Borrowing money to build a church “Needed to Worship God” says Evangelical Leader

Brisbane, Queensland

A local church leader* in Brisbane, Australia, has told his congregation that he needs to borrow money to build a church. While it is not clear how much has been borrowed, the act of borrowing itself has come under fire, in light of a new campaign which seeks to teach Christians about Biblical finance, especially about churches and Christians getting into debt.

The rebuke by the movement to teach Christians about proper Biblical finance has stirred up much outcry by the movement, led mainly by modern evangelicals, to build more church buildings to ‘advance the Kingdom of God’. 

Some, in particular the leader’s own congregation has supported the move, despite the prospect of each member being in debt himself or herself. “Even though the idea of being in debt to fund one’s endeavours is a secular financial idea, that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing”, one supporter said. “We have the money, and God’s grace is sufficient. He lets us borrow money from banks, even if that means we go bankrupt. He is gracious,” said another member of his church.

“Borrowing money, even though one is in debt is necessary, and is sometimes inevitable”, says the conservative evangelical leader, whose has the support of almost his entire congregation. “Some Christians may think it enslaves a person to money, but sometimes, one needs to serve both God and mammon to serve God”, he said. “Sometimes, we just need to be realistic”. 

“What’s more”, he adds, “Seeking more money for one’s endeavour is obedience to God, because one can buy more things that are needed to serve God”. 

Christians Fighting Debt (CFD), a Christian ministry which seeks to promote Biblical teaching on debt and to teach Christians to follow Biblical precepts on debt has rebuked the announcement by the evangelical leader.

“Jesus said that ‘no one can serve both God and money’”, the president of CFD has said. “Frankly, I don’t understand why so many Christians find that so hard to understand. Jesus Himself made it very clear”. 

“The Church today, has totally forsaken the teachings of Jesus Christ on money. They think that borrowing money is a ‘right’, and that that it is their Christian ‘liberty’”, the president of CFD explained. “But they don’t realise that money has a power to enslave. That is the power of debt. Even though God is gracious, sin is still sin, and one is still responsible for one’s actions”.

The evangelical church is part of a movement which seeks to build more church buildings, to ‘advance the Kingdom of God’. 

It has been reported that one of its leaders is a board member at Christian bank which is becoming increasingly popular with evangelicals. 

* Name has been withheld on request by the pastor reported in this report, owing to fears of rebuke and admonition about borrowing money.