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La megaiglesia de Judah Smith se enfrenta a una demanda por obligar al personal a diezmar el 10% de los salarios

Por Julie Roys
Judah Chelsea Smith Churchome
Pastores co-líderes de Churchome Judah y Chelsea Smith. (Fuente: Facebook)

Judah Smith y su megaiglesia de la costa oeste, Churchome, enfrentan una demanda colectiva por exigir que el personal diezme 10% de sus salarios, una política que viola dos leyes del estado de Washington, afirma la demanda.

La demanda se presentó el martes en el Tribunal Superior del condado de King en el estado de Washington en nombre de Rachel Kellogg, productora de posproducción en Churchome. En la demanda también se incluyen los empleados de la iglesia que contribuyeron con parte de sus salarios a Churchome durante el período de tiempo relevante, a menos que opten por no participar, dijo Eric Nusser, abogado de los demandantes.

Los acusados en la demanda son Churchome; sus pastores, Judah y Chelsea Smith; y su CEO David Kroll.

Judah Chelsea Smith
Los pastores principales de Churchome, Judah y Chelsea Smith (Foto a través de las redes sociales)

Según la demanda, Churchome amenazó a Kellogg con el despido si no devolvía el 10% de su salario a la iglesia, a pesar de la afirmación de Kellogg de dificultades financieras. Las supuestas acciones son consistentes con la política de diezmo obligatorio de toda la compañía de Churchome, que se describe en el manual del empleado de la iglesia, adjunto a la presentación.

La política viola la Ley de Reembolso de Salarios de Washington, que prohíbe a los empleadores cobrar un “reembolso de cualquier parte del salario” de un empleado, afirma la demanda. La demanda también alega que la política viola la Ley de Protección al Consumidor de Washington, que prohíbe “actos o prácticas desleales en la realización de cualquier actividad comercial”.

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“Juntos, estos Demandados se han involucrado en un esquema sistémico de abuso de salarios y horas contra sus empleados, incluido el requisito de que todos los empleados reembolsen el diez por ciento de sus salarios brutos ganados a los Demandados en forma de diezmos mensuales o se enfrenten a amenazas de presión, disciplina o despido”, afirma la demanda.

Algunas iglesias consideran que diezmar 10% de los ingresos de uno es un estándar bíblico para dar. Sin embargo, un Encuesta Barna el pasado mes de septiembre descubrió que solo uno de cada tres pastores cree que el diezmo tradicional 10% debería ser el estándar. Acerca de 20% dijo que los feligreses deberían dar una cantidad de "sacrificio". Y otro 20% dijo que el estándar debería ser "tanto como estén dispuestos".

TRR Se acercó a Churchome para comentar sobre la demanda, pero la iglesia no respondió.

La demanda busca recuperar daños "compensatorios" equivalentes a la cantidad que los empleados pagaron en diezmos durante los últimos tres o cuatro años, así como daños "ejemplares". Los daños ejemplares son el doble de la cantidad pagada de acuerdo con la Ley de Reembolso de Salarios, dijo Nusser. El Informe Roys (TRR). Pero bajo la Ley de Protección al Consumidor, los daños ejemplares son el triple de la cantidad pagada, dijo. (El plazo de tres a cuatro años se basa en el estatuto de limitaciones respectivo para cada ley).

Según Frank Sommerville, abogado y contador público certificado con 40 años de experiencia en casos relacionados con el derecho laboral y organizaciones religiosas, las demandas relacionadas con el diezmo obligatorio son raras pero no sin precedentes.

Sommerville citó un Sentencia de la Corte Suprema de 1987 que defendía el derecho de una iglesia mormona a despedir a un empleado que se negara a diezmar. Sin embargo, ese traje se basó en Título VII de la Ley de Derechos Civiles, dijo Sommerville, no una ley estatal como la demanda de Churchome.

churchome
Logo para Churchome (Imagen cortesía)

Sommerville agregó que en toda su carrera, solo se ha encontrado con dos o tres iglesias que requieren el diezmo además de la Iglesia Mormona. Esas iglesias eran iglesias evangélicas, dijo Sommerville.

