Ask Your Preacher
Money distribution
Monday, October 28, 2019Is money given to the Lord attached to a particular church location, or is it to be used by the members that gave it? For example, when a church dissolves its membership, if the money is simply "the Lord’s", can it be used by another body of Christ for the Lord's work? Sincerely,
Membership Required
Dear Membership Required,
The location of the building isn’t the important thing; it is the organization of people who are guided by the elders that makes up a congregation (Php 1:1). The elders are in charge of properly using the money that sits in the local treasury (Acts 11:29-30). The local congregation’s leadership is held accountable for the distribution and use of the church’s funds. This Bible pattern ties the money to the congregation (even if they move down the street), not the specific physical building they meet in.
In the sad circumstance that a congregation dissolves, the faithful thing to do is to make sure the funds are properly used before dissolving – and one proper use would be to give the funds to another faithful congregation that could use them – just like Acts 11:29-30 shows. SB