I was moved to write this Article, after reading a Particular Article Online that talks about ‘How to Start Your Church as a Business’ I couldn’t hold it, I imagined, when did Church becomes a Business association?
When Did Running a Church becomes a Business Idea?
So whether God called you or not, people now conveniently venture into Church and Ministry for Money, Profits and Business sake?
I was disappointed at how the article emphasis that Pastors makes money based on the volume of Church attendance and most profits comes from Offering and Tithe, I almost couldn’t believe it, it was so disgusting and so frustrating, I could not keep calm, I was so sad, at what our generation is turning into and how that many whose God is their belly are now venturing into Ministry to defraud innocent people, after reading the article am talking about, I read people’s Comment and it was sad to see what folks are saying and how excited they are about running Ministry and Church for Business Purpose.
The Bible says; The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom – Proverbs 9:10.
When you walk in the fear of God, you are walking in the Wisdom of God, the bible also says that; But Test and prove all things until you can recognize what is good(Truth) and hold fast – 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
When we search the Scripture very well and we take a look at the Ministry of Jesus and for what purpose God send him to this earth, we discover that, it was never for Business or Money sake, it was essentially for the Souls of men to be saved, he gave up everything to see that the world is reconciled back to the father, he ministers everywhere and walk miracles, notable miracles that as the capacity to return and restore men back to God, this is what Jesus came for, he died for our sins, he bore our sins upon himself so that we can be saved and when he was leaving, he gave the work into the hands of his Disciplines, that they may continue the work of God, to reconcile the whole world back to God.
And he made it clear that, the works that I do, ye shall do even greater works – John 14:12.
So we’ve been called unto greater works, to go and reap the harvests unto the father, rescue the dying world and wicked souls back to God, we must never be distracted and carried away by all that we see in the society and among men of God today, God’s agenda and assignment for calling people as never changed, if you start a Church to raise money, make money or defraud the innocent souls, you will run out of relevance and ministry alike, this is a distraction from the devil and we must never allow it to happen!
Before you think of starting a Church at all, there are some certain questions you must ask yourself and be sure you’ve answered them rightly.
The Bible says; Ye shall know The Truth and The Truth shall set you free – John 8:32.
The First Question is, did God Called you? If Yes, when and how sure are you??
Also, when and where as he positioned you to function?
If you are not called, and you call yourself, you will be the one to sustain yourself in ministry, if God did not call you, and you enter Ministry and started doing Church, you will soon run out of ministry due to hunger, lack and want, but the good thing is, if God called you, I’ve a goodnews for you, God will take care of you.
One of the reasons why we have fake is because there is an Original somewhere, there are those that God genuinely called to fulfill certain cause and assignment on the Earth.
So the First and most Important, is the assurance of the Calling!
Don’t rush into Ministry, don’t copy someone, ask God the details of what he has called you to do and tackle in your generation.
It is carnality and Stupidity that makes people to consider Church as a Business venture, rather than a place of Divine encounter and experience with God on earth, tangible, notable and feelable presence of God must be in the Church consistently.
The Truth is, as you progress in your service to God and kingdom assignment, with time, people will get to know, if you were truly called or it’s a Business you are looking for, God never said people should give so that the church head or founder will get rich, the money is not unto the Pastor, it is for the prospering and flourishing of God’s work, because of times when there will be demand for financial resources to meet up with certain expenses and expectations, we all know money answereth all things, and people are to Give to God not minding whatever the church uses the money for, but when you start Church without any Spiritual baseline or conviction/direction, then such a person is heading to a massive destruction in Destiny, in this kingdom, it is very essential, you certify and confirm your calling, this is so very vital, your Calling is what determines if God will walk with you or not, because the Calling is a Covenant between Man and God.
You must also understand that after you’ve confirmed your Calling and all that, the next thing is Effective Leadership, you must have heart for the people. Ministry as nothing to do about you, you are just a servant (Steward) to God, separated and consecrated unto all good works for divine use and assignment, you need to be stand strong and build a good relationship with the people you’re ministering to, you must spend quality time with God, praying for them, and also doing periodic physical check-up to ascertain well-being and all of that, nobody likes or want an unserious pastor, who wouldn’t have time for the people under him, their testimony is one of the validity of your Ministry, what God is doing to them and for them after they met you, this is a major confirmation that you must desire and that is done on the Prayer altar consistently and in the Study of the Word.
