How preachers fleece their poor flock

Starting a church is the latest way to make easy money, according to worried government officials.

Ruthless church leaders tell vulnerable worshippers to give them lots of money for God’s work for them to be rewarded with riches, an expert explained.

He said religion had become more a lucrative business enterprise than a calling.

Self-styled pastors and bishops were lining their own pockets by fleecing their flocks, another expert said.

So successful is the ploy that the Government is receiving more than 60 new applications a month from people wanting to start new churches.

And with two new requests coming in every day to join the 7,000 pending applications, officials are urgently seeking ways to block what they see as just schemes to make money.

They are asking mainstream religious leaders to help them curb the proliferation of splinter groups.

More than 10,000 denominations have already been registered, and they have built more than 50,000 churches in towns and in the countryside.

Fastest growing

The 7,000 applications still pending in the Registrar of Societies office are those which have failed to meet the minimum requirements.

Pentecostal and charismatic churches are the fastest growing, with 44,000 recognised by the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK).

“We are just a segment of the whole church fraternity. Churches are coming up at an alarming rate,” said the Rev Wellington Mutiso, the EAK’s general-secretary.

Dr Mutiso said many Kenyans were turning to the new churches in search of a livelihood, while leaders of the new churches were in it mainly for the money.

Already, the anti-corruption authority is studying 120 complaints with a view to prosecution.

One official in the registrar’s office commented: “We are seeking to demand proof of training in theology from the new applicants because most of them are not qualified to head churches or even teach the Gospel.”

Interviews with religious leaders and scholars established that harsh economic conditions, social challenges and ignorance among most believers were the main factors encouraging what is commonly known as the Prosperity Gospel.

God’s favour

The doctrine promises worshippers that God will shower them with material blessings if they sacrifice to spread His word.

It holds that material prosperity, particularly financial wellbeing and success in business and personal life, were to be expected as external evidence of God’s favour.

But academicians and social scientists say the doctrine takes advantage of vulnerable groups.

One expert is Prof Eric Nandi of Masinde Muliro University, who has carried out extensive research on the subject. He said the doctrine thrived on problems including high unemployment, rising inflation and the emergence of diseases such as Aids.

“Socio-economic challenges are productive in religious terms. And the church offers an easy escape for people out of these problems. The emergence of the Prosperity Gospel in Kenya is a reflection of the hard times people are going through,” he told the Saturday Nation.

Proponents of the doctrine often tell their followers that the cause of their difficulties is their bad relationship with God. And by giving generously, they will appease Him to endow them with success.

“When socio-economic problems are approached in this manner, it becomes easy to woo people who have few alternatives in life. And because religion is such a powerful thing, people are easily convinced,” he said.

In turn, this has led to the commercialisation of religion which is seen in the high rate at which churches are being set up.

Prof Nandi said religion had become a lucrative business enterprise. “It is no secret that most of the people who start churches nowadays are doing so purely for commercial purposes.

That is why we have self-confessed criminals purporting to be preachers. Their interest is money and not the service of Jesus Christ which demands total sacrifice.”

The Prosperity Gospel, which started in Kenya in the early 1980s, preaches the Seed Faith. This teaches that health and wealth are the results of a good relationship with God. Worshippers are convinced that the more they give to God the more they will reap.

Dr Philomena Mwaura, a senior lecturer in Religious Studies at Kenyatta University said of Seed Faith: “It is a calculated distortion of scriptures for personal gain. Because people believe pastors have a lot of power, they are able to coerce congregations to give tithes and offering.”

Many splits

Researchers have found that a lack of structures in the new churches has led to many splits after worshippers disagree on financial management.

The churches are mainly formed by people who disagree with the way the self-styled pastor or bishop manages the offering, tithe and other donations.

“When the splinter groups are unable to access the money, they realise they can get their own money by starting their own churches,” said Dr Mwaura.

By playing on peoples’ fears, the proponents of Prosperity Gospel have become formidable business enterprises.

Some of the best known Prosperity Gospel churches in the country are business empires registered in the names of the founders.

These churches have vast interests in the stock exchange and in the transport industry. The businesses are funded mainly by the poor who donate beyond their means to keep the enterprises running.

Beyond promoting materialism generally, critics also claim the doctrine is used by its proponents to make money and to finance their lavish lifestyles.

Because most of these churches are started by individuals, the property acquired by the church ends up becoming personal assets registered in the name of the founders.

In most cases, followers are hardly aware of this fact or are afraid of inquiring about it.

More often, the preachers use the lifestyles they lead as examples of God’s favour on them. But these lifestyles are funded by the poor.

Dr Emily Choge, a lecturer in Religious Studies at Moi University, said the Prosperity Gospel is a simplistic and misguided way of living.

She said this type of gospel thrived because of apparent contradictions in the Bible, which the preachers have exploited.

“For one, it is not possible for one to be religious and not give. On the other hand, preachers of the gospel have a right to live by the gospel according to the Bible. This is how these preachers have found justification to exploit their followers,” she said.

It is on such grounds that the congregation is convinced to contribute as much as they can with biblical quotes such as “God loves a cheerful giver,” and “When you give to God, you’re simply loaning to the Lord and He gives it right back.”

Said Dr Choge: “People end up giving beyond their means and overlook practicalities of life. We know of people who have taken loans just to fulfil the demands of their preachers. This is wrong and contravenes the teachings of Christ on tithing.”

Most Christians, she said, were not aware of their rights because they did not understand the Bible. And because of desperation, most people find it easier to give material things than true devotion.

Proponents of the Prosperity Gospel find their support in specific Bible verses.

For example, Malachi 3:10 says: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

But scholars say the contents are often taken out of their textual, cultural, historical and literary context to support the preachers’ claims.

“In reality, they preach materialism, masquerading it as theology. They promote more self-gratification than true spirituality,” said Prof Nandi.

He pointed to the seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between the Prosperity Gospel and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which was best summed up in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve God and riches.”

Common feature

Prosperity theology is most commonly found within the Pentecostal traditions of Christianity. It gained prominence in the 1980s through the teachings of televangelists, now a common feature in Kenya.

Some world renowned proponents of the doctrine are Bishop T.D. Jakes, Paul Copeland, Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer. Last year, the US Senate opened an investigation into the finances of the latter three. 

However, Pastor Stephen Keitany of Vision Ministries