Hathaway
Someday, We'll All Be Free
I'm not trying to start up a religious debate or anything of the sort. I just wanted to get this off of my chest and it being Sunday, I found right now the perfect time.
As I've mentioned here before, I am an unbeliever. I don't prefer to use the word atheist for personal reasons. The details of my views of religion and the church are insignificant to the topic. I wasn't always an unbeliever though. In years past, I was a former minister of music and a minister in training. I was being trained to become a preacher. I've preached through music and I've preached from the pulpit in my early to mid 20's. I did that for 9 years before I turned away from god and the church. I've seen the inner workings of the church from a position of leadership. I've seen it's benefits and I've seen it's many downfalls.
Black pastors make so much money from these churches. I sat under my former pastor for many years. I learned from him. He worked a day job making $55K a year. But the money he received from tithes and offering every Sunday equated to $70K annually. I know. My mother was the church's secretary and treasurer. I got paid $600 a month for leading the music ministry and I would also be gifted $200 every 3rd Sunday when I would preach. For Conventions, I would be gifted $500 for preaching Saturday Youth Nights. I was never in it for the money though. There are many other positions I held that I refused pay from: Youth Sunday School teacher, Bible Study Teacher, Vacation Bible School Leader. All of these I did for free. I did it for the love of building the kingdom of god.
But back to the pastor. $55K plus the $70K he would get from the church equaled $120K. Add on his wife being a guidance counselor with a masters degree making I believe $65K and you have a total of $185K from both of them combined. And don't get it twisted. This was no mega church. This was a mid sized church of some 100-110 members. I remember when Covid hit in 2020 and he was trying to do everything in his power to keep the doors of the church open. I thought it was his commitment to god and the ministry. Nah, it was his greed. He didn't want the church to shut down because he would inevitably lose members and thus, his income would drastically decrease. He fought tooth and nail trying to get people to come to the church despite protocols asking being to stay indoors. This a$$hole. Begging people to risk their health for his personal gain. He lives in a mansion in a beautiful suburb. Has 4 vehicles, one of which he just bought last year. He has it made.
Sometimes man, I sit here and look at the state of my life. I'm not struggling by any means. We are an upper middle class family of 4. But I sit and wonder what if I would've stayed in that church and became an eventual pastor. The amount of money I could make would be crazy. Y'all already know I sing and make music. I'm charismatic, a thinker and I know the Bible because I was raised in it. Even if I lost my belief in god, a part me wishes I would've stayed just for the money. But my conscious wouldn't let me. I don't think I could live comfortably knowing I'm living lavishly off the backs of my people. Working class people. Spreading lies of false hope and promises over the pulpit. Feeding hollow words of encouragements every week just to get people happy enough to dance, shout and throw their hard earned money in the offering bucket so I could take half of it for my own selfish gain. Making the poor and down trotted men and women feel guilty for not giving up their money to the church. For not sacrificing giving their rent money to the church. Not trusting that god would make a way for them. Its a science. Give your bill money to the lord and he'll take care of those bills for you if your faith is strong enough. I almost lost power to my crib one month because I stupidly gave up my power bill money to the church in hopes that god would honor my sacrifice. Had to take on extra hours at work to make up for that shyt.
I saw it every week. Struggling single moms, tithing 10% of their income to the church, struggling to pay their bills. Struggling to clothe their children. Giving that money to the church believing that this god would bless them. What does a perfect god need with money? Why would it even care about a man made construct? These are the questions I wondered. It's not about the money, I would tell myself. He cares about your faith and willingness to part with it in service to him. Bullshyt. I was tithing too. Giving 10% of my money to the church plus an offering. I never understood that shyt but it was sinful not to do it. So, like many other black people, I gave it away without proper understanding as to why.
I know where tithing comes from scripturally but its still bullshyt. If the church would take that money and actually circulate it back into the black communities, we would be lightyears ahead of where we are now as a people. But church leaders are men at the end of the day and men are filled with greed and a lust for power.
