If you’re like me, you started off researching this topic with the innocent question: “Can I buy a church and live in it?” But then you noticed there was more to it than that. Questions kept popping up, including questions about religious tax benefits, zoning laws, and much more. You keep searching and reading. Before you knew it, you’ve spent an hour or two reading through countless resources and posts discussing the many different options for buying a church and everything that comes with it.
Can You Buy A Church And Live In It
Buying churches for sale is an excellent way to enjoy a more affordable and sustainable alternative to renting. With many congregations downsizing or shutting down completely, there are numerous churches on the market. With the right guidance, buying a church and living in it can be a rewarding way to live.
Yes, you can buy and move into a church. This is what people did in a time when there was no State. Different people had different jobs in public service. Someone organized construction of the church, someone led and preached about religion, someone taught children reading and writing, and someone was responsible for security. Just like now different people have different jobs for access to better life. Big difference between then and now it is that there is a State and you are not paying for these services because taxes are forced from you. The State steals your money to pay for this service.
The architecture of a church is always fascinating. With its majestic spires, stain-glass windows and soaring towers, it’s not difficult to understand why this building captivates so many people. The churches are not only places for worship, but also a way for the faithful to come together and strengthen their beliefs. But did you know that you can now purchase churches from the thousands of abandoned ones that litter the UK? It might sound a little strange at first, but converted churches can actually be incredibly beautiful homes that have been cleverly adapted to suit modern living…
Yes, you can buy a church and live in it. However, there are some restrictions to consider. You cannot change the use of the building—which means that it must be used for religious purposes. If you want to live in a church, you will have to find an abandoned one or one that has been closed down for some other reason (such as bankruptcy).
You may also need to obtain permission from the local government before buying an abandoned church. In addition, most states require that any building purchased for residential use must be inspected by their fire marshal before permits can be issued for its conversion into a home.
Churches. Schools. Commercial spaces. All of these things are being converted into homes at an incredible rate, and there’s no sign that the trend will slow down anytime soon. Why? Well, because we need houses to live in, so naturally we’re using any space we can find for the purpose of housing human beings. And if you’ve ever seen one of these conversion projects, you know why they’re so popular: Churches can make stunningly beautiful homes (especially when they’re treated with care). Let’s take a look at some of the most inspiring examples of churches converted into homes, plus other unconventional places that have been turned into stunning residences over the last few years:
A growing number of churches are being converted into homes.
A growing number of churches are being converted into homes. Although not as common, it is possible for a church to become your home, but keep in mind that zoning and other laws may limit what can be done with the building.
How Much Does It Cost?
The price of a church conversion varies depending on the location and condition of the building. In general, you should plan on spending between $100-$150 per square foot (or $10K -$20K per 1,000 square feet) depending on whether or not you plan to do any major renovations such as adding kitchens or baths. If you’re buying a church with an existing kitchen or bathroom already in place then that could save money as well as time spent during construction putting those spaces together yourself! Some churches have additional amenities like stained glass windows which add additional value while others need more repairs than others due to being abandoned over time.”
Schools, schools and more schools.
Schools often have large rooms and big windows. This makes them more comfortable to live in, and better for your skin. Schools also tend to be on busier streets, which can make it easier to get around (if you’re driving).
Furthermore, schools are built with large open spaces in mind—large enough to fit the desks and bookshelves that students need. This means there’s plenty of room for furniture! Whether you want an apartment or just a single-room studio apartment (studio) or even just one bedroom apartment (one bedroom), these types of apartments will be much easier to find at a school than anywhere else
Unconventional places can make charming homes.
If you’re looking to buy a church, there are many possibilities. Churches can be converted into apartments, office space, restaurants and hotels.
In fact, some churches have been converted into homes by driving off the congregation with their outlandish behavior. But don’t feel bad! They’re probably not mad at you—they just want to live their lives without being interrupted every week by some stranger telling them what to believe about God (or not-God).
So if you’re thinking about buying your own church building that’s been abandoned by its original owners for whatever reason—don’t sweat it! There are still plenty of great places that haven’t been taken over yet.
Churches are often in desirable neighborhoods.
Churches are often located in desirable neighborhoods because they are often part of historic districts, and historic districts are usually very well-maintained. This means that when you buy a church, the neighborhood will be a desirable place to live!
The character and charm of churches is reflected in their architecture and design. You can find churches from many different periods and styles of architecture, so you know that your new home will have some unique features that set it apart from other houses on the block.
Converted churches can make beautiful homes.
Churches can make beautiful homes, offices and hotels.
- Churches have an interesting history and often have a lot of character. Sometimes there are even stories about ghostly encounters or sightings.
