What do you guys think of a church charging for its Christmas play?

Howard Cneal said:

$5.00 per head.

What do you think about that?

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I think Christmas plays cost money to put on, and I have no problem with a church charging admission.

Back in the day when we used to do Christmas programs, we charged a nominal admission fee as well, and we rarely broke even on cost. We also didn't allow the admission fee to be a barrier to anyone who genuinely couldn't afford it.

I understand why some churches do it, and it can be very expensive to put on a play, especially if there's multiple performances. The most I ever did was suggest a donation box for a local charity helping a battered women's and displaced children's shelter but put out. That way, even if we did lose money putting it on, others would benefit. Since the money wasn't flowing into the church's pockets, the idea was denied.

Howard Cneal said:

$5.00 per head.

What do you think about that?

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I have no problem with it; it will keep the freeloaders away. I used to promote concerts and would always have people complain because we charged a ticket price for it. “Christian concerts should be free,” they would tell me. “You don’t charge for the gospel.” Only, there is no such thing as a free lunch and I suspect that there are a lot of slackers in God’s family, welfare Christians who expect something for nothing. So, sure, charge $5 and sell tickets though I would probably prefer a door donation with a minimum $5 (even $3) per person to help pay for the event. No Christian should expect something for nothing. Isn't that why we take offerings?

Didn’t David say, “I will not offer unto the Lord that which costs me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24.24)

~Jim

Howard Cneal said:

$5.00 per head.

What do you think about that?

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That's a good deal.

JimB said:

“You don’t charge for the gospel.”

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The gospel is given freely, but the price was horrendous and the cost is high.

JimB said:

“You don’t charge for the gospel.”

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lismore said:

The gospel is given freely, but the price was horrendous and the cost is high.

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Yes, but I think you misquoted me. What I actually said was that that is what some people say, but then I said ...

Only, there is no such thing as a free lunch and I suspect that there are a lot of slackers in God’s family, welfare Christians who expect something for nothing.

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~Jim

Is it a good Christmas play?

Just deduct the cost of admission from your tithe to the church.

Simon Peter said:

Just deduct the cost of admission from your tithe to the church.

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Sorry, but this is wrong if you believe your gift is to God. God doesn’t need to pay for a cheapskate’s ticket to a play. The church doesn't either. IMO, holding back your offering for personal reasons shows a lack of integrity.

Another option: you can stay home. You don't have to go to the play if you don't want to buy a ticket. You don't walk out of the grocery store without paying for your groceries. You have to pay even if you don't like the price ... if you want the groceries, or you just do without the Snickers and soda pop.

~Jim

If it's not your church do you deduct it from your tithe/offering to your own church?

Howard Cneal said:

$5.00 per head.

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Simon Peter said:

Just deduct the cost of admission from your tithe to the church.

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JimB said:

Sorry, but this is wrong if you believe your gift is to God. God doesn’t need to pay for a cheapskate’s ticket to a play. The church doesn't either. IMO, holding back your offering for personal reasons shows a lack of integrity.

Another option: you can stay home. You don't have to go to the play if you don't want to buy a ticket. You don't walk out of the grocery store without paying for your groceries. You have to pay even if you don't like the price ... if you want the groceries, or you just do without the Snickers and soda pop.

~Jim

Love God. Love people. Period.​

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JEBrady said:

If it's not your church do you deduct it from your tithe/offering to your own church?

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If you go to an out of town movie, do you buy a ticket? Just because its not your theater doesn't give you a right to get in without paying for your ticket. The decision is simple: either buy the ticket or you stay home. Simple. But you can’t expect the church, any church, to pay for your pleasures. If you want to go to their play and they charge a ticket you buy a ticket or you stay home but you don’t cheat, you don’t force them to do it your way by withholding your tithe.

We complain about welfare freeloaders then expect for someone else to pay for our church events without carrying our end of the load. Integrity says we pay for our ticket or we stay home. Maybe a freewill offering would have been more appropriate then the freeloaders can refuse to help by sitting on their wallets and letting others pay for their pleasures, but my guess is the church has already tried that and it didn’t work so well.

~Jim

Howard Cneal said:

$5.00 per head.

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I think that sounds reasonable.

If it's a first-class production, they should charge twice that and give all proceeds to a local food kitchen or rescue mission or some other community program.

JimB said:

If you go to an out of town movie, do you buy a ticket? Just because its not your theater doesn't give you a right to get in without paying for your ticket. The decision is simple: either buy the ticket or you stay home. Simple. But you can’t expect the church, any church, to pay for your pleasures. If you want to go to their play and they charge a ticket you buy a ticket or you stay home but you don’t cheat, you don’t force them to do it your way by withholding your tithe.

We complain about welfare freeloaders then expect for someone else to pay for our church events without carrying our end of the load. Integrity says we pay for our ticket or we stay home. Maybe a freewill offering would have been more appropriate then the freeloaders can refuse to help by sitting on their wallets and letting others pay for their pleasures, but my guess is the church has already tried that and it didn’t work so well.

~Jim

Love God. Love people. Period.​

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I agree. If you want to go, then you pay the dough.

I can't think of any other place we'd go to for entertainment and not expect some type of cost associated with it. The church is not a charity for freeloaders.

Some churches reaching out to the un-churched have found that people who did not grow up attending church tend to not value things if there isn't a price. They are accustomed to paying for a concert, a play or a movie, and this makes coming to church feel more familiar.

Tamara224 said:

I think that sounds reasonable.

If it's a first-class production, they should charge twice that and give all proceeds to a local food kitchen or rescue mission or some other community program.

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And there’s nothing wrong with the person who whines about paying for a ticket to a church play to give that amount to a food kitchen or rescue shelter, either. The church has expenses for any production and they depend on the kindness of those who enjoy its benefits to pay for it.

A $5 ticket to a play seems pretty cheap to me and I can’t imagine anyone objecting to it.

~Jim

The church I used to go to asked for $3 admission, although people who showed up who either didn't know there was a fee or who simply didn't want to pay it were welcomed anyway. The money went towards the play, and the play was designed to be used as a witnessing tool.

We sold tickets and would ask cast members and congregation members to buy the tickets and invite people that may not otherwise come (giving them tickets, and then the show would be free for them). We were always packed, and it all seemed to work out pretty well.

JimB said:

And there’s nothing wrong with the person who whines about paying for a ticket to a church play to give that amount to a food kitchen or rescue shelter, either. The church has expenses for any production and they depend on the kindness of those who enjoy its benefits to pay for it.

A $5 ticket to a play seems pretty cheap to me and I can’t imagine anyone objecting to it.

~Jim

Love God. Love people. Period.​

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Heck yeah, $5 is cheap for a play.

That's why I say, if the church can cover its expenses for the play at $5 a head, then they should charge $10 (still cheap for a ticket to a play) and use the proceeds for charity.

If you don't want to pay it, don't go.

sounds like a good excuse not to go and sit home watching good Christmas entertainment with christmas food stuffs