Why are churches so secretive about finance?

I believe that a church can do whatever they like with their money and that yes, they should recieve a tax break from the gov’t.
I know that the church I grew up in often handed out a sheet that let everyone know what they were spending money on and often times people would just hand money to our pastor sort of like a bonus.
Clergy deserves pay and good pay at that. There is a lot more that they do besides keep the church in order.

Any institution charitable or otherwise which receives government money or tax concessions should, in my opinion, be required to file publicly accessible audited financial statements on a regular basis.

Religious doctrine may involves “mysteries” but their finances do not, especially if they operate with the benefit of public money.

In our archidocese, all Catholic parishes publish income and expenses for the week in the bulletin, at a high level. The Parish Council runs the budget, and it’s available at the parish office; anyone may see it. Anyone with a question or beef about the budget can take it to the monthly parish council meeting. They welcome people who are interested enough in parish affairs to speak up. The caveat is councils assume that if you’re willing to complain, you’re willing to volunteer to do work for the parish as well.

That is one of the reasons we separated from England. I do not believe that the government has the obligation or right to support taxpayers superstitions. In the U.S. our religious organizations get a tax deduction, I highly disagree with that also.

Tax exemption for religion should stop.

Why shouldn’t they be allowed to collect money from the general populace? The government providing funding to a church would be a different story, as is government incentives for religious organizations via tax exemptions. The U.S. tax code does the same thing – considers churches charities and gives very significant tax breaks to them. I think religious organizations get the best tax breaks in our country. I take major issue with the tax code on this point.

I am a strong advocate for transparency while balancing privacy rights. I don’t know if the latter should apply to organizations in the same way that it does to people. In fact, I take issue with organizations and corporations being treated by the law as people but that is another story. However, I think it is reasonable for a church to choose not to make its financial documents public because we as individuals can choose whether or not we want to give them our money. I personally have a very hard time giving away money to anyone without first knowing how it will be used.

However, if the government is going to give a church tax breaks, then financial documents should be made public. We, the collective society, are then effectually subsidizing churches and so have a right to know what they’re up to.

What we really need is more smart people who see through this B.S. and stop falling for it.

I dont go to church anymore actually its been like 7 years since ive been to a service but at the church I did go to I had a big issue giving them my hard earned money when I saw the paster and his whole family in new cady’s and living in a million dollar home when the church building was in shambles. I also observed the pastor buring money to prove a point that money isnt everything and than he asked everyone in the church to burn what they had in their wallets. I have a problem when the money given is not used to help people. I would rather give my money to the salvation army or the red cross and see my money do some real good. I know not all churches are like the one I happen to have attended, but I am still very weary of giving my money blindly!

Because they don’t want people to know how much they’re extorting from people under the guise of religion.

Not all churches are “secretive”. Our church has quarterly meetings that allow our members to see where the money is being allocated. You can’t stereotype everything. Example: Just because someone says they are a believer yet they are living like a devil, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t exist and that all believers are hypocrites. There are churches where the people are truly living for Jesus.

@usaloveorleaveit Which are greatly, greatly outnumbered by those who aren’t. And even those who think they are, even those who think that they are beyond reproach, don’t have lives that bear much scrutiny. There are perhaps 20 people in the world who aren’t hypocrites when it comes to religion. Other use and abuse it in order to sanction their ideas on which people should and “will” be condemned and then try and convince themselves they’re truly living the word and will of God.

Because the clergy are driving ferraris.

If churches are taking public money then their finances should be visible to all, not just members.
In my experience people are easily fooled into thinking that pastor/rev is a “hard working” person, and women seem to fall for this line more easily than men.
Ive seen the pastor thing from the inside attending pastors fraternal meetings, seeing that they would get involved in this and that committee in order to build up their work load.
The early churches were organised as communities and
not like corporations.
There were no rich and no poor and certainly nobody was making a living out of being a professional Christian.
If churches were organised as communities there is no need to pay someone to visit the sick etc.
The average wage in this area is about £18000pa, yet two local church workers are extracting £26000 pa and the “work” they do has very little to do with the churches who pay them – and this is common.
I think the minute you cant be absolutely open about finance then you have something to hide.

Just one more list from me. A truly religious organization does not need a paid clergy. Churches are not banks and should not accumulate wealth. Decisions made about public money are supposed to be guided by “sunshine laws”. Finally non-religious charities are required to have open books that can be scrutinized by the public. They also post their administration costs.

Since churches follow none of those guidelines and are permitted to discriminate against people that don’t fit their narrow idea of a moral person, they are absolutely liable for all taxes on income and property just the same as any corporation. It must also be illegal to use them to disburse public money. That is highly unconstitutional regardless the mental gymnastics that the conservatives use to promote these idea. Just another reason to feel ashamed of our government.

Isn’t it obvious? Why is an corporation secretive about its finances?