Prospective Church Say Pay up or don't come back

[Anonymous]

We have been church shopping for a while and one church sent us an email that said that if we want to attend services as members we had to pay. Like don't come back unless we complete the direct debit form attached to the email. We were so turned off. Is it just good business or money grubbing?

[Anonymous]

Yikes, I would not attend there. I have never had that happen. My family was in Catholic Churches in CT and VA and then I became a Unitarian. No one ever bugged me about money.

[Anonymous]

Could it be Lutheran? They do not teach tithing, but ask for 1%

Or are you about to join a cult

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be Lutheran? They do not teach tithing, but ask for 1%

Or are you about to join a cult

We’ve been at three different Lutheran churches and never been asked for 1%.

[Anonymous]

I would be of the “don’t come back” mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be Lutheran? They do not teach tithing, but ask for 1%

Or are you about to join a cult

I’ve never heard of tithing 1% only 10% — this sounds like a great deal!

[Anonymous]

Are you looking at Mormon temples?

[Anonymous]

They made your decision easy, OP. Keep looking.

[Anonymous]

Name the Church. We have to be tithing members to be considered members but it’s not forced and there is no set amount. You could technically be a guest forever if you wanted to.

[Anonymous]

Wow. That’s…wow. What’s the name of the church?

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a non-Christian faith and find this really shocking. I thought houses of worship (of any religion) were supposed to be welcoming places that offered refuge to all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Name the Church. We have to be tithing members to be considered members but it’s not forced and there is no set amount. You could technically be a guest forever if you wanted to.

Yes, our church requires a financial contribution to be a voting member. It doesn't say how much money, though, so it's largely a symbolic way of showing a commitment. Is it possible they were just trying to help you learn the requirements of membership because they'd like you to join?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been church shopping for a while and one church sent us an email that said that if we want to attend services as members we had to pay. Like don't come back unless we complete the direct debit form attached to the email. We were so turned off. Is it just good business or money grubbing?

This sounds so weird that I question if the church has been hacked. Perhaps you could call the church office, or send the church a separate email, only to the email listed by the church (which may be different than the one you received).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Name the Church. We have to be tithing members to be considered members but it’s not forced and there is no set amount. You could technically be a guest forever if you wanted to.

Yes, our church requires a financial contribution to be a voting member. It doesn't say how much money, though, so it's largely a symbolic way of showing a commitment. Is it possible they were just trying to help you learn the requirements of membership because they'd like you to join?

That’s just not right.

[Anonymous]

Ha! If you pay up, wonder what they will ask for next? Sounds incredibly shady.