- If you’re lucky enough to live in an old church with a lot of architectural features that can’t be replicated in modern construction, you may be able to keep them intact during the conversion process.
- Some churches are located near scenic areas where people like to go hiking or skiing; others are located next door to famous landmarks such as monuments and statues; still others are near bustling cities where tourists flock from all over the world every year!
If A Church Building Is Sold Who Gets The Money
As the many business concerns of Nigeria’s mega Pentecostal churches increasingly become public knowledge, many within and outside Christendom are raising questions regarding the true ownership of these businesses and all other assets purportedly owned by the church.
These voices are becoming louder in the face of worsening economic crunch. As things get tougher, many Christians who had hitherto shown no interest are beginning to ask how their tithes and offerings are managed, especially due to perceived injustice in the system where a privileged few among the church leadership live flamboyantly, junket about in private jets and exotic cars and live in exquisite mansions in choice locations, while majority of the congregation, whose offerings and tithes fill the churches’ coffers, wallow in abject penury.
Recall that in an earlier report (see “Business behind the pulpit”, Sunday, June 19, 2016), BDSUNDAY had chronicled some of the major businesses of Nigeria’s mega-churches running into billions of naira.
BDSUNDAY had also cited a 2011 list of the five richest pastors in Nigeria published by Forbes. According to the report authored by Mfonobong Nsehe, Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel), who is said to own four private jets and homes in London and the United States and whose estimated net worth was put at $150 million, tops the list. He is followed, in that order, by Chris Oyakhilome, founder of Believers Loveworld (Christ Embassy), whose net worth was estimated at $30 million-$50 million; T.B. Joshua of Synagogue Church of All Nations, whose net worth was estimated at $10 million-$15 million; Matthew Ashimolowo, founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), with an estimated net worth of $6 million-$10 million, and Chris Okotie, owner of Household of God Church, whose net worth is estimated at $3 million-$10 million.
For many who spoke to BDSUNDAY, there should ordinarily be no question about ownership of the church or its assets because, in the first place, the church ought to be the church of God. However, with the way present-day churches are being run, many say they are beginning to seriously doubt if most of the church founders do not see the churches and their numerous businesses as their personal investments. For many, therefore, it may just be another case of 12 and half a dozen as there is indeed a very thin line separating the founder (or pastor) and the church.
But Nsehe, in response to questions regarding why Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was not on the Forbes’ list, quoted a source at RCCG as saying that Pastor Adeboye does not exactly own the church.
“He’s just the General Overseer, so he doesn’t own the assets of the church or any other vast estate. As a matter of fact, the Private Jet he uses belongs not to him, but to the church. But, definitely, he’s considerably rich,” he said.
Corroborating this view, Sunnie Amojor, an RCCG parish pastor and president, TotalMan Fellowship, a non-profit men leadership organisation, says the assets belong to RCCG, admitting, however, that he does not know what is written in the church’s constitution.
“We have Board of Trustees, we have directors and others. I don’t have information on what happens up there. As far as the management of the church’s assets is concerned, the G.O. only takes what the church gives to him. But he has his own ministry, Christ the Redeemer Ministry (CRM), which is different from the church. I don’t know whether the schools and other assets are his or the church’s,” he says.
Bishop Egowa Matthew of the Church of God Mission International (CGMI), Lagos East Bishopric, says the church is neither a man’s business nor a man’s idea. The church and all its assets, according to him, solely belong to God and God alone.
“But there are those we call stakeholders. Stakeholders are the trustees, the different committees. The founder, that is, the visioner, is a stakeholder; then all members of the church, both new and old. They are all equal owners of the church,” he says.
“For instance, if the church owns an aircraft or a bus, who are those that will use it? The church members. When a church owns a canteen, who are those that will eat there? The church members. So, all the stakeholders, from the founder to the new and old members, are equal owners of anything called church assets,” he adds.
Wole Adesokan, a local pastor in one of the big Pentecostal churches in Festac Town, Lagos, says church assets are owned by God but held in trust by the congregation.
“The General Superintendent of our church does not have any stake in the church assets. Even when the church built a house for him, he was so grateful and appreciative of it. And the church has to impress it on him before he accepted to use the jeep he currently drives,” Adesokan says.
“As a pastor here, I do not have the knowledge of what is collected either as tithes or offerings during services. Rather, some persons are appointed within the church to count money, and after each service those people take record and move the cash to the appropriate place,” he adds.
Another Pentecostal pastor in Festac Town, who pleaded anonymity, says it varies from church to church.