Las cantidades potenciales de recuperación en este caso podrían ser grandes. Churchome tiene actualmente entre 80 y 100 empleados, dijo Nusser. Pero la iglesia recientemente recortó el personal después de cerrar varios campus de Churchome y pasar más a un formato en línea. Entonces, la cantidad de empleados elegibles para recuperar pérdidas en el caso podría ser “sustancialmente mayor”, dijo Nusser.

Churchome fue una de varias iglesias nombradas recientemente como participantes en un llamado "estafa del predicador famoso” que involucra a la megaiglesia mundial Hillsong. Según los documentos de los denunciantes, Churchome pagó $100,000 anualmente para ser incluido en la "Familia Hillsong", lo que permitió a sus pastores famosos recibir grandes honorarios por predicar en las megaiglesias de otros pastores famosos.

Churchome también recientemente vino bajo fuego por volver a contratar a un ex pastor del campus después de que una investigación de un tercero encontró una "preponderancia de evidencia" de que el pastor había violado a una mujer.

Diezmar “más importante que comulgar”

Según la demanda, Churchome contrató a Kellogg en 2019 como asistente de producción. Pero en la publicación de empleo, el proceso de solicitud y la orientación de Churchome, la iglesia nunca mencionó que los empleados deben reembolsar el 10% de sus salarios brutos a la iglesia, afirma la demanda.

Sin embargo, en una videoconferencia del personal en abril de 2020, el pastor principal de Churchome, Judah Smith, "recordó" a los empleados la política de Churchome que exige que los empleados diezmen 10%, según la demanda. nusser dijo TRR que su firma tiene audio de esa videoconferencia, pero aún no ha decidido si difundirlo.

Durante la reunión, Smith dijo: “Seré muy honesto: las personas ya han hecho la transición, se han mudado y han sido despedidas porque no estaban diezmando”, afirma la demanda. Según los informes, Smith también afirmó que diezmar 10% era un tema "en blanco y negro" y "más importante que tomar la comunión".

judah smith churchome
Judah Smith predica en Churchome en Los Ángeles, California, en 2019. (Fotos a través de Churchome)

Smith también usó las Escrituras para insinuar que los empleados deberían “vender sus 'posesiones y pertenencias' en lugar de dejar de devolver el diez por ciento de sus cheques de pago a Churchome”, dice la demanda.

Después de esa videoconferencia, Kellogg temía que la despidieran por no diezmar, por lo que arregló que 10% de su salario se retiraran automáticamente de su cuenta corriente, dice la demanda.

Pero unos cuatro meses después, según los informes, Kellogg tuvo un grave accidente automovilístico, que destruyó su automóvil y la dejó con heridas graves. Kellogg compró un auto nuevo con pagos más altos. Ella también tuvo que “cubrir varios costos médicos iniciales”, dice la demanda.

churchome
Wes Halliburton (Foto vía Churchome)

Como resultado, Kellogg supuestamente dejó de diezmar en diciembre de 2020 y no diezmó durante todo el 2021. En julio de 2021, Kellogg perdió su casa de alquiler y se vio obligada a arrendar otra casa con un alquiler "sustancialmente mayor", lo que aumentó su presión financiera.

En noviembre de 2021, el director creativo de Churchome, Wes Halliburton, habló con Kellogg y le dijo que necesitaba reanudar el diezmo, dice la demanda. En los mensajes de seguimiento adjuntos a la presentación, Halliburton escribió: “No estoy (sic) seguro de si ha comenzado a dar desde nuestra última conversación, pero eso debe suceder lo antes posible”.

Kellogg respondió que planeaba volver a dar en enero. Pero agregó que "probablemente no será un 10% completo para comenzar, pero haré todo lo posible para abrirme camino a medida que pase el tiempo y mis finanzas se vuelvan un poco más estables".

churchome tithe

 El 18 de enero de 2022, Kellogg recibió una amonestación por escrito de su supervisor, Gerente de Producción de Video Ben Sorte, por no diezmar 10%.

“Su conducta con respecto a la política de la empresa sobre el diezmo no se ha cumplido durante un período de tiempo y ha creado un patrón que viola directamente la política de la empresa a la que se hace referencia”, escribió Sorte. “. . . Es mi expectativa que se ponga al día con la política de nuestra compañía sobre el diezmo. Si bien entiendo las complejidades de las finanzas, esta es una expectativa para todos los empleados de Churchome y debe corregir este patrón de inmediato”.

