They belong to a network of churches called Calvary Chapel. They use 'boards' made up of people who don't even attend the church or live locally. It's whatever good-ole-boy network the head pastor wants to involve in his church. Every time you ask a question on what might happen, the answer is 'that's up to the (mysterious) board'. At the same time, they don't normally pressure people to give money, until this week, when the pastor said that if you don't tithe, you will suffer eventually. In the same sermon, the pastor will say he doesn't talk about money, then proceeds to talk about money. He does that quite often.
There is no formal church membership, and no one ever votes on anything. No budgets that people can see, no publication of salaries, or money taken in, or expenses. It is what it is, based on what the pastor and absentee 'board' decide to do. No one knows if they have millions in the bank, or barely get by, unless they make a major expenditure like adding a wing onto the church building, then obviously they had the money for that or else they borrowed it. You could 'invest your life' in a church for years, only to find out one day that they're in hock up to their ears and closing their doors. You get to find another church and start all over meeting people and donating time and money. I went through that once before and don't ever want to again. It was a small church with three elders who decided everything. It wasn't a Calvary Chapel church. But it seems like even mega-churches have gotten away from making finances public in 'business meetings.' I suspect they're taking in so much money, they don't want you to know how much since you might think 'they don't need any more right now' and stop giving. It's as if they want you to always think the church needs more money NOW when in fact they could have an endowment fund with megabucks in it, especially if it's an older church where generations of people have built up the assets. Only the secret society of insiders is privileged enough to see any numbers, and they're not talking.
There is no formal church membership, and no one ever votes on anything. No budgets that people can see, no publication of salaries, or money taken in, or expenses. It is what it is, based on what the pastor and absentee 'board' decide to do. No one knows if they have millions in the bank, or barely get by, unless they make a major expenditure like adding a wing onto the church building, then obviously they had the money for that or else they borrowed it. You could 'invest your life' in a church for years, only to find out one day that they're in hock up to their ears and closing their doors. You get to find another church and start all over meeting people and donating time and money. I went through that once before and don't ever want to again. It was a small church with three elders who decided everything. It wasn't a Calvary Chapel church. But it seems like even mega-churches have gotten away from making finances public in 'business meetings.' I suspect they're taking in so much money, they don't want you to know how much since you might think 'they don't need any more right now' and stop giving. It's as if they want you to always think the church needs more money NOW when in fact they could have an endowment fund with megabucks in it, especially if it's an older church where generations of people have built up the assets. Only the secret society of insiders is privileged enough to see any numbers, and they're not talking.
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