“As a junior pastor here, I can only speak about our church because every church has its own management style. This church was registered in the senior pastor’s name since he is the founder, so based on that one can draw inference that the pastor acts as a surety for every asset that belongs to the church,” he says.
“I don’t rationalise. I pay my tithes and offerings to God. It’s left for the pastor to answer when God comes calling. Trust me, I really don’t put my nose in things I don’t have any business with. Assets aren’t bad, maybe when the church needs money for a project they can sell it,” says Chimeze Agumbah, a worshipper in Lagos.
Money as motivating factor
Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, establishment of churches has become a booming business. The proliferation of churches, especially the Pentecostal brand, in every nook and cranny has since become the order of the day. Between that time and now, several factories have given way to churches.
While some founders of these churches may have divine calling, BDSUNDAY gathered that the motivation for many is money. Because these churches are registered as not-for-profit organisations, they are not taxed, and there is also no law governing the use of church money, unlike in Western countries, despite the huge amounts the churches rake in through donations, tithes and offerings.
Sometime ago, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, founder and presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), identified the love of money as the motivation behind modern-day Pentecostalism.
“The PFN leadership has discovered that money has sadly become the major yardstick for (measuring) success in the church, especially the Pentecostal, in this end time. Prosperity messages have, therefore, taken centre stage of most preaching at the expense of full gospel messages,” said Okonkwo, a former president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the umbrella body of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria.
Okonkwo noted that in many instances, after some power-packed messages, in which the pastor usually expends a lot of energy, the people are called upon to sow seed of faith which is a way of telling the faithful to turn out their pockets and drop whatever little is still left in there, so that God can proper them. The cleric said that such pronouncements which some of the pastors make, which they also erroneously support with bible quotations, are made to extract money from the congregation.
Sometimes members of the congregation are intimidated and frightened into making donations and impossible vows and pledges because their pastors had placed a curse on those who refuse to give.
A Catholic priest, who expressed sadness over the goings-on in the Christendom, lamented that a good number of pastors have abandoned their calling. “Nowadays, we have so many sects, so many churches in quote, and self-acclaimed religious leaders who take upon themselves to say they have been sent by God, yet they tend to exploit, cheat and feed on the people rather than do the work God has actually called them to do,” said the priest, who craved anonymity.
Our further enquiries also reveal that the fight over who controls the church funds – or the quest to be a church owner and so fully be in charge of the church’s funds – is mostly responsible for the proliferation of churches today.
“It is possible that a pastor, priest, prophet could be instructed to start a new work by God, and it is imperative that such a one must obey, but majority of the crowd masquerading as founders of churches were not divinely authorised to do so,” wrote Obinna Akukwe, a Christian, in a 2013 article published on http://africanspotlight.com, adding that such things create bad blood, divisions, quarrels and enmity and at the end it is the flock of Jesus Christ that suffers.
Administration of tithes
Beyond the question of ownership of church assets, many Christians, including pastors, are not happy with the manner of administration of tithes and offerings in many Nigerian churches. Those who spoke to BDSUNDAY are irked by what they termed injustice in the system that does not give priority to the poor and needy, the very purpose for which God instituted tithes. They decried a situation where a higher percentage of money realised from tithes and offering at the local churches is taken to the headquarters for whatever use, leaving the local churches that generate the money pauperised.
Ejike Ofonna, ex-assistant pastor, Area Head, RCCG, says it is an aberration that the church is now owned by board of trustees and general overseers who do with the church money as they please, while ordinary members who give tithes and offerings pine away in abject poverty, a situation he describes as a clear case of ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’.
“It’s just like what happens in Lagos between commercial bus drivers, their conductors and ‘agberos’ (area boys). The ‘agberos’ don’t render account to the people they collect money from. On the road, you will see ‘agberos’ everywhere taking money they call ‘chairman’s money’, but drivers and conductors don’t know how the money is spent. Nobody gives account to the people the money is collected from, but they pay every day. It’s the same thing with today’s church,” Ofonna says.
“You pay offering and tithes and they say ‘to the glory of God’, whereas men somewhere sit down and consume the money. The private jets belong to the general overseers who are the owners of church assets because some of the properties are bought in their names. They tell you the assets belong to the church, but when you look at it, the ordinary members who regularly contribute to the overall purse do not really benefit,” he tells BDSUNDAY.
He emphasizes that tithes are primarily for the poor in the church and those serving as full-time ministers, not meant for buying private jets and building mansions.
