Christians pay heavy price for Church’s thirst for cash

They may feel overwhelmed, even exploited, but for many believers, leaving the church is never an option.

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What you need to know:

  • From honouring personal pledges to paying obligatory dues and “gifts’’ to church leaders, being a member of her church comes at a heavy price.
  • It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the church is one of the wealthiest institutions in the country.
  • It’s no secret among Kenyans that millions of shillings exchange hands within the so-called ‘‘prosperity gospel churches’’.
  • Officials employ crafty and assertive language to compel believers to contribute.

Miriam Ng’endo rummages in her purse with panic, counting bills and coins as she takes stock of her financial situation.

It’s Friday afternoon and, with Sunday two days away, she has to find money for the weekend’s offering marathon at her church. 

The mother of three and her family attends one of the parishes of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Machakos County.

Her phone beeps twice in quick succession. Ignoring the text messages, she goes on to confirm her balance on M-Pesa before her phone starts to ring.

‘‘It’s the church secretary reminding me about my monthly contribution to the Mother’s Union,’’ Ng’endo says with evident displeasure.

From honouring personal pledges to paying obligatory dues and “gifts’’ to church leaders, being a member of her church comes at a heavy price.

From a hospital bill to settle here to hungry families to feed there and countless welfare issues, the demands choke her church diary. Still, the city physician has to tithe and make her offerings.

Not for the poor

‘‘Every month I’ve to set aside a portion for church needs when I’m budgeting,’’ she revealed. With dizzying demands for money, belonging to a mainstream church is not a thing for the poor.

Believers who spoke to the Nation painted a disheartening picture of institutions that have become the ultimate symbol of self-indulgence and excess.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the church is one of the wealthiest institutions in the country, with investment in real estate, hospitality and education.

It’s no secret among Kenyans that millions of shillings exchange hands within the so-called ‘‘prosperity gospel churches’’ –which are owned and controlled by individuals.

Investments

What is often overlooked though is the blatant materialism. A 2014 report by Construction Kenya (CK) blew the lid off the multibillion-shilling investments in real estate by local churches. CK is an information resource for Kenya’s construction industry.

Leading on this front were Christ is the Answer Ministries (Citam), the Roman Catholic Church and Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). While it’s strenuous to pay school fees for their children who attend a private school in Embakasi, it’s the offerings to the church the young couple seems more apprehensive about.

‘‘Sometimes the school allows us more time to clear the fees. The church is more impatient,’’ Ngendo lamented. Her church, she said, regards her and her husband Julius Waithaka as individual believers, not a family.

‘‘We have separate financial obligations to the church,’’ she noted. On his part, Waithaka contended that offerings are driven by one’s relationship with God.

But it’s the incessant reminders from administrative assistants that are particularly agonising for churchgoers. From phone calls to text messages on WhatsApp, officials use every available resource to ensure that every coin drops into the church’s collection basket.

Assertive language

In messages seen by the Nation, officials employ crafty and assertive language to compel believers to contribute.

‘‘Dear Sister Miriam, remember to send your pledge (Sh8,000) for development. The grace period is over. Your contribution (Sh4,000) for the quota is still due. Please pay any other pending balances as well. God bless you,’’ read one text message from her church’s secretary.

‘‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,’’ reads the gospel of Matthew 11:28. Ironically though, the church today appears to wear down believers with demands for money, some who have to enter into debt. Not even Covid-19 and the economic downturn has halted this thirst.

‘‘Being unable to pay on time doesn’t mean you’re exempt. It becomes a debt. The church follows up until you’ve cleared,’’ explains Leah Emali, who quit one of the local churches in 2018.

‘‘My debt had piled up to around Sh150,000. Officials kept calling me. I had to flee from the exploitation,’’ she narrated, adding that she doesn’t attend church anymore. While believers often grumble or suffer in silence, no one dares question the church ‘‘because no one in particular controls these money machines’’, according to Emali. There is also the fear of humiliation and possible isolation, she said.

No one to complain to

‘‘Who do you complain to? Even the officials are simply following church guidelines. It’s an unwritten rule,’’ she explained.

Jeremy Munga, a member of PCEA in Nairobi, concurred.

‘‘Our church operates through mutaratara (procedures). This is how the affairs of the church have been run for decades. There’s no room to defy.’’

On whether these money drains are justified, Ng’endo, Munga and Emali argued that while some needs are, having a myriad of financial demands is exhausting. Pastor Gibson Anduvate of International Christian Centre (ICC) in Nairobi defended the churches, saying many fend for the society’s vulnerable, orphans and the poor without ‘‘publicising it’’.

‘‘Giving is an expression of faith when done out of a place of willingness rather than compulsion,’’ Pastor Anduvate argued. He, however, pointed out that some churches have ‘‘sadly put emphasis on collections’’.

Reached for comment, the Reverend Canon Kinyanjui of St Mary’s ACK in Syokimau, Machakos County only said “views of the congregants (on the matter) would be important’’.

‘‘They are the givers,’’ said Rev Canon Kinyanjui, who is also the secretary-general of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).

Kisumu Catholic Archbishop Philip Anyolo, who is the president of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, did not respond to our queries.

Feeding the clergy

In the majority of churches, bishops and vicars are entitled to a monthly pay. Even so, the responsibility to feed them falls on believers. Contributions take the form of money and actual food.

Most mainstream churches operate a quota system where believers in parishes contribute monies that are sent to the diocese. From the mother church, accountants determine what percentage is channelled back to individual churches.

They may feel overwhelmed, even exploited, but for Ng’endo, Munga and other believers, leaving the church is never an option.

 ‘‘I’ll stay put and hope that I’m able to meet these demands,’’ Ng’endo says.