Priestly office is not for the Lazy people, the demand to carry and convey the power of God to the world around us is one of the end-time agenda of God.
God as more than enough Oil, he is just looking for trusted servants to anoint with Oil and change their story, when God called you, he didn’t call you to just serve him, he has also called to Bless you.
After you’ve solved the issue with Conviction, another very important factor is preparation, you must prepare spiritually, in Fasting, Prayers, Study of the Word, listening to sermons, getting to read Spiritual Books, Tapes and Audios, going for life transforming meetings, programs, Ministers Conferences and the likes, these are very important key factor that enhances your delivery and to what extend you can impact your world, it is what you have that you can give, so you must be filled first, the only people that can change the world are those that have been changed themselves, if you need to go for seminary training and colleges for Pastors, it is a good idea to embark on such projects also, there are a lot of people in Ministry today, who are not well equipped and this preparation aspect is where the error comes from, failure to prepare is preparing to Fail.
I remember most of the Notable Men of God we have in the world right now, lay hold of serious preparation ahead of their manifestation and the world cannot deny it today.
People like Benny Hinn attended Kathryn Kulman meeting, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Adeboye, Chris Delvan, Pastor Chris, all attended lots of Kenneth Hagin meeting in Tulsa Oklahoma, and the spiritual impartation of that experience is evidently speaking in their lives and ministries today.
When God calls you, the real work is upon you, when you have been touched you will touch others, the work of the enemy is fasting prevailing on the earth and God is sending men (servants) to put an end to that agenda of the enemy.
You must focus on God, be addicted to his Presence, seek his Face, don’t ever let the work of God and ministry take away your time of devotion, personal fellowship and retreats with God, it is an error that as caught so many people, in Ministry, it is first God, before the people, so you must pay a lot of attention to God if you must remain relevant and significant.
We see in the Scriptures, how the prophets of old engaged God seriously, someone like Elijah is always hearing God and obeying his instruction per time, and that is why he could deal with the power that be in his days.
The Bible says ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6: 12.
So as a minister, you’ve been called to war, fight, deal with the enemy, search out the mysteries of God that enables men to gain mastery over every circumstances of Life, because for every confrontation of life, there is a word from God to tackle and handle it, it only takes men that can labour and tarry in the secret place to unravel the solution, the power of God is available and accessible, but it comes with a price.
A Minister must understand that behind every problem of Humanity is Spiritual Bankruptcy, so you must be highly spiritual, invest immensely into your spirituality to remain fervent and spiritually sensitive to God to be able to unravel every plans of the enemy and deliver divine agenda to power the lives and destiny of God’s People.
There is a lot God wants to do in the lives of his people, but he needs a servant very important I must also emphasis here is the fact that, there is no successful young minister, it is your years of labour and tarrying in building the kingdom into the hearts of men that makes you successful, this is the life and destiny of God’s people, it is very precious in the sight of God, you must make enough impact into their lives to help them make the most of their destiny and fulfill their God given Vision.
In the Old Testimony, we saw how the government could not carry out any assignment or responsibility without the priests, they were major solutions and personality in the society and nation building, because they are ever in tune with God, when it seems the people of God are losing away to the enemy, Prophets like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Aaron were major voices that rescue and deliver God’s people from the hand of the enemy.
This is what God is calling men into, even in our contemporary world, Great Men like Billy Graham of blessed memory were part of the building of United States, counseling Presidents to lead the Nation rightly and move the country forward, this is as a result of the wisdom of God at work in them, the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Wisdom, anytime he gains expression anywhere, it makes way for advancement and moves the people forward.
As a Pastor, you must covet Earnestly Spiritual Gifts, don’t be obsessed with material things, don’t lust after material Blessings, Money, Wealth and co, they can be a major distraction to what God is calling you to do if care is not taken, wisdom if profitable, your responsibility should be your priority, seeing the lives of people change, seeing the kingdom of Advancing on the earth, rescuing many from Hell and leading them to the savior Jesus Christ, these are the major priority and responsibility of a servant of God.