“The first Apostles did not call for tithes and vows but distributed whatever came from freewill offerings equitably and God added more souls to them. It is now about building large auditorium where God does not dwell at the expense of building disciples where God wants to dwell. People are hungry and suffering wretchedness; the widow that is frying beans on the road, we will tell her to pay tithe and when she finishes paying, her children cannot attend schools built by the same church. When her landlord throws her things outside, nobody wants to listen to her. It is quite an unfortunate situation. And yet, there is so much meat in the storehouse,” he says.
He also regrets that when a local church is embarking on a development, the headquarters does not contribute anything to it, but once the project is completed, they come and take the glory.
“When we were buying a property in Orile Iganmu area of Lagos, nobody gave us money. But immediately we finished paying for the property, officials from RCCG headquarters came to register the property as RCCG’s,” he says.
Corroborating this view, Reverend Bauta Motti, provost, ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos, Plateau State, who spoke to BDSUNDAY over the telephone, laments a situation where, for instance, N400,000 is realised as tithes in a month and only N100,000 would be left in the local assembly whose members gave the tithes and the rest taken to the headquarters.
“Where do you expect the local pastor to see funds to take care of the needy ones among his congregants? The poor really need to be motivated from the little we are gathering in churches. With the kind of money we are gathering, there is a need for the needy to be given primary concern since they are the essence of tithes and offerings, rather than building projects,” he says.
He says that biblically speaking, tithes and offerings are supposed to be spent in a local assembly where they were raised, adding that undermining that biblical injunction has brought inequity and unfairness to church administration, particularly in big churches.
“Tithes and thanksgiving are meant for the local brethren, not to be taken elsewhere at whatever percentage. If we should go back and do what the scripture says on this matter, a lot of people will be lifted out of extreme poverty. Tithes are particularly meant for the orphans, widows, strangers and other needy people; it is not for building projects. Rather than feed the hungry flock, we are now more concerned about physical structure and private jets,” he says.
The question of succession
One other issue that is fuelling discontent among church members is the manner of succession. No one lives forever, and so, as some of the church founders get older, church members are getting increasingly rattled. Many within the church, however, fear that some church founders, because they see the church as their personal investment, may be grooming their children or other family members to take over from them.
Although BDSUNDAY could not get the registration documents of the mega-churches in the country so as to know the names of directors and possible manner of succession in the event of death of their founders, our research shows that for a church like Winners Chapel, for instance, its succession pattern is enshrined in the church’s ‘Red Book’ or ‘Mandate’.
However, a cursory look at the governance structure of Covenant University, owned by Winners Chapel, shows that the World Mission Agency (WMA), an arm of the church, is the proprietor of the university. The Board of Trustee of WMA appoints members and also elects the chairman of the Board of Regents (Governing Council), the apex governing body of Covenant University. Oyedepo, the founder and presiding Bishop of Winners’ Chapel, is chancellor of the university, chairman of the Board of Trustee of WMA, as well as chairman of Board of Regents.
BDSUNDAY research into the structure of RCCG also shows that Pastor E. A. Adeboye serves as General Overseer, chairman of Governing Council, and chairman Board of Trustees of the church. However, apart from Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, whose name appears among members of the Governing Council and whose only title is Mother-in-Israel and Wife of the General Overseer, there is no member of the Adeboye family serving in the church’s governing council, as special assistant to the general overseer, or on nine-member Board of Trustees. Sources close to the church say the way RCCG is structured, Adeboye’s wife succeeding him is a far shot.
But if precedents are anything to go by, and given that many of these churches are worth several hundreds of millions in assets, there are reasons to believe that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for anyone outside the immediate family of these church founders to succeed them.
At the death of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, founder and former leader of Church of God Mission International, in 1998, his wife, Margaret, took over the leadership of the church.
Similarly, following the gruesome murder of Bishop Harford Anayo Iloputaife, founder and presiding bishop of the Victory Christian Centre, by unknown assailants, his wife, Nkechi, took over the helm of affairs at the church as the presiding bishop.
Church money also goes into philanthropy
In truth, some of Nigeria’s churches that have enormous resources and are truly led by the spirit are giving back to society in various ways, especially by reaching out to the poor and the less-privileged.
“We use the income of the church to build schools; we use the income of the church to serve the needs of the poor. These are non-profit organisations,” Bishop Oyedepo told Reuters in an interview.
Stories also abound of churches that have helped their indigent members to pay hospital bills, house rents and even such basic necessities as food.
Aloysius Odoh, a middle-aged man, is a member of Saint Michael’s Anglican Church, Coker, Lagos, where he also works as the church’s Sexton. Recently, Aloy was struck down by a strange illness which required a large sum of money to treat. The church lived up to its billing by picking up his hospital bills and also came to his rescue when his landlord served him a quit notice by paying for a new three-bedroom apartment where he and his family live now.
