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Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagomichauds
I don't know of any priests or religious (monks, nuns, etc) that could even remotely afford a house even with 4000 square feet, but usually these religious live in a parish house, convent or monastery, sharing their house with the rest of their community. I am not familiar with what other Protestant churches' leaders do though, as to where they live and what their salary is (say someone from Forest Hill for example, to name one I am familiar with).
The only protestant denomination that I know about is the Orthodox Quakers. No minister. The meetings are run by committee.
Ani...just so you know...I do not know if Furtick has a seminary degree or not. Most modern churches of this type do not require them.
They are simply ordained by the church that they have interned with for several years. Most of these are non-denominational, however, so, it is possible that Furtick has one since he was ordained by the SBC.
Anybody can get ordained in all kinds of weird churches. When my husband and I wanted to renew our wedding vows for our 25th wedding anniversary, we had my son ordained in (I kid you not) - The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. We chose that one because it amused us. He is a Dudeist Priest and it's all legal. He could legally marry others if he chose to. So the whole ordination issue of this pastor of Elevation is really a non-issue. There was another one also that my son got ordained in as well, but when I found this one, we had to get him ordained in the ways of Dudeism as well. We liked the idea of my son renewing our vows and my daughter was both the maid of honor and the best man.
Last edited by Go To Girl; 10-29-2013 at 01:05 PM..
Anybody can get ordained in all kinds of weird churches. When my husband and I wanted to renew our wedding vows for our 25th wedding anniversary, we had my son ordained in (I kid you not) - The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. We chose that one because it amused us. He is a Dudeist Priest and it's all legal. He could legally marry others if he chose to. So the whole ordination issue of this pastor of Elevation is really a non-issue. There was another one also that my son got ordained in as well, but when I found this one, we had to get him ordained in the ways of Dudeism as well. We liked the idea of my son renewing our vows and my daughter was both the maid of honor and the best man.
Anybody can get ordained in all kinds of weird churches. When my husband and I wanted to renew our wedding vows for our 25th wedding anniversary, we had my son ordained in (I kid you not) - The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. We chose that one because it amused us. He is a Dudeist Priest and it's all legal. He could legally marry others if he chose to. So the whole ordination issue of this pastor of Elevation is really a non-issue. There was another one also that my son got ordained in as well, but when I found this one, we had to get him ordained in the ways of Dudeism as well. We liked the idea of my son renewing our vows and my daughter was both the maid of honor and the best man.
Is you sons last name Lebowsky?
Last edited by cheesecracker; 10-29-2013 at 03:44 PM..
I don't understand the concern about Furtick's home - in re: to cost or size.
Furtick has to submit his taxes to the IRS annually, like the rest of us. Whatever exemptions he is allowed, you can bet that will be examined by the IRS.
Are folks trying to suggest that there is malfeasance going on within Elevation church, i.e. something stinky about how the money is being spent in re: to capital development and/or personnel salaries?
If that is the issue, then reporters should stick to the issue.
I don't understand why folks think ministers should live an impoverished lifestyle, which seems to be what some are suggesting. His salary is the business of church administrators. If the members are okay with how their contributions are being apportioned, then why would it be anyone else's business?
And what right do we have to make judgments about Furtick's finances when none of us has seen his tax returns nor do we know that he himself doesn't tithe. I would suspect he DOES tithe -- all the ministers I have known throughout my lifetime tithe and often, give MORE to the church than 10%.
I am puzzled by the responses I am reading in the media as well as on this forum.
Ani, you have some great comments.
May I suggest that most do not have an issue with someone making a lot of money and spending it however they choose to. When you get into the world of Church and Religion, it is an entirely different dynamic. The fact that Pastor Steven Furtik is a Christian and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ makes him accountable to live what he preaches. His example is Jesus, who lived and preached humility. I don't see how living in a 16,000 square foot house on 19 acres represents the doctrine he preaches. It certainly does not reach the people he is commissioned to reach. It immediately raises ? regardless of if the purchase was from legitimate funds or not.
Whether or not the money was earned from the sell of books or paid speaking engagements makes no difference. It is all one way or the other connected and in some ways funded by the Church, which receives its money in tithes and offerings. You have to draw the line somewhere in life. It is bad enough that we American Citizen have to put up with all the non-sense we get from our own government. I am not suggesting that a preacher cannot have some money on his pocket and live a decent lifestyle. Preachers choose the ministry. It is not forced upon them. The Bible is pretty clear on most subjects, though some seem open for interpretation as to their meaning. Both the Old Testament and New Testament are pretty clear as to living a righteous life and managing resources wisely. I would say the Bible is quite clear on the example believers and leaders are commissioned to follow.
I believe the purchase of this home and land by Pastor Steven Furtik is an example of a terrible management of resources. He could have just as well bought a $500,000 house that would meet the needs of he and his family.He then could have used the extra funds for countless ways to make the world a better place either by helping the poor or by building a business to create jobs.
Ani, you have some great comments.
May I suggest that most do not have an issue with someone making a lot of money and spending it however they choose to. When you get into the world of Church and Religion, it is an entirely different dynamic. The fact that Pastor Steven Furtik is a Christian and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ makes him accountable to live what he preaches. His example is Jesus, who lived and preached humility. I don't see how living in a 16,000 square foot house on 19 acres represents the doctrine he preaches. It certainly does not reach the people he is commissioned to reach. It immediately raises ? regardless of if the purchase was from legitimate funds or not.
Whether or not the money was earned from the sell of books or paid speaking engagements makes no difference. It is all one way or the other connected and in some ways funded by the Church, which receives its money in tithes and offerings. You have to draw the line somewhere in life. It is bad enough that we American Citizen have to put up with all the non-sense we get from our own government. I am not suggesting that a preacher cannot have some money on his pocket and live a decent lifestyle. Preachers choose the ministry. It is not forced upon them. The Bible is pretty clear on most subjects, though some seem open for interpretation as to their meaning. Both the Old Testament and New Testament are pretty clear as to living a righteous life and managing resources wisely. I would say the Bible is quite clear on the example believers and leaders are commissioned to follow.
I believe the purchase of this home and land by Pastor Steven Furtik is an example of a terrible management of resources. He could have just as well bought a $500,000 house that would meet the needs of he and his family.He then could have used the extra funds for countless ways to make the world a better place either by helping the poor or by building a business to create jobs.
Great post and good points. Thank you for so thoughtfully taking the time to answer the questions I posed.
I agree with Cheese... the majority of the post in here are questioning how much is too much. Furtik used his own money but anytime a person uses the gospel to sell their goods they will be scrutinized if they use the funds unwisely.
It's a weird story because we are seeing a lot of these mega pastors preach or defend mega wealth. I'm starting to see shows about preachers with estates that put Furtiks house to shame... private jets, chauffers, entourages... IMO it's too much.
As much as I find this kind of ostentation repellent, no matter who is doing it, the minister of a church should, IMO, live comfortably, but humbly.
Since the person in question supposedly made all his money from book sales, he's not taking anything away from the church's mission. If he was my pastor, however, I would be finding another church.
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