The Connection Between Abusive Churches and Greed

The history of Israel is steeped in the sins of idolatry. What that looked like prior to exile was simple and stark. The nation, against God’s clear commands, worshipped physical idols, bowing down to them on high places. These demonic “little gods” ruled the Promised Land prior to being conquered. They were supposed to be forsaken and destroyed, but their lure wooed many. The primary reason God sent the nation to exile was because of their adoration of lesser gods.

But something interesting happens when you get to the New Testament. You don’t really see the nation grappling with foreign gods. It’s almost as if they’ve learned their lesson. And the keepers of this better way of living were the religious leaders of the day who created elaborate sets of rules to prevent such a thing. They may have thought, hey, we conquered that one, and we learned our lesson. No more idolatry!

But they didn’t understand they were just as trapped by it. Just not in a form they expected.

We see Jesus lecturing the Pharisees in Luke 11-12. Take note of these two passages:

Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.” Luke 11:39-41

and:

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:16-21

Jesus spent a lot of time denouncing the ways of the Pharisees. He pulled away the layers, then exposed something sinister beneath: greed. Not only did the religious leaders oppress the people and tie unnecessary burdens on them, but they were greedy. They wanted more cash money!

Later, we see the Apostle Paul clearly calling greed what it is at its essence: idolatry.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Colossians 3:5

and

You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Ephesians 5:5

So, the Pharisees traded the nation’s ancient idolatry of worshipping demonic statues to another form of it: greed. And if you think about it, it makes sense. A little god was supposed to help you manage life. If you appeased it, health and wealth would follow. If you displeased it, bad things would happen. It was about exercising control over your world.

Greed is similar. Money helps you manage your life. It buys health and is a sign of wealth. If you don’t have it, bad things typically happen. If you have it, you can exercise control over your world. You can buy your way out of trouble.

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Fast forward to the American church.

We don’t even see the greed because we swim in it.

I remember seeing it only after we’d lived overseas for a few years. It’s endemic to our culture and our church world.

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Just as the pharisees were abusive in other ways toward their “congregation,” they also practiced the idolatry of greed.

And just as predatory church systems and leaders are abusive toward their congregation, they often practice the idolatry of greed.

Here are some examples I’m personally aware of:

• Churches forcing employees to tithe.

• Paid leaders pulling lay leaders aside, letting them know they cannot do ministry unless they give more money (usually a specific amount set by the leader) to the church. It’s a pay to pray sort of scheme.

• Pastors with salaries (padded by a housing allowance, extra speaker fees, social media income) that exceed a half a million dollars and higher. (Caveat: I know many, many faithful pastors who struggle financially, who are bi-vocational, who rely on their spouse’s insurance. They are faithful with what they have). But there are some pastors living far above their means.

• Pastors with multi-million dollar houses, expensive cars, live-in nannies, private jet usage or first class privileges.

• Leaders who ignore most of the congregation but give extra attention and access to the wealthiest members of the church.

• Similarly, spending part of the church budget on big donors, providing elaborate getaways to hunting excursions, resorts, and high end luxury vacations.

• Churches courting corporate sponsorships. Yes, this happens.

• Outrageous building campaigns totaling in the hundreds of millions.

• Adherence to a prosperity gospel mindset coupled with high pressure sales tactics. “Sow a seed of $1,000, and God will bless you back.” It’s not always this stark, but there are subtle ways this mindset is promoted from the pulpit and in church communications.

• Churches buying extra assets beyond the scope of ministry.

• Performative generosity where churches use a gift as a PR campaign. “We paid off these student loans.” “We paid off this much medical debt.” While some of these are benevolent, it’s hard to know motivation. Does this public generosity steer away those asking questions about what’s really happening financially? The church could respond, “Yes, but look at all the good things we have done with your tithes and offerings.”

• Dismantling the care ministries of the church. (No more food pantry, car ministries, etc.)

• Using church budgetary funds to buy social media followers for the main leader and “Investing” in elaborate podcasting or youtubing studios, then leveraging the platforms for financial gain.

• Hosting paid leadership events so other leaders around the world can pay to be taught and mentored for thousands of dollars each.

• Pastors trading pulpits for stipends. If a megachurch pastor preaches in another friend’s megachurch, they can earn tens of thousands of dollars for each engagement.

Plainly: this is idolatry in action. Some churches and some leaders have traded their worship of the Almighty God for the less-than-mighty dollar. They’ve subjugated themselves before the shrine of wealth, prosperity, and the sheen of opulent success.

But be assured. The sin of greed will find you out. If a church and its leaders are pursuing wealth above all else, if it is their primary motivation, they are not worshipping God. Jesus said it succinctly, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Matthew 6:24).