Some big churches that have the capacity even embark on community development projects such as rehabilitation of roads and tarring of streets, sinking of boreholes for the use of people within their immediate surroundings, provision of streetlights, among others.
The church, right from the time of the early missionaries, has always shown burning interest in education and have, where the resources are available, gone all out to promote teaching and learning either by establishing their own private schools, or by helping to improve existing or build new structures in public schools.
Such interest was manifested recently when the LP 40 of RCCG, otherwise known as Solid Rock Parish, built, furnished and presented to the Lagos State government a magnificent block of 12 classrooms at Ojodu Primary School in Ikeja area of the state.
The Ojodu Primary School project, built with the best of modern architecture and furnished with state-of-the-art facilities, is the church’s own “little way” of supporting and complementing the efforts of the state government at providing quality education for its pupils in a conducive learning environment.
Though the cost of that building could not be ascertained, given the size, quality of the structure and the facilities provided, it could be safely said that the project must have cost the church hundreds of millions of naira to make it stand where and how it is.
The project is just the first in the series of such schools the church intends to build in various schools across the state and, according to Femi Atoyebi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the pastor in charge of RCCG Region 19, the church is “committed to building one block of 12 classrooms every year for the next few years”.
BDSUNDAY check on the website of Kings University in Osun State, owned by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), shows that the tertiary institution offered scholarship opportunities in two categories to exceptional students for the 2015/2016 academic session.
The Matthew Ashimolowo Scholarship Scheme (MASS), as advertised on the website, had a total of 40 full tuition and accommodation scholarships for academically outstanding applicants of Kings University in the areas of Management Sciences (10 students), Information Technology (10 students), and Sciences (20 students); while KICC Scholarship Scheme had a total of 80 full tuition and accommodation scholarships for academically outstanding applicants of Kings University in the following categories: Ode-Omu indigenes (5 students), Management Sciences (25 students), Information Technology (20 students), and Sciences (30 students).
However, many Nigerians say considering the immense wealth controlled by these churches, they should be able to do more.
“Why should a church use money from the congregation’s tithes and offerings to set up a school and children of the poor people in the church cannot attend the schools because of exorbitant fees?” fumed Ayo David, a worshipper with one of the popular churches.
The church conversion trend is growing, with an increasing number of buyers looking to convert churches into homes. If you are thinking about buying a church to turn it into your home, then there are many factors that you need to consider before making an offer.
Who Owns The Church Property
As the many business concerns of Nigeria’s mega Pentecostal churches increasingly become public knowledge, many within and outside Christendom are raising questions regarding the true ownership of these businesses and all other assets purportedly owned by the church.
These voices are becoming louder in the face of worsening economic crunch. As things get tougher, many Christians who had hitherto shown no interest are beginning to ask how their tithes and offerings are managed, especially due to perceived injustice in the system where a privileged few among the church leadership live flamboyantly, junket about in private jets and exotic cars and live in exquisite mansions in choice locations, while majority of the congregation, whose offerings and tithes fill the churches’ coffers, wallow in abject penury.
Recall that in an earlier report (see “Business behind the pulpit”, Sunday, June 19, 2016), BDSUNDAY had chronicled some of the major businesses of Nigeria’s mega-churches running into billions of naira.
BDSUNDAY had also cited a 2011 list of the five richest pastors in Nigeria published by Forbes. According to the report authored by Mfonobong Nsehe, Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel), who is said to own four private jets and homes in London and the United States and whose estimated net worth was put at $150 million, tops the list. He is followed, in that order, by Chris Oyakhilome, founder of Believers Loveworld (Christ Embassy), whose net worth was estimated at $30 million-$50 million; T.B. Joshua of Synagogue Church of All Nations, whose net worth was estimated at $10 million-$15 million; Matthew Ashimolowo, founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), with an estimated net worth of $6 million-$10 million, and Chris Okotie, owner of Household of God Church, whose net worth is estimated at $3 million-$10 million.
For many who spoke to BDSUNDAY, there should ordinarily be no question about ownership of the church or its assets because, in the first place, the church ought to be the church of God. However, with the way present-day churches are being run, many say they are beginning to seriously doubt if most of the church founders do not see the churches and their numerous businesses as their personal investments. For many, therefore, it may just be another case of 12 and half a dozen as there is indeed a very thin line separating the founder (or pastor) and the church.
But Nsehe, in response to questions regarding why Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was not on the Forbes’ list, quoted a source at RCCG as saying that Pastor Adeboye does not exactly own the church.