Sorte agregó que “continúan los incidentes de esta naturaleza. . . puede dar lugar a medidas disciplinarias adicionales y más graves, que pueden incluir el despido”.

Aproximadamente un año después, Kellogg supuestamente se reunió con Joe Goods, director de contenido de Churchome, para hablar sobre el diezmo. Kellogg le dijo a Goods que no podía permitirse el lujo de dar 10% a la iglesia, decía la demanda. Según los informes, Goods le dijo a Kellogg que cuando tuvo dificultades financieras, decidió vender su casa en lugar de dejar de diezmar.

A principios de este mes, Goods envió un mensaje a Kellogg, diciéndole que el equipo ejecutivo de Churchome esperaba que comenzara a dar un diezmo completo a la iglesia dentro de cuatro semanas. Cuando Kellogg preguntó qué pasaría si no pudiera cumplir con esa expectativa, Goods preguntó si necesitaba seis semanas. Pero agregó que no cumplir “llevaría a ser removido del personal”.

churchome tithe

La demanda establece que Kellogg sabe de al menos dos ex empleados de Churchome que fueron despedidos por no diezmar. A pesar de esto, la iglesia sigue sin revelar el requisito del diezmo en sus anuncios de ofertas de trabajo.

El abogado Nusser dijo TRR que cualquier empleado anterior o actual de Churchome que haya tenido experiencias similares a las de Kellogg's puede ponerse en contacto con su bufete de abogados, Terrell Marshall Law Group. Cualquier información compartida se mantendría confidencial 100% a menos que la persona indique lo contrario, dijo Nusser.

Queja de Kellogg v. Churchome presentada el 21 de marzo de 2023

Queja de Kellogg v Churchome con apéndices

 

Julie Roys es una reportera de investigación veterana y fundadora de The Roys Report. Anteriormente, también presentó un programa de entrevistas nacional en Moody Radio Network, llamado Up for Debate, y ha trabajado como reportera de televisión para una filial de CBS. Sus artículos han aparecido en numerosas publicaciones periódicas. 

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68 Respuestas

  1. I’m so happy Rachel is able to take this action against a criminal, coercive, and domineering practice. I have no doubt that trying to change this systemic abuse “from the inside” would have utterly failed and been additionally traumatizing. Best of luck to Rachel and the attorneys and I’ll be praying for a win.

  2. When one loses site of who the real Headship is ie YESHUA/JESUS and not themselves, State or Fed gov. and didn’t get themselves out of the 501c3 when President Trump got rid of the Johnson Ammendment and treat themselves as a god running a Business then this is what comes out of it…Cultists erronous practices not following the REAL LORD of lords and KING of kings or Biblical sound scriptural practices.

    1. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, and the Father. All things belong to God. Read 2 Corinthians 9:5-15 NKJV. Within this it is mentioned- “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” Jesus spoke about the appearance of giving through obligations versus a thankful heart that’s gives. One women tithes a very small amount compared to others. She gave all she had, and God honors this because He knows each of our hearts. I see why a church would mandate this. They are fearful, lacking trust in the one who Watches over the entire Body of Christ. I remember Pastor Wendell and Go no Smith, and how they cast the net to the other side. I don’t recognize the way of Chuchome. Jesus through the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the Father in heaven will make judgment. We must always apply the Word of God to all things within the Body of Christ.

      1. ” We must always apply the Word of God to all things within the Body of Christ.”
        The point is Churchome believes they are doing just that.

  3. Interesting that with a church of this size, their communication was 100% about getting money FROM their employee, without any effort to help her financially, despite the vast amount of money they have, including paying Hillsong $100,000 per year, which is most likely the tip of the iceberg of financial benefits the pastors and key leaders receive. And they knew she was having financial struggles, because she shared some of her struggles with them. Where is the pastoral care, and Christ’s desire to help those in need? Completely non-existent in their communication :-(. And their silence on seeking to see how they could help her – speaks volumes about their values and priorities.

    1. I was a on staff at a church in San Diego, CA. that had the same requirement. When I first started there I was being paid below the poverty line for a family of 4 in San Diego County. In order to keep my paycheck higher, they suggested putting my family on medical and applying for food assistance with the County.

