Churches in bankruptcy.

[Ace1234]

Read an article in the Sunday paper here where I live that talked about the number of churches going into bankruptcy. They listed many that have and like most things couldn't pay the mortgage. Most stated the same, bad economy, members not able to give, causing severe shortage of money. It was actually shocking the number of empty churches foreclosed on listed in the 3 cities I live near.

What was also shocking was as many churches go through the process of foreclosure, they may stay in the church an average of 2 years not paying the rent before they're kicked out. Several churches found smaller cheaper buildings, others disbanded.

Do you think they should pay back for all the free rent, not one listed that went into foreclosure has?

 

[Timf]

Do you think they should pay back for all the free rent, not one listed that went into foreclosure has?

I would think that a Christian would leave any church when that church decided to act irresponsible financially (building or staying in a church that they could not afford) (my own personal view would extend to borrowing money at all).

I attended a church where the pastor had a lust to build his own church building. I thought it was ridiculous considering how small the church was. I did not worry because I thought he would be laughed out of any bank where he tried to obtain a loan.

However, I had not realized how predatory banks had become. He was given a loan after he raised 20% as a down payment. The bank obviously did not care if he went bankrupt because in foreclosure they would get their money back and then some.

Fellowship with the world is not recommended in the Bible. Depending on the world to keep your pastor out of trouble is even worse.

There are many problems with churches starting with hierarchical collectivized systems seem unable to follow the Biblical pattern of assemblies. I would suggest that financial problems only reflect the problems of leadership that should have been observed much earlier.

Pastors and the people who follow them who get into financial trouble have worse problems than moral obligations. They need to ask themselves why they have been so blind. Are they so distant from the Lord and so without wisdom (that God freely offers to all who ask)? Are they so blinded by the flesh and entangled with the world? What does God have to do to get their attention, have them dragged off to debtors prison?

 

[reba]

Christians in the USA are soft. Soft on sin soft on the gospel.... Nothing like hard times to put folks on their knees.....

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Dont spend what you dont have.

 

[Adullam]

The only way a church can go bankrupt is spiritually. It isn't possible for a spiritual gathering to go financially bankrupt. Mammon has absolutely nothing to do with God. They are antithetical.

 

[tim-from-pa]

Read an article in the Sunday paper here where I live that talked about the number of churches going into bankruptcy. They listed many that have and like most things couldn't pay the mortgage. Most stated the same, bad economy, members not able to give, causing severe shortage of money. It was actually shocking the number of empty churches foreclosed on listed in the 3 cities I live near.

What was also shocking was as many churches go through the process of foreclosure, they may stay in the church an average of 2 years not paying the rent before they're kicked out. Several churches found smaller cheaper buildings, others disbanded.

Do you think they should pay back for all the free rent, not one listed that went into foreclosure has?

The church that owes money can do the same thing that a regular person who defaulted on their mortgage does --- declare bankruptcy, another loan, whatever it takes. That's because it does not matter to God because that is not his church anyway, but were in submission to this world instead of going by biblical standards. So what does it matter?

If anyone here was a member of such a church that went under water, don't take it hard. Thank the Lord he shown that church for what it was.

Now that being said, what is the church? That's right, It's you and me, and not some building with spaghetti fund-raisers, and liturgy and other flagrant displays of shows. Worship in people's homes if need be if there's no building on Friday night for the Sabbath. That's the true church, the "little flock" Jesus addressed.

 

[Sparkey]

Read an article in the Sunday paper here where I live that talked about the number of churches going into bankruptcy. They listed many that have and like most things couldn't pay the mortgage. Most stated the same, bad economy, members not able to give, causing severe shortage of money. It was actually shocking the number of empty churches foreclosed on listed in the 3 cities I live near.

What was also shocking was as many churches go through the process of foreclosure, they may stay in the church an average of 2 years not paying the rent before they're kicked out. Several churches found smaller cheaper buildings, others disbanded.

Do you think they should pay back for all the free rent, not one listed that went into foreclosure has?

If the reporter who wrote the article based his story on the increased numbers of foreclosures on churches, he/she would have only considered Chapter 7 bankruptcy and may have missed Chapter 11 filings. Did the article mention restructure of loans during bankruptcy? Certainly that is an option for 501(c)(3) non-profits.

 

[Ace1234]

It did mention that several churches reworked loan, but more that many fell into the trap that homeowners did, they spent months reworking loans, told they would be approved and in the end the bank still foreclosed on them. One church who thought they were approved had their church sold out from under them.

The other issue is it hit many denominations, many financed additions, built bigger churches when the economy was booming, when it died, members just stopped giving.

Obvious a principle is, pay for it, but how many of us buy homes that we pay cash for, cars, etc....for that matter.

 

[farouk]

The venue for meetings for Bible study and prayer should merely be a convenience. Once it becomes a money sucking inconvenience, then maybe the people should find some place else.