“He’s just the General Overseer, so he doesn’t own the assets of the church or any other vast estate. As a matter of fact, the Private Jet he uses belongs not to him, but to the church. But, definitely, he’s considerably rich,” he said.
Corroborating this view, Sunnie Amojor, an RCCG parish pastor and president, TotalMan Fellowship, a non-profit men leadership organisation, says the assets belong to RCCG, admitting, however, that he does not know what is written in the church’s constitution.
“We have Board of Trustees, we have directors and others. I don’t have information on what happens up there. As far as the management of the church’s assets is concerned, the G.O. only takes what the church gives to him. But he has his own ministry, Christ the Redeemer Ministry (CRM), which is different from the church. I don’t know whether the schools and other assets are his or the church’s,” he says.
Bishop Egowa Matthew of the Church of God Mission International (CGMI), Lagos East Bishopric, says the church is neither a man’s business nor a man’s idea. The church and all its assets, according to him, solely belong to God and God alone.
“But there are those we call stakeholders. Stakeholders are the trustees, the different committees. The founder, that is, the visioner, is a stakeholder; then all members of the church, both new and old. They are all equal owners of the church,” he says.
“For instance, if the church owns an aircraft or a bus, who are those that will use it? The church members. When a church owns a canteen, who are those that will eat there? The church members. So, all the stakeholders, from the founder to the new and old members, are equal owners of anything called church assets,” he adds.
Wole Adesokan, a local pastor in one of the big Pentecostal churches in Festac Town, Lagos, says church assets are owned by God but held in trust by the congregation.
“The General Superintendent of our church does not have any stake in the church assets. Even when the church built a house for him, he was so grateful and appreciative of it. And the church has to impress it on him before he accepted to use the jeep he currently drives,” Adesokan says.
“As a pastor here, I do not have the knowledge of what is collected either as tithes or offerings during services. Rather, some persons are appointed within the church to count money, and after each service those people take record and move the cash to the appropriate place,” he adds.
Another Pentecostal pastor in Festac Town, who pleaded anonymity, says it varies from church to church.
“As a junior pastor here, I can only speak about our church because every church has its own management style. This church was registered in the senior pastor’s name since he is the founder, so based on that one can draw inference that the pastor acts as a surety for every asset that belongs to the church,” he says.
“I don’t rationalise. I pay my tithes and offerings to God. It’s left for the pastor to answer when God comes calling. Trust me, I really don’t put my nose in things I don’t have any business with. Assets aren’t bad, maybe when the church needs money for a project they can sell it,” says Chimeze Agumbah, a worshipper in Lagos.
Money as motivating factor
Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, establishment of churches has become a booming business. The proliferation of churches, especially the Pentecostal brand, in every nook and cranny has since become the order of the day. Between that time and now, several factories have given way to churches.
While some founders of these churches may have divine calling, BDSUNDAY gathered that the motivation for many is money. Because these churches are registered as not-for-profit organisations, they are not taxed, and there is also no law governing the use of church money, unlike in Western countries, despite the huge amounts the churches rake in through donations, tithes and offerings.
Sometime ago, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, founder and presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), identified the love of money as the motivation behind modern-day Pentecostalism.
“The PFN leadership has discovered that money has sadly become the major yardstick for (measuring) success in the church, especially the Pentecostal, in this end time. Prosperity messages have, therefore, taken centre stage of most preaching at the expense of full gospel messages,” said Okonkwo, a former president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the umbrella body of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria.
Okonkwo noted that in many instances, after some power-packed messages, in which the pastor usually expends a lot of energy, the people are called upon to sow seed of faith which is a way of telling the faithful to turn out their pockets and drop whatever little is still left in there, so that God can proper them. The cleric said that such pronouncements which some of the pastors make, which they also erroneously support with bible quotations, are made to extract money from the congregation.
Sometimes members of the congregation are intimidated and frightened into making donations and impossible vows and pledges because their pastors had placed a curse on those who refuse to give.
A Catholic priest, who expressed sadness over the goings-on in the Christendom, lamented that a good number of pastors have abandoned their calling. “Nowadays, we have so many sects, so many churches in quote, and self-acclaimed religious leaders who take upon themselves to say they have been sent by God, yet they tend to exploit, cheat and feed on the people rather than do the work God has actually called them to do,” said the priest, who craved anonymity.
Our further enquiries also reveal that the fight over who controls the church funds – or the quest to be a church owner and so fully be in charge of the church’s funds – is mostly responsible for the proliferation of churches today.