      I was basically ready to quit at that point but we had no other job and decided to stay. I had signed the employee hand acknowledging the tithing requirement.

      It was an extreme hardship on my family the entire time I was on staff there. I eventually received a couple of pay raises but we also had another baby and still were under the County poverty level.

      We struggled to tithe both because of finances and our fear of the churches continued failures and problems.

      After six years and the very first day of Covid-19 lockdowns in San Diego County, I got a 2min phone call telling me I was being fired for inconsistent tithing.

      1. There is so much wrong with the way you were treated by that church! Where to begin?
        Churches have largely become business entities. Truly corrupted by the economic system we live in.
        I think it’s called mammon.

  4. I don’t believe in legalism, but a church worker who doesn’t tithe is a cause for concern.
    On the other hand, since ministries pay less than the going rate, if they expect the employees’ tithe to go to them, they should be upfront about it during the hiring process.
    I know of one mission agency that expects missionaries to tithe to their local church and if they don’t have one, to the mission agency (to help support their own work until their work is successful in starting a church for them to tithe to).

    1. An organisation requring missionaries to tithe to a local church is not at all the same thing as a megachurch requiring their employees to tithe TO THEMSELVES! Thats a fairly serious conflict of interest.

      After all this financial hardship this poor lady experience they should have been offering her money – don’t decent churches have benevolence funds for precisely this sort of situation – not trying to take the little she had away!

    2. People who do not tithe are only a concern to the religious business that they attend. It is not Jesus Church, ever. And there is nothing in the N.T. about tithing to anyone or anything. It is just bad theology that takes from this and that unrelated thing and tries to tie them together with the flimsiest of strings.

      1. a church worker who does not tithe is of no concern to you me or anyone else —except between that church worker and God. —

        1. Yes I do actually agree, I don’t think tithing should be a condition of employment anywhere. I should have clarified. I just meant that while that would be somewhat controlling, this is controlling AND greedy.

    3. “but a church worker who doesn’t tithe is a cause for concern”

      Biblically speaking, the only people God requires to tithe are Israelites living in the land of Canaan. And the required tithe is to be agriculture and agricultural food byproducts, not money.

      So you really should not be concerned with church members that don’t tithe. You should instead be concerned with church leaders who are handling the word of God deceiitfully in order to preach the monetary tithe requirement donctrine.

    4. “I don’t believe in legalism, but a church worker who doesn’t tithe is a cause for concern.”

      You may want to think about what you wrote there. If one is actually John chapter three “born again” then that person is dead to the Law of Moses/Old Covenant, Romans 7:4. The true cause for concern here is that anyone, anywhere at anytime, would think tithing was in effect.

      No tithing under the New Covenant. Nunca, nada, zip, zilch, never. Giving yes, but that is very different than a compelled Theocracy tax under the Old Covenant.

      Please see Hebrews chapter eight in it’s entirety, but here’s the kicker…

      “When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” ~ Hebrews 8:13

      Also remember that the writer is quoting from Jeremiah there. So the Old Covenant is long gone. And even when it was in effect for the Children of Israel, no one could keep it.

      Don’t kid yourself, “SmithCorp Industries™” also known as Churchome is a business. The CEO is named in the suit. In fairness nearly all “churches” are the same way. What they are not is an extension of the true family of God. They broke state law so I have no problem with them getting sued.

      All of the employees need to reconsider what they are doing with their lives. Sadly many will not. It sure doesn’t seem like anyone there cared much about a sister in need and that is what upsets me the most. Ignorant of the hypocrisy they personify it.

      If anyone has knowledge of an online fund raising account for Rachel, please comment on my comment and let us know. Thanks!

  5. I’m reminded of the legal maxim, “bad facts make bad law.” Regardless of the good or bad in the practice, there is great danger in allowing the state to dictate policies of a church that relate to interpretation of the Scriptures. As a lawyer that has litigated religious liberty cases I side with the right of a church to enforce policies I may not agree with. This case smacks of state interference, and I think it raises significant First Amendment concerns. Of course, the state has a compelling interest in preventing child abuse or enforcing criminal laws. Not so much with an “unreasonable” policy. I think the policy is a terrible practice, but I would fight to defend it in court. The protection of religious liberty is of first importance.