Some of the Things that Will Help You in Ministry as you start your Church;
When Did Running a Church becomes a Business Idea?
So whether God called you or not, people now conveniently venture into Church and Ministry for Money, Profits and Business sake?
I was disappointed at how the article emphasis that Pastors makes money based on the volume of Church attendance and most profits comes from Offering and Tithe, I almost couldn’t believe it, it was so disgusting and so frustrating, I could not keep calm, I was so sad, at what our generation is turning into and how that many whose God is their belly are now venturing into Ministry to defraud innocent people, after reading the article am talking about, I read people’s Comment and it was sad to see what folks are saying and how excited they are about running Ministry and Church for Business Purpose.
The Bible says; The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom – Proverbs 9:10.
When you walk in the fear of God, you are walking in the Wisdom of God, the bible also says that; But Test and prove all things until you can recognize what is good(Truth) and hold fast – 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
When we search the Scripture very well and we take a look at the Ministry of Jesus and for what purpose God send him to this earth, we discover that, it was never for Business or Money sake, it was essentially for the Souls of men to be saved, he gave up everything to see that the world is reconciled back to the father, he ministers everywhere and walk miracles, notable miracles that as the capacity to return and restore men back to God, this is what Jesus came for, he died for our sins, he bore our sins upon himself so that we can be saved and when he was leaving, he gave the work into the hands of his Disciplines, that they may continue the work of God, to reconcile the whole world back to God.
And he made it clear that, the works that I do, ye shall do even greater works – John 14:12.
So we’ve been called unto greater works, to go and reap the harvests unto the father, rescue the dying world and wicked souls back to God, we must never be distracted and carried away by all that we see in the society and among men of God today, God’s agenda and assignment for calling people as never changed, if you start a Church to raise money, make money or defraud the innocent souls, you will run out of relevance and ministry alike, this is a distraction from the devil and we must never allow it to happen!
Before you think of starting a Church at all, there are some certain questions you must ask yourself and be sure you’ve answered them rightly.
The Bible says; Ye shall know The Truth and The Truth shall set you free – John 8:32.
The First Question is, did God Called you? If Yes, when and how sure are you??
Also, when and where as he positioned you to function?
If you are not called, and you call yourself, you will be the one to sustain yourself in ministry, if God did not call you, and you enter Ministry and started doing Church, you will soon run out of ministry due to hunger, lack and want, but the good thing is, if God called you, I’ve a goodnews for you, God will take care of you.
One of the reasons why we have fake is because there is an Original somewhere, there are those that God genuinely called to fulfill certain cause and assignment on the Earth.
So the First and most Important, is the assurance of the Calling!
Don’t rush into Ministry, don’t copy someone, ask God the details of what he has called you to do and tackle in your generation.
It is carnality and Stupidity that makes people to consider Church as a Business venture, rather than a place of Divine encounter and experience with God on earth, tangible, notable and feelable presence of God must be in the Church consistently.
The Truth is, as you progress in your service to God and kingdom assignment, with time, people will get to know, if you were truly called or it’s a Business you are looking for, God never said people should give so that the church head or founder will get rich, the money is not unto the Pastor, it is for the prospering and flourishing of God’s work, because of times when there will be demand for financial resources to meet up with certain expenses and expectations, we all know money answereth all things, and people are to Give to God not minding whatever the church uses the money for, but when you start Church without any Spiritual baseline or conviction/direction, then such a person is heading to a massive destruction in Destiny, in this kingdom, it is very essential, you certify and confirm your calling, this is so very vital, your Calling is what determines if God will walk with you or not, because the Calling is a Covenant between Man and God.
