The FRC regulation for non profit organisations stole in like a thief in the night. I must confess that I never knew such a law existed. Not until the GO of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye retired as a result of the law. And to think the matter was even taken to the courts for adjudication!
Well, the deed has been done, and it cost the big man in the FRC his job!
On looking at the law itself, which affects ALL non profit organisations, one would have expected some exemptions to be made for religious organisations. Religious organisations are supposed to be caring for the spiritual, physical and material needs of their members. Some even extend their help to people of other faiths through various outreach programmes.
However, in spite of the above, most of the GOs and Mummy GOs live in larger than life affluence. They ride the best automobiles. The new craze is investing in fleets of aircraft.
They wear designer clothes. Their wives are especially guilty of this.
A friend of mine once had a terrible experience with one of them. He is a graduate but was at that time jobless. He was then making ends meet by taking photographs. His pastor was celebrating his birthday. My friend saw that as an opportunity to make some money.
Yes, the pastor commissioned him as the official photographer. However, he only got paid about ten months later, after much persuasion by my friend.
The schools being established by these churches are another thing entirely. To say they are expensive will be an understatement. The surprising thing is that many senior pastors in the churches may find those schools unaffordable.
If senior pastors are finding the schools unaffordable, what happens to the struggling man who doesn’t fail to pay his tithe and other offerings to the church’s coffers.
The fact is that most of our GOs couldn’t care less. They separate business from religion, apparently forgetting that the seed for the business was religion.
I believe the way to go is for the Christian Association of Nigeria to call it’s members to a conference where all these issues should be discussed. If not, the Church runs the risk of being put in impossible situations by all and sundry.
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