    1. I think if they required employees to give 10% of their earnings to some kind of Christian work (which COULD be themselves), that would look an awful lot better. That would make it a lot easier for them to claim it was about their employees’ hearts, rather than requiring the money for themselves, which makes them look greedy. And I’m saying that as someone who thinks supporting a local church is super important.

      1. and if they had showed compassion to the person who was in financial difficult situation and offer actual help that would also go a long way to showing they were an actual real church

    2. This is not related in any way to religious liberty……this a pure & simple employment law case……the employer (Churchome) rented the time of Ms Kellogg (employee) in turn she was issued a paycheck minus any local , state, Medicare, and social security taxes…….there isn’t a state in the Union that allows an employer to illegally deduct or coerce monies from an employee paycheck.
      I don’t need a law degree to see that this so called tithe is actually theft from the employee

      1. Thank you Kevin,

        Churchome is breaking the Law and Committing FRAUD in my books. It is time for them to be made an example of. When people abuse their privileges, unfortunately the State has to step in.

    3. I am pretty sure it’s illegal for any corporation to require employees to spend their wages…. anywhere. It’s certainly a conflict of interest to require employees to give some of their wages back to the employer as a condition of employment. That’s why the state of WA has laws against it.

    4. “Of course, the state has a compelling interest in … or enforcing criminal laws.”
      That’s the point of the lawsuit is it not?

  6. This whole tithe thing can go so many ways. The New Testament says be generous, period. Also no church should be paying their employees below the poverty line! Where is the compassion?
    She can’t pay her bills, church doesn’t seem to want to help, she is a sister in the Lord and you treat her like hired help. I would like to see Judah’s house, car and salary.
    I had a pastor once whose elders made talk once a year about giving, his take? If God has blessed you be generous. The MOST LIBERATING THING HE SAID WAS IF YOUR NEIGHBOR CANT PAY HIS OR HER MORTGAGE, don’t worry about the church, help them! God will take care of us ( the church).

    1. I wanted to know about his house, car, and salary, too. With a quick Google search I found reports of expensive designer clothing and a second home in CA he bought some years back.

  7. It’s concerning that they showed so little ‘generosity’ toward an employee who was struggling financially. The Seattle area is a very expensive place to live with high housing and rental costs. Were they paying her a livable wage? Were the pastors living a luxury lifestyle–multiple homes, designer clothing, luxury cars while the people working for them could barely pay their rent? It’s sad when churches become places that take advantage of others rather than care for them.

  8. Believers in Christ… please for the love of humanity do not attend these type of Christian entities or work for them. I know people need to have a job, but there are millions of other places a person can get a job.

    Part of the problem is that many evangelicals support leaders who should not be in leadership. But to then to sue them in a court of law is a bit ironic.

    Please do just not support any evangelical organization which is outside the purview of scripture. This includes the dystopian Churhome.

  9. The tithe in the OT was to pay the living expenses of the clergy. In essence it was a tax. Christians aren’t supposed to taxed by their leaders. Those who are wealthy hardly feel the pinch; those who are poor sacrifice so much more, or feel guilt ridden. Giving should be voluntary and sacrificial. Let’s do away with taxing followers of Christ.

  10. I live here in the Seattle area. Churchome has been running FB ads focused on giving. In the Ad Judah mentions giving of time, treasure, and talent but if you click on the link it’s only about giving financially. My guess is they aren’t doing well financially.

  11. I would gladly give a Biblical Tithe. Wages were never subject to a tithe in the Bible. I have a small patch of mint and sage I could tithe from.

    1. Biblical tithes:

      1. Go to war; kill the enemy; gather any spoils you can find; go to a valley in the Middle East; give a tenth of the spoils to a king; give the remainder of the spoils to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.

      2. give tithes of agriculture and agricultural food byproducts from within the borders of the holy land…but only if you have inherited a portion of that land.

      3. reject God and give any tithe that man requires of you.

  12. It’s not truly a tithe or offering when required by one’s employer. Also, it’s unhealthy for pastors to monitor how much is given by specific individuals. At my church only one elder (treasurer) and one part-time employee (financial secretary, who attends a different church) know the amounts donated by anyone. This practice allows pastors to concentrate on spiritual care of the flock and prevents favoritism.