“It is possible that a pastor, priest, prophet could be instructed to start a new work by God, and it is imperative that such a one must obey, but majority of the crowd masquerading as founders of churches were not divinely authorised to do so,” wrote Obinna Akukwe, a Christian, in a 2013 article published on http://africanspotlight.com, adding that such things create bad blood, divisions, quarrels and enmity and at the end it is the flock of Jesus Christ that suffers.
Administration of tithes
Beyond the question of ownership of church assets, many Christians, including pastors, are not happy with the manner of administration of tithes and offerings in many Nigerian churches. Those who spoke to BDSUNDAY are irked by what they termed injustice in the system that does not give priority to the poor and needy, the very purpose for which God instituted tithes. They decried a situation where a higher percentage of money realised from tithes and offering at the local churches is taken to the headquarters for whatever use, leaving the local churches that generate the money pauperised.
Ejike Ofonna, ex-assistant pastor, Area Head, RCCG, says it is an aberration that the church is now owned by board of trustees and general overseers who do with the church money as they please, while ordinary members who give tithes and offerings pine away in abject poverty, a situation he describes as a clear case of ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’.
“It’s just like what happens in Lagos between commercial bus drivers, their conductors and ‘agberos’ (area boys). The ‘agberos’ don’t render account to the people they collect money from. On the road, you will see ‘agberos’ everywhere taking money they call ‘chairman’s money’, but drivers and conductors don’t know how the money is spent. Nobody gives account to the people the money is collected from, but they pay every day. It’s the same thing with today’s church,” Ofonna says.
“You pay offering and tithes and they say ‘to the glory of God’, whereas men somewhere sit down and consume the money. The private jets belong to the general overseers who are the owners of church assets because some of the properties are bought in their names. They tell you the assets belong to the church, but when you look at it, the ordinary members who regularly contribute to the overall purse do not really benefit,” he tells BDSUNDAY.
He emphasizes that tithes are primarily for the poor in the church and those serving as full-time ministers, not meant for buying private jets and building mansions.
“The first Apostles did not call for tithes and vows but distributed whatever came from freewill offerings equitably and God added more souls to them. It is now about building large auditorium where God does not dwell at the expense of building disciples where God wants to dwell. People are hungry and suffering wretchedness; the widow that is frying beans on the road, we will tell her to pay tithe and when she finishes paying, her children cannot attend schools built by the same church. When her landlord throws her things outside, nobody wants to listen to her. It is quite an unfortunate situation. And yet, there is so much meat in the storehouse,” he says.
He also regrets that when a local church is embarking on a development, the headquarters does not contribute anything to it, but once the project is completed, they come and take the glory.
“When we were buying a property in Orile Iganmu area of Lagos, nobody gave us money. But immediately we finished paying for the property, officials from RCCG headquarters came to register the property as RCCG’s,” he says.
Corroborating this view, Reverend Bauta Motti, provost, ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos, Plateau State, who spoke to BDSUNDAY over the telephone, laments a situation where, for instance, N400,000 is realised as tithes in a month and only N100,000 would be left in the local assembly whose members gave the tithes and the rest taken to the headquarters.
“Where do you expect the local pastor to see funds to take care of the needy ones among his congregants? The poor really need to be motivated from the little we are gathering in churches. With the kind of money we are gathering, there is a need for the needy to be given primary concern since they are the essence of tithes and offerings, rather than building projects,” he says.
He says that biblically speaking, tithes and offerings are supposed to be spent in a local assembly where they were raised, adding that undermining that biblical injunction has brought inequity and unfairness to church administration, particularly in big churches.
“Tithes and thanksgiving are meant for the local brethren, not to be taken elsewhere at whatever percentage. If we should go back and do what the scripture says on this matter, a lot of people will be lifted out of extreme poverty. Tithes are particularly meant for the orphans, widows, strangers and other needy people; it is not for building projects. Rather than feed the hungry flock, we are now more concerned about physical structure and private jets,” he says.
The question of succession
One other issue that is fuelling discontent among church members is the manner of succession. No one lives forever, and so, as some of the church founders get older, church members are getting increasingly rattled. Many within the church, however, fear that some church founders, because they see the church as their personal investment, may be grooming their children or other family members to take over from them.
Although BDSUNDAY could not get the registration documents of the mega-churches in the country so as to know the names of directors and possible manner of succession in the event of death of their founders, our research shows that for a church like Winners Chapel, for instance, its succession pattern is enshrined in the church’s ‘Red Book’ or ‘Mandate’.
