WeAreChristians:
You say that you want "pastors with charisma" and that you are "sick and tired of flat boring dull messages".
Cult leader Jim Jones was a charismatic leader that offered exiting messages. And so was evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and TV preacher Jim Bakker.
See the following links about this pastors.
[
www.culteducation.com] Jim Jones
[
www.culteducation.com] Jim Bakker
See also [
www.culteducation.com] about TBN, Swaggart and Bakker
Jesus said that many would come in his name, but he would not know them.
You said, "I believe if the pastors and church staffs are not using God's money for God's purpose...then God will discipline them.
God will punish them. The Holy Spirit will "GET" these corrupted individuals.
Justice is God's."
No. Paul wasn't God, but he judged leaders and preached against corrupt authority in Galatians. The New Testament has specific requirements for deacons, elders and evangelists. Believers can and should hold people in leadership roles accountable.
Churches today have created and developed meaningful safeguards to protect the members of a congregation against abusive leadership. This includes creating church constitutions that provide for democratic government that protect congregants through bylaws that include specific delegated checked and balanced powers. Typically Protestant churches have democratically elected church boards elected by secret ballot. Board members are elected by the general membership, they then serve fixed terms and must stand for re-election. The board often has officers (e.g. President, treasurer, secretary, etc.) and the board decides upon such things as the budget, hiring and firing of staff, etc. The pastor can be fired for misconduct or for doing a poor job, depending upon the terms of his contract.
You said, "What salaries and benefits and any other form of income does the church pay the pastors and staffs and directors ?"
But that needs to be checked by specifically provided for and regular disclosure. This is typically done through detailed annual budget, which is independently audited by an outside accounting firm and then distributed to all church donors. That budget should disclose in detail all salaries, benefits, compensation and expenses that are paid out from church funds. Without this type of transparency there is no meaningful accountability regarding church money and no one really knows where the money goes other than the leaders.
The overwhelming majority of churches today have these simple safeguards to protect congregants and insure meaningful accountability.
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". It's not about belief it's about behavior. Human beings have a tendency to fall short and make mistakes. Democratic church government and meaningful financial transparency hold leaders accountable and provides for safety.
If your church doesn't have such checks and balances it's little more than a dictatorship no matter how you attempt to rationalize or spin it.
Does the church have a constitution and bylaws that have all these provisions?
Are there regular elections by secret ballot to select board members?
Can the elected board members hire and fire staff including the pastor?
Does every church contributor know about every salary, benefit package and expense paid out from church funds through an annually audited church budget that they have received?
These are questions that will demonstrate what kind of church you are in, either one with meaningful safeguards or a dictatorship.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2013 11:38PM by rrmoderator.