  13. Looks like Churchome is guilty of the crime of “Simony.”

    Sadly, this is a common practice in not just Churchome, but in churches of all mainstream denominations. I, myself, was relieved of a preaching position in a Baptist church that I had been preaching in since 2006 because of my stance on biblical tithing in 2013.

    I was not the pastor of the church, but often called to preach when the pastors was away. I never taughto on the subject of tithing in the church, but I taught in my community what the Bible actually says aobut tithing, e.g that it was an ordinance for the twelve tribes of Israel only; that it was to be agricultural, not monetary; and that it was only to be observed in the land of Canaan.

    This went against the Baptist standards. So they chose not to call me to minister there anymore and eventually sent me an email telling me I would be welcome back only if I repent of what I teach.

    I haven’t been back. I still teach the truth about God’s commanded tithe.

  14. Several random thoughts

    When I was a minister, the church district I belonged to required a tithe of each minister’s income.

    Heard at least one story of an unbeliever who showed up at a pastor’s house each week with a tithe. The curious pastor asked why he, an unbeliever, did so. The unbeliever replied that he only had enough money when he did so.

    The church could easily resolve this in the future by reducing the salary by 10% and stating that a donation would be made in the staff member’s name of the other 10%!!!

    1. Better yet…

      The church could preach the truth concerning God’s commanded tithe..That:

      a) God’s tithe is to be agriculture (Lev. 27:30,32) and agricultural food byproducts, (Deut. 12:17) and not money.
      b) God’s tithe is required of the twelve tribes of Israel, (Lev. 27:30-34) and not of the saved in Christ.
      c) God’s tithe is to be observed in the land of Canaan, (Deut. 12:10-11) and not all over the world.
      d) that the storehouse for God’s tithe was chambers in the House of God, (2 Chr. 31:11-12) and not a building where the ungodly stored their unrighteous mammon.
      e) that it was only the tithe of the tithe that was to be taken to the House of God. (Neh. 10:38)

  15. The IRS take around 40% of our earnings before bills get paid, yet Christians complain about giving 10% to God because bills come first.

    I am well aware that tithing is under the Old Testament, and under the covenant of Jesus, it was Paul who said to be generous. However, not giving or giving less than 10% is NOT GENEROUS.
    Nevertheless, church employees should not be forced to tithe and neither would I want to give 10% or anything to this employer who has wealth, but I would still tithe to another Christian mission somewhere else because God is our Provider.

    1. For many, such as myself, the problem is not giving. The problem is the lie that is preached from the pulpit that God requires the saved in Christ to tithe.

      I have a heart to give. But when I hear the lie, it makes me not to want to support the church at all. Why must pastors lie to the congregation in order to acquire money for the church programs? God’s church is built on the truths written and spoken by the apostles and prophets; Jesus Christ being the Chief Corner Stone. It is not built on lies.

      1. “Why must pastors lie to the congregation in order to acquire money for the church programs? God’s church is built on the truths written and spoken by the apostles and prophets; Jesus Christ being the Chief Corner Stone. It is not built on lies.”

        You are answering your own question. They are not houses built with God’s truth, because without the lie, they cannot have the luxury/power their hearts lust for or rationalize their behaviors. People need to stop supporting these satanic inversions, because these corrupted churches need you more, than you need them.

  16. One thing I always appreciated about a pastor of a church I attended, was he had no idea what everyone gave. Only the financial secretary and possibly the treasurer. There was a lot of oversight from the treasurer. Why should the pastor or anyone know what you are giving. What happened to not letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing in giving.

  17. I hope the plaintiffs win this lawsuit, as there is nothing Biblical about forcing People to give their hard earned monies to a Church and where the Pastor wants to control People. I say this even as a Pastor myself. If I were a member of a Church, there is not a single person in that Church who could force me to give 10% of my income in the manner that this and other Churches like the late Fred Price did, and even as how Creflo “Cashflo” Dollar does today. I wouldn’t want to be a member of anyone’s Church that bad that I would submit to that kind of control!

