the church for the kids on a weekly basis.
These days, only very few churches still do that. Even the offering given by these kids is taken away. The only time you meet your kid taking a snack is when another child celebrates birthday at church.
Any parent who forgets to get biscuits or a drink for her child, will come back and may be meet that child still crying, bored from just singing and clapping. waiting impatiently to be taken home.
MY PRAYER FOR CHANGE
I pray and hope for a time when church leaders will begin to see that preaching prosperity does not completely delete the poor and needy from among us. That aside prayers and teachings, there are good physical things the Nigerian church can do for Christians.
We know that the church is not the Government, so, what happens when the church begins to grow richer than the Government?
Shouldn’t it do a little something too?
- Teach that the Israelites were commanded to Tithe, to give 10 percent of their income to God. The New Testament **doesn’t repeat that command,** it teaches that …
A. Giving is a privilege (2 corinthians 8:4)
B. You are free to decide how much to give. (2 corinthians 9:7)
A child not giving offering a sin?…dem for come take from the one nah dey inside belly now!..mschew! What does a child know?…are parents not expected to stand in the gap for the children until they are at the age of accountability?…and what is the age sef?
Nay! Valentine celebration for couples?…disagree with you on that because it is not biblical….it is a day put aside to celebrate a saint, but hijacked to celebrate lovers…apart from this, i agree with you 100% on the points you raised.
Thanks for visiting my space and following.
Informative post. I pray God will help our Churches to put into practice some of the issues you raised.
This should be printed and posted on gates of churches. The members are not the only ones to give……….its ok too if the church gives back
The age of accountability in this case should be when a child is grown and begins to earn an income. I love it when people disagree with me. If we all think the same way, life will be too monotonous lol.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts o.
Giving back? Very necessary. Shouldn't always be on the receiving end. Eating without going to the bathroom can lead to constipation and toxicity. Thank you Luciano.
I pray so too. Even if not all, a few or just one can make a difference in our society. Thanks.
I strongly support the notion that churches should also give back. What is the essence of having a pot bellied billionaire pastor and your congregation can’t feed or flying in a private jet yet your congregation trek to church services because they don't have transport fare.
I wish Nigerian churches can put this as a banner in their churches and follow it strictly. What is currently happening is a disgrace!
Someone once told me the best thing Nigerian churches do for you is to babysit your child on sunday. I said isn't that every church?
They said white churches end after 2-3 hours. Nigerian churches babysit and feed 'em the entire day.
Which I found hilarious and kinda true… from early morning service to morning service to praise and worship to night vigil… they are really there all day
@ Sykik, hmmmm, thank you for the support. Giving back is part of life.
Hahahaha. You are right. However, where I worship, it is 2-3 hours for a service because there are three services on Sundays. There are many churches that start as early as 7am, and when I am coming back home after third Sevice by 12:30, I peep and see members still dancing for offertory or listening to the Sermon.
I think night vigil holds on Saturdays. In my area, there are certain bedrooms I do not allow any one to sleep in on Saturdays because the loud prayers and music will definitely keep you awake till Sunday morning. In the morning you get some hours of rest before they return by 7am for the Sunday Service.
There are times where you see members picking their bags and leaving one after the other before the sermon ends.I appreciate all your comments here. Thanks.
Hi Myne, that can only happen when we ( members of The Nigerian Churches) begin to be open to constructive criticism without hating on those who say what we do not like to hear. Your wish is mine too.
Thanks for finding time to visit Newbies and even leave comments.Your encouragement is appreciated.
Also…do you know that the church I attend does all these things and yet people bad-mouth the ministry and its leader?
Its sad…people just assume what they don't know!
Eya…seriously, Is there or are there churches that do the opposite of these things? Because I believe that the fact that some of them do must have inspired you to write this!
Hi Afronuts, you are welcome here. Reality is what inspired the post. It is not fiction. This is what most Nigerians see around us.
abi oo, its high time the church gives back too. at least let us also enjoy the fruits of out labor joor!
I agree with you Afronuts. When it comes to church matters, a lot of people already have preconceived notions of what is, and there's nothing you can say to debunk these notions. The church I attend, yes, has the big buildings and all, but what is happening in the background is the stuff that is not publicized. A lot of outreaches and charity work goes on in the background, no need to blow a trumpet to that effect. K.C. Price once said that if you have not done more than what another man has, you do not earn the right to criticize. I avoid arguments that bother on church. If I am in a congregation where I see things that do not augur well, it's better to leave because the truth of the matter is that, regardless of how man has bastardized the name of the Lord via questionable church practices, the church is God's idea and He knows how to fight His battles.
That said, yes, lots of questionable and disheartening practices in some churches, but there are ways of dealing with constituted authority without incurring God's wrath. Eye opening share all the same, Eya, well done.
It is true that whatever one does, people will talk. When people accuse us of some wrong doings, I pray we are not found guilty of those. Bad-mouthing is everywhere dear.
Hi Unyime, thanks for stopping by. You are not alone on this. My thoughts were always like "whenever you are no longer comfortable, it is better to leave" But, for how long? how many churches will one change?
These days I have decided to think differently. If I am uncomfortable, I try to tolerate and even endure if possible. My consolation is always in the fact that God's word never changes. I read it on my own, so why bother about changing from one denomination to another.
A few weeks back, I heard a song that made me laugh— "To move from church to church o, na ashawo" (you hear Nigerians? we are good at composing songs uh)
I better stay put where I am and study the word on my own too.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
PLEASE CUT AND PASTE ON ALL CHURCHES IN NIGERIA.
Hmmm, the cutter and paster may not escape some flogging. LoL!