However, a cursory look at the governance structure of Covenant University, owned by Winners Chapel, shows that the World Mission Agency (WMA), an arm of the church, is the proprietor of the university. The Board of Trustee of WMA appoints members and also elects the chairman of the Board of Regents (Governing Council), the apex governing body of Covenant University. Oyedepo, the founder and presiding Bishop of Winners’ Chapel, is chancellor of the university, chairman of the Board of Trustee of WMA, as well as chairman of Board of Regents.
BDSUNDAY research into the structure of RCCG also shows that Pastor E. A. Adeboye serves as General Overseer, chairman of Governing Council, and chairman Board of Trustees of the church. However, apart from Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, whose name appears among members of the Governing Council and whose only title is Mother-in-Israel and Wife of the General Overseer, there is no member of the Adeboye family serving in the church’s governing council, as special assistant to the general overseer, or on nine-member Board of Trustees. Sources close to the church say the way RCCG is structured, Adeboye’s wife succeeding him is a far shot.
But if precedents are anything to go by, and given that many of these churches are worth several hundreds of millions in assets, there are reasons to believe that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for anyone outside the immediate family of these church founders to succeed them.
At the death of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, founder and former leader of Church of God Mission International, in 1998, his wife, Margaret, took over the leadership of the church.
Similarly, following the gruesome murder of Bishop Harford Anayo Iloputaife, founder and presiding bishop of the Victory Christian Centre, by unknown assailants, his wife, Nkechi, took over the helm of affairs at the church as the presiding bishop.
Church money also goes into philanthropy
In truth, some of Nigeria’s churches that have enormous resources and are truly led by the spirit are giving back to society in various ways, especially by reaching out to the poor and the less-privileged.
“We use the income of the church to build schools; we use the income of the church to serve the needs of the poor. These are non-profit organisations,” Bishop Oyedepo told Reuters in an interview.
Stories also abound of churches that have helped their indigent members to pay hospital bills, house rents and even such basic necessities as food.
Aloysius Odoh, a middle-aged man, is a member of Saint Michael’s Anglican Church, Coker, Lagos, where he also works as the church’s Sexton. Recently, Aloy was struck down by a strange illness which required a large sum of money to treat. The church lived up to its billing by picking up his hospital bills and also came to his rescue when his landlord served him a quit notice by paying for a new three-bedroom apartment where he and his family live now.
Some big churches that have the capacity even embark on community development projects such as rehabilitation of roads and tarring of streets, sinking of boreholes for the use of people within their immediate surroundings, provision of streetlights, among others.
The church, right from the time of the early missionaries, has always shown burning interest in education and have, where the resources are available, gone all out to promote teaching and learning either by establishing their own private schools, or by helping to improve existing or build new structures in public schools.
Such interest was manifested recently when the LP 40 of RCCG, otherwise known as Solid Rock Parish, built, furnished and presented to the Lagos State government a magnificent block of 12 classrooms at Ojodu Primary School in Ikeja area of the state.
The Ojodu Primary School project, built with the best of modern architecture and furnished with state-of-the-art facilities, is the church’s own “little way” of supporting and complementing the efforts of the state government at providing quality education for its pupils in a conducive learning environment.
Though the cost of that building could not be ascertained, given the size, quality of the structure and the facilities provided, it could be safely said that the project must have cost the church hundreds of millions of naira to make it stand where and how it is.
The project is just the first in the series of such schools the church intends to build in various schools across the state and, according to Femi Atoyebi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the pastor in charge of RCCG Region 19, the church is “committed to building one block of 12 classrooms every year for the next few years”.
BDSUNDAY check on the website of Kings University in Osun State, owned by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), shows that the tertiary institution offered scholarship opportunities in two categories to exceptional students for the 2015/2016 academic session.
The Matthew Ashimolowo Scholarship Scheme (MASS), as advertised on the website, had a total of 40 full tuition and accommodation scholarships for academically outstanding applicants of Kings University in the areas of Management Sciences (10 students), Information Technology (10 students), and Sciences (20 students); while KICC Scholarship Scheme had a total of 80 full tuition and accommodation scholarships for academically outstanding applicants of Kings University in the following categories: Ode-Omu indigenes (5 students), Management Sciences (25 students), Information Technology (20 students), and Sciences (30 students).
However, many Nigerians say considering the immense wealth controlled by these churches, they should be able to do more.
“Why should a church use money from the congregation’s tithes and offerings to set up a school and children of the poor people in the church cannot attend the schools because of exorbitant fees?” fumed Ayo David, a worshipper with one of the popular churches.
What Happens To The Money When A Church Closes
The remaining assets (money) must be used for an exempt (tax-exempt) purpose that also qualifies under section 501(c)(3). The non-technical answer is that leftover funds must be donated to another non-profit charity. For churches, that probably means donating the money to another church.