    Further, someone needs to informed these Churches that because the Husband is the Pastor, that doesn’t make the Wife a Pastor! That is NOT a Biblical paradigm and women are NOT called to be in positions of FINAL AUTHORITY over Men in the Church Leadership (1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9 & 1 Peter 5:1-4).

    The problem in Churches today, especially in the ARC affiliated Churches, is Biblical illiteracy and ignorance. Again, I would NEVER be a part of a Church where the wife of the Pastor is considered a Pastor just because she is married to the Pastor. I know that Courts do not like to intervene in Church business, but it appears that the only way to settle this kind of gross abuse is to have the secular judicial system deal with, hopefully once and for all!

    1. When will complementarianism cease to be a litmus test for biblical orthodoxy? Comments like these further divisions in the church. I think it’s fair to say that both complementarian and egalitarisn churches are seeking to be faithful to God‘s word. Both leadership structures can honor God when it comes to generosity and financial stewardship. This Churchome decision is wrong- period. Whether Churchome is an egalitarian or complementarian church is not the issue here.

      1. It’s because if someone is willing to disobey the clear teachings of Scripture in one area, they will do it in others. Completely related.

        1. But that is exactly the point Maria. The complementarian teaching is far from clear. Study Junia, Phoebe, and Priscilla. Then get back to us on that “clear teaching” you are confident in. A little theological humility can go a long way.
          Greed is greed no matter what your view on women in church leadership. Just see Harvest in Chicago and Mars Hill in Seattle. 2 complementarian churches with some pretty major greed problems if you ask me.

          1. Wrong! The Bible is crystal clear as to whom God has chosen to lead His Church, and that choice is Men, not Women. The examples you cited does absolutely nothing to refute what I’ve written , as those females you listed were NOT Pastors of Churches and nor were they “Apostles” in the sense of the 12 Men that Jesus Called and appointed to Church leadership. The Greek word for “apostle” when speaking about Junia is a word that means “Church appointed Missionary”.

            A wife of a Pastor is NOT Biblically qualified to be a Pastor just because she serves alongside her husband. My wife has served alongside of me for nearly forty years of Ministry, and we never had any compulsion to make her or call her “Pastor”. It is complete nonsense and is designed to control the Church by one Family!

  18. No, Judah Smith, it is not “more important than taking communion.” I think alot of us in non-sacramental churches could learn from our counterparts. This is more than a memorial! John 6

  19. Sounds exactly like what James MacDonald did at Harvest Christian Academy – all school employees were required to be a tithing member of HIS church in order to keep their job. I know this first hand from a friend who was terminated from her position at HCA because she wouldn’t join his cult. Nothing new under the sun with these servants of satan…

  20. Beware and watch your wallet when any employer starts telling you to “lean into” something (e.g. “lean into what we’re doing here.”) Rest assured what will soon follow will be a season of you sacrificing more for less return.

    And what is it about a certain type of religious manipulator that they LOVE them some “seasons of life?”

  21. I would dare to suggest that this is an unspoken common practice for many mega (or wannabe mega) churches; one that is probably more widespread than we realize. Having been a full-time worship pastor in the Pacific NW for most of the last 20 years, I’ve turned down more than one job offer because of this requirement, and, ultimately, left my last church, in part, because the pastor was trying to pressure the staff with this stipulation. It became untenable, so I resigned.

    Many of these churches are controlled by one man, or a married couple, that wield absolute power. They *might* have a puppet board, but often not even that amount of so-called “accountability.” Essentially they pay themselves whatever exhorbitant salary they think they can get away with, tack on an extra 10% to make it look like they are following their own rules (IF they even do that… who’s gonna know since they control everything, right?), pay their staff poverty line wages, and require a 10% mandatory tithe from people who can barely make ends meet. It’s disgusting.

  22. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews made a statement that the tithes went to Levi (Hebrews 7:5). This was a tax to help upkeep of the temple and to provide food since they had no land of their own. The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., eliminating the need for tithing.
    What is also strange is church leaders say about MONEY for tithes but never mention about our tithing of time. Also, the Israelites had THREE tithes, one from the living, one from the works of the hands, and one every three years to help with the poor. How come these are never mentioned?
    I am not against giving but so many churches require tithing as a member hence, I am not one. I am struggling as it is and finding a good church is getting harder.

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