THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN TODAY'S ECONOMY - WHY THE BREAD OF LIFE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH FOR YOUR CONGREGATION

 In recent times, believers have questioned the motive behind many Kenyan churches; is it to preach the gospel or to raise funds? Is it to feed the flock or feed from the flock? Even more recently, believers have openly termed Kenyan Churches as 'materialistic' or schemes aimed at making a few 'men of God' millionaires. In the words of PLO Lumumba, 'The church has become so mechanically and financially structured that there is no room for God.' With the latest scandals and cults claiming to read from the scripture, it is difficult to defend the church. Yet, there is something that we all agree on; the church cannot run without resources; hence the church cannot run without money. Churches are not exempted from paying rent and electricity bills, members who serve full time in the ministry also have families to feed. Hence the real question becomes, what is the role of the church in the financial lives of believers?

Firstly, the church should build a community among its believers. By a community I mean people who are familiar with each other to a certain extent. At times, the church is a room full of strangers. Believers rarely interact with each other; even the ushers tend to have a beef with the choir. The main reason for this is that churches do not provide forums for networking. If you observe carefully, it is the kids who interact more than the adults, partly because they are kids and partly because they have all the time when the sermon is on-going. Forums such as career talks or 'doing life' allow the congregation to interact more; engineers meet engineers and doctors meet patients. Imagine two believers attending a service; one prays for a job and the other prays for a good employee, yet what they both leave with is only hope; sometimes the answers to our prayers are right there with us, and the church ought to help us find them.

In addition, the church is a learning institution, and it ought to lay a little more focus on financial education. There are essential financial skills that we all need and yet they are not taught in schools. I once attended a youth service at Winner's Chapel Nairobi Church. The day's preacher was a lady who, from her bio, worked as a Human Resource Officer. She read from the scripture for a few minutes and then proceeded to guiding us on how to write a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for the better part of the session. She had printed CV templates going round in the church. The bottom line is that this lady understands the dynamics of the real world. This also tells you that some churches are already taking up the responsibility of educating the society financially. 

Lastly, the church should tailor its program to incorporate teachings on the financial life of believers. The sole aim of the church is to teach the scripture; to raise Christians who are like-minded with Christ; to build their faith and spirituality. Yet, spirituality does not erase their physical nature; the troubles of the real world still apply to them. They will still be charged ksh 2,000 to file their KRA Returns. In between the teachings of spirituality and faith, the church should live a space for financial education. Varsities in Kenya have adopted this model already, courtesy of FOCUS Kenya. Students are therefore being equipped for life with all-rounded knowledge. It is important that churches take up this model.

If you draw water from a dam without replenishing it, sooner or later you will run out of water, and then blame the clouds for not sending rain. Consequently, the church needs to ensure its congregation is doing well financially by disseminating financial knowledge and providing networking forums. It is members of our churches that are paying mortgage loans at rates which are five times higher without their knowledge. Surely, 'My people perish for lack of knowledge' (Hosea 4:6). It is the church to save them, it is the church to save us.

Brand Manu

Key words.

Church

Christianity

Congregation

Economy

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