Could Your Church Survive the Onslaught
In today’s society, the Church world in the USA, has become like a non-expecting, struggling swimmer in shark-infested waters. Just as the swimmer does not know of his or her impending danger until it is too late, it is the same with Churches. Between the IRS, recent Supreme Court rulings, and the non-Biblical Executive Orders from the White House, Churches are now targeted like never before in the history of our nation.
No longer can Christians practice their tenets of faith without fear of reprisal. When a Christian baker is forced to bake cakes for homosexual weddings; when Executive Orders and Supreme Court rulings for transgenders and non-Biblical marriages are being forced on society, these entities have become the sharks feeding on non-expecting Churches.
No One will be Exempt
Because of cultural shifts and the Church’s naïveté, the Church finds itself on a slippery slope that if not properly navigated, will be detrimental to its survival.
Not long ago, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission was forced to amend its brochure on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity. Prior to the Fort Des Moines Iowa action, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission indicated that Churches would be forced to provide bathrooms, based on sexual identity.
In the early 1990s, the American Bar Association conducted seminars that taught the best way to sue Churches. As of this moment, thousands of Churches are being sued every month.
Naïveté
In a recent Church Management and Tax Seminar, a Pastor stood up and proclaimed that everything I was teaching would not apply to African-American Churches because they now had a friend in the White House. Unfortunately, more African-American Churches are sued and closed, than any other group in the USA.
At another conference, a Pastor stood and stated that none of what I was teaching applied to him because Churches were “exempt.”
Our Government, with help from special interest groups, has been slowly whittling away at our Constitutionally-guaranteed Religious freedoms, while we have remained silent.
When asked what his Church was doing to prepare them for the onslaught, a Pastor stated that they were fasting and praying. Please do not misunderstand me. I believe Churches should fast and pray, but fasting and praying will not absolve us of responsibility to be actively involved in those things that affect our Religious freedoms. Jesus commanded us to “occupy” until He returns. The word, “occupy,” is from a Greek root word that means to do “business, tend to matters, things, and work.”
Churches can no longer sit idly by, with our heads in the sand, pretending that our Constitutionally-guaranteed Religious freedoms will always be guaranteed.
Why You Need Chitwood & Chitwood
Chitwood & Chitwood is the premier Church Management firm in the world. With more than 78 years of experience, we know things that others do not know. Therefore, it is imperative that every Pastor attend a Church Management and Tax Conference in a city nearest them. As we begin our Fall tour, we will be sharing the latest information that is being released against Churches in our nation and what we should do to protect ourselves.
To register please visit us at www.cmtc.org or call 800-344-0076. You will be glad you did.
Remember, for us “It is Ministry;” for everyone else it is a job.