That's all.
As I've mentioned here before, I am an unbeliever. I don't prefer to use the word atheist for personal reasons. The details of my views of religion and the church are insignificant to the topic. I wasn't always an unbeliever though. In years past, I was a former minister of music and a minister in training. I was being trained to become a preacher. I've preached through music and I've preached from the pulpit in my early to mid 20's. I did that for 9 years before I turned away from god and the church. I've seen the inner workings of the church from a position of leadership. I've seen it's benefits and I've seen it's many downfalls.
Black pastors make so much money from these churches. I sat under my former pastor for many years. I learned from him. He worked a day job making $55K a year. But the money he received from tithes and offering every Sunday equated to $70K annually. I know. My mother was the church's secretary and treasurer. I got paid $600 a month for leading the music ministry and I would also be gifted $200 every 3rd Sunday when I would preach. For Conventions, I would be gifted $500 for preaching Saturday Youth Nights. I was never in it for the money though. There are many other positions I held that I refused pay from: Youth Sunday School teacher, Bible Study Teacher, Vacation Bible School Leader. All of these I did for free. I did it for the love of building the kingdom of god.
But back to the pastor. $55K plus the $70K he would get from the church equaled $120K. Add on his wife being a guidance counselor with a masters degree making I believe $65K and you have a total of $185K from both of them combined. And don't get it twisted. This was no mega church. This was a mid sized church of some 100-110 members. I remember when Covid hit in 2020 and he was trying to do everything in his power to keep the doors of the church open. I thought it was his commitment to god and the ministry. Nah, it was his greed. He didn't want the church to shut down because he would inevitably lose members and thus, his income would drastically decrease. He fought tooth and nail trying to get people to come to the church despite protocols asking being to stay indoors. This a$$hole. Begging people to risk their health for his personal gain. He lives in a mansion in a beautiful suburb. Has 4 vehicles, one of which he just bought last year. He has it made.
Sometimes man, I sit here and look at the state of my life. I'm not struggling by any means. We are an upper middle class family of 4. But I sit and wonder what if I would've stayed in that church and became an eventual pastor. The amount of money I could make would be crazy. Y'all already know I sing and make music. I'm charismatic, a thinker and I know the Bible because I was raised in it. Even if I lost my belief in god, a part me wishes I would've stayed just for the money. But my conscious wouldn't let me. I don't think I could live comfortably knowing I'm living lavishly off the backs of my people. Working class people. Spreading lies of false hope and promises over the pulpit. Feeding hollow words of encouragements every week just to get people happy enough to dance, shout and throw their hard earned money in the offering bucket so I could take half of it for my own selfish gain. Making the poor and down trotted men and women feel guilty for not giving up their money to the church. For not sacrificing giving their rent money to the church. Not trusting that god would make a way for them. Its a science. Give your bill money to the lord and he'll take care of those bills for you if your faith is strong enough. I almost lost power to my crib one month because I stupidly gave up my power bill money to the church in hopes that god would honor my sacrifice. Had to take on extra hours at work to make up for that shyt.
I saw it every week. Struggling single moms, tithing 10% of their income to the church, struggling to pay their bills. Struggling to clothe their children. Giving that money to the church believing that this god would bless them. What does a perfect god need with money? Why would it even care about a man made construct? These are the questions I wondered. It's not about the money, I would tell myself. He cares about your faith and willingness to part with it in service to him. Bullshyt. I was tithing too. Giving 10% of my money to the church plus an offering. I never understood that shyt but it was sinful not to do it. So, like many other black people, I gave it away without proper understanding as to why.
I know where tithing comes from scripturally but its still bullshyt. If the church would take that money and actually circulate it back into the black communities, we would be lightyears ahead of where we are now as a people. But church leaders are men at the end of the day and men are filled with greed and a lust for power.
That's all.
