Would it be okay for a church to sell bonds to raise needed money?

Sincerely,
007

Dear 007,

The Bible only provides one way for the church to garner funds – a collection made every Sunday from amongst its own members (1 Cor 16:1).  Having said that, the argument for selling bonds is that it is no different than getting a loan from a bank to purchase a building.

The general Bible principle is that a congregation shouldn’t raise funds by any method other than a weekly collection from its members.  A bond is a form of loan, and it is the idea of borrowing money that causes so much debate.  Every congregation must use their own wisdom in deciding if, how, and when to borrow money.

What do you do when you feel that you have been pushed aside and not allowed to let your calling being used?  I was a director of a youth choir at my local church.  We now have a minister of music, and now I have been told by them that my services are no longer needed.  Whenever I asked to direct the choir because the Lord has laid a song in my heart, I am told that they have to pray about the song.  I talked to the pastor, and I was told that I should work with the minister of music, but they are not allowing me to work with them.  I have been directing and singing since the age of seven, and I am presently 49.  I have asked the Lord to help me with this situation because I am not clear about what I should do.  I have been asked to join another ministry, but I do not want to leave my present church.

Sincerely,
The Other Director

Dear The Other Director,

We are not exactly sure what advice to give you.  On the one hand, we could simply tell you that it is important to do whatever you can to be at peace with all men (Rom 12:18).  There are many times when we must deal with disappointment in order to get along with others.

On the other hand, we are concerned that we would be giving you a small piece of advice on human relationships while overlooking the weightier issue - the fact that you have been caught up in a world of choirs, ministers of music, and other things not found in the Bible.

The Bible gives us a simple example for worship.  God tells us that all christians should sing and make melody in our hearts (Eph 5:19).  There are no choirs in the New Testament church.  Choirs have audiences... in the church, we should all participate in praising God with our voices.  Choirs are a denominational concept that deviates from the New Testament pattern.  We here at AYP love singing and praising God in song, just like you do.  It is important that we stick to the Bible pattern and have everyone praise God and pluck their heart strings together.  Worship only makes God happy when we worship Him the way He wants (1 Sam 15:22).

Is the ministry and gift referenced in 2 Corinthians 9 referring to money?  If so, was this money collected by the churches in Achaia to be given to needy non-Christians (9:13)?  I've heard some conflicting views on this, and I'm looking for a good, Biblical answer.

Sincerely,
Gift Giver

Dear Gift Giver,

2 Cor 9 is dealing with a gift of money.  Paul is telling the Corinthians how happy he is with their readiness and zeal to give (2 Cor 9:2).  The whole chapter is dealing with a collection to care for the needs of impoverished christians in Jerusalem.  Paul told the Corinthian church to begin taking up a collection for that need in 1 Cor 16:1-3 and that he would pick up the money and deliver it to Jerusalem when he passed through Macedonia (1 Cor 16:5-6).

In the Second Corinthian letter, Paul is telling them once again to make that gift ready because he is coming soon, and he wanted them to be prepared (2 Cor 9:3-5).  That money was collected by the church in Corinth to care for the needs of christians (2 Cor 9:1).  When Paul talks about their liberality “unto them and unto all” (2 Cor 9:13) – the ‘them’ in that context is the brethren in Judea, and the ‘all’ is all the brethren that the Corinthian church had been kind to and cared for.

The Bible only authorizes a local church to give money to care for needy christians.  The church has more restrictive financial guidelines than individuals do.  As individuals, we can – and should – care for both christians and non-christians (Gal 6:10).

Does the Bible say anything about a ministry tithing to a mission field out of their general fund?

Sincerely,
Fund Flummoxed

Dear Fund Flummoxed,

In the religious world, the word ‘ministry’ means a lot of different things, but we are going to assume that what you mean by that term is ‘congregation’.  A congregation has the authority to collect funds from its membership every Sunday (1 Cor 16:1-2).  That money can be used for anything that the church is supposed to be doing.

We see examples in the Bible of local congregations supporting individual preachers (like Philippi did with Paul – Php 4:15-18), sending money to needy brethren (Acts 11:29), and caring for christian widows (1 Tim 5:16).  All of these are specific examples that go beyond the normal day-to-day expenditures that congregations have to keep preaching the Gospel in their own local community, teaching the christians there, continuing the worship services, and caring for their own needy christians.

Using these examples as guides, it would be appropriate for a congregation to send money to an individual preacher who is working abroad.

     I have a question about the song service and the biblical basis for it.  Last week at our service, our song leader asked us to stand during a particular song, and then he asked us to raise our hand up as though we were "catching God in it"; this seemed weird and made me uncomfortable. This is becoming more and more common in my congregation, especially with this particular song leader. What is the biblical example for the song service? Is it biblically okay to be raising our hands up to the sky and "catching God", or should we just be singing with our voices and hearts?

Sincerely,
Need A Hand

Dear Need A Hand,

The practice of lifting up your hands during worship is traced to 1 Tim 2:8, but unfortunately, many people misunderstand this verse.  There is nothing wrong with literally lifting up your hands to God, but Paul is telling them to “lift up holy hands, without wrath and disputing”.  The context is about a certain lifestyle that people were to have.  It is similar to the saying, “Put your hand to the plow” in Lk 9:62.  ‘Lifting up holy hands’ refers to working, laboring, and serving in a godly way.  Christians are to serve God faithfully, without arguing and disputing with each other.  ‘Lifting up holy hands’ has nothing to do with how high your arms are raised when you sing; it has to do with the character of the life you live.  Are we living holy lives when our hands serve God (1 Cor 4:12)?  Raising your hands during worship has the impression of godliness, but living faithful lives actually fulfills God’s command to ‘lift up holy hands’ (2 Tim 3:5).