You must also understand that after you’ve confirmed your Calling and all that, the next thing is Effective Leadership, you must have heart for the people. Ministry as nothing to do about you, you are just a servant (Steward) to God, separated and consecrated unto all good works for divine use and assignment, you need to be stand strong and build a good relationship with the people you’re ministering to, you must spend quality time with God, praying for them, and also doing periodic physical check-up to ascertain well-being and all of that, nobody likes or want an unserious pastor, who wouldn’t have time for the people under him, their testimony is one of the validity of your Ministry, what God is doing to them and for them after they met you, this is a major confirmation that you must desire and that is done on the Prayer altar consistently and in the Study of the Word.
Priestly office is not for the Lazy people, the demand to carry and convey the power of God to the world around us is one of the end-time agenda of God.
God as more than enough Oil, he is just looking for trusted servants to anoint with Oil and change their story, when God called you, he didn’t call you to just serve him, he has also called to Bless you.
After you’ve solved the issue with Conviction, another very important factor is preparation, you must prepare spiritually, in Fasting, Prayers, Study of the Word, listening to sermons, getting to read Spiritual Books, Tapes and Audios, going for life transforming meetings, programs, Ministers Conferences and the likes, these are very important key factor that enhances your delivery and to what extend you can impact your world, it is what you have that you can give, so you must be filled first, the only people that can change the world are those that have been changed themselves, if you need to go for seminary training and colleges for Pastors, it is a good idea to embark on such projects also, there are a lot of people in Ministry today, who are not well equipped and this preparation aspect is where the error comes from, failure to prepare is preparing to Fail.
I remember most of the Notable Men of God we have in the world right now, lay hold of serious preparation ahead of their manifestation and the world cannot deny it today.
People like Benny Hinn attended Kathryn Kulman meeting, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Adeboye, Chris Delvan, Pastor Chris, all attended lots of Kenneth Hagin meeting in Tulsa Oklahoma, and the spiritual impartation of that experience is evidently speaking in their lives and ministries today.
When God calls you, the real work is upon you, when you have been touched you will touch others, the work of the enemy is fasting prevailing on the earth and God is sending men (servants) to put an end to that agenda of the enemy.
You must focus on God, be addicted to his Presence, seek his Face, don’t ever let the work of God and ministry take away your time of devotion, personal fellowship and retreats with God, it is an error that as caught so many people, in Ministry, it is first God, before the people, so you must pay a lot of attention to God if you must remain relevant and significant.
We see in the Scriptures, how the prophets of old engaged God seriously, someone like Elijah is always hearing God and obeying his instruction per time, and that is why he could deal with the power that be in his days.
The Bible says ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6: 12.
So as a minister, you’ve been called to war, fight, deal with the enemy, search out the mysteries of God that enables men to gain mastery over every circumstances of Life, because for every confrontation of life, there is a word from God to tackle and handle it, it only takes men that can labour and tarry in the secret place to unravel the solution, the power of God is available and accessible, but it comes with a price.
A Minister must understand that behind every problem of Humanity is Spiritual Bankruptcy, so you must be highly spiritual, invest immensely into your spirituality to remain fervent and spiritually sensitive to God to be able to unravel every plans of the enemy and deliver divine agenda to power the lives and destiny of God’s People.
There is a lot God wants to do in the lives of his people, but he needs a servant very important I must also emphasis here is the fact that, there is no successful young minister, it is your years of labour and tarrying in building the kingdom into the hearts of men that makes you successful, this is the life and destiny of God’s people, it is very precious in the sight of God, you must make enough impact into their lives to help them make the most of their destiny and fulfill their God given Vision.
In the Old Testimony, we saw how the government could not carry out any assignment or responsibility without the priests, they were major solutions and personality in the society and nation building, because they are ever in tune with God, when it seems the people of God are losing away to the enemy, Prophets like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Aaron were major voices that rescue and deliver God’s people from the hand of the enemy.
This is what God is calling men into, even in our contemporary world, Great Men like Billy Graham of blessed memory were part of the building of United States, counseling Presidents to lead the Nation rightly and move the country forward, this is as a result of the wisdom of God at work in them, the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Wisdom, anytime he gains expression anywhere, it makes way for advancement and moves the people forward.
As a Pastor, you must covet Earnestly Spiritual Gifts, don’t be obsessed with material things, don’t lust after material Blessings, Money, Wealth and co, they can be a major distraction to what God is calling you to do if care is not taken, wisdom if profitable, your responsibility should be your priority, seeing the lives of people change, seeing the kingdom of Advancing on the earth, rescuing many from Hell and leading them to the savior Jesus Christ, these are the major priority and responsibility of a servant of God.
Some of the Things that Will Help You in Ministry as you start your Church;
- Depend solely on GOD, the bible says, Woe unto man who putteth his trust in a man, the God that called you is more than able to take care of you, just seek to serve him and do his work right.
- Wait and hear from God always before taking any step this is very crucial, let God guide your step per time, receive his instructions, when to start, where to start, how to start and all of that are very essential steps you must hear from God, and even after you’ve started ministry, you need God’s direction per time to bless the lives of the people he has given you.
- Don’t be moved by money, if you are not careful in the matters of Money, people may end up buying the truth from your mouth, the devil we are fighting is very intelligent, there are various ways by which he defeat ministers and one of it is in the matter of Money.
- Invest into a Lifestyle of Prayer and the Word, this is very crucial a Minister of God is meant to always stay in touch and in tune with God and this is enhance by a lifestyle of Prayer and the Word. You need to pray always and continually, that is where visions and revelation will be made available to you.
- Maintain an Atmosphere of God’s Presence, as a Pastor, you are not meant to carry title, you are meant to carry presence, the presence of God is second to none, nothing can be compare to it, you cannot do anything without it, you need the Presence to wrath great exploits, the presence alone is a solution to the problems of the world, and as you tarry with God, you come out with the fullness of his presence.
- Live a Life of Sacrifice, to walk with God, you must be given to Sacrificial Lifestyle, it is not easy, it is not fun, it is serious work, God must be your obsession, give yourself wholly to God, his kingdom and the work he has given you, that is when you will be able to impact your world for God.
- Be Discipline in the matter of Women, it is not a new tool in the hand of the devil, anytime he tries all other means to fall great men and it didn’t work, the next strategy is to get them via women, Samson fell for the same, David was caught in the same weapon, The Devil tried to fall Joseph with women but thank God for Grace, Wisdom and Discipline, he didn’t fall, you must be strategic and discipline in handling issues of opposite sex, and that is why it is good to handle work of ministry alongside with your wife, don’t stay 3hours counseling a woman alone with you in your office, it is not wisdom, it is deceptive and dangerous, don’t tempt the devil to tempt you.
- Put God First! As a minister, live a God-first lifestyle, there are places they invite you to come and speak, and they will pay you a lot of money, give you a free love offering and put you in a 5-star hotel, yet God will say, Don’t go there, now you’ve two options to either refuse the Voice of God for man, these are very crucial phases in ministry that will test and determine what your true motive of Ministry is all about.
The Bible speaking in Matthew 6:33 says ‘Seek ye first, the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and every other things shall be added to you; so when you do what God wants first, he will do more than what you can imagine.
What powers your exploits in Ministry is not been called a PASTOR, is rather been in tune with the father consistent and constantly, you must come to a point where the presence of God matters to you than anything, where you don’t eat Physical food in a day until you’ve eaten Spiritual Food, when the pursuit of God in you as come to that level, then commanding exploits in Ministry will be easy.
The Bible says in Daniel 11:32 ‘They that know their God shall be Strong and do exploits’. Knowing God and his ways is a paramount factor in ministry, because you cannot give what you don’t have, you must spend quality time, hours with God and his word, hearing from him and understanding his ways, learning at his feet, if you must make the most of your calling.
Don’t ever go into ministry with a monetary mindset, don’t ever venture into Ministry with a financial or commercial motive, it is a failed venture already and you may end up leading many to hell, and eternal damnation, and that will attract the wrath of God, you don’t call yourself, God must call you, if you must do anything that worthwhile and significant for God on the earth.
Lastly, is a Passion and Zeal for God, if you don’t love God above all heads, including yourself, you cannot serve God, the love of God in your heart is what makes the work of God in your hand easy and a thing of delight to you, until you have built intimacy with God you cannot be a minister of God.
It is the God that you know that you can serve, pray always for the Grace to love the LORD, to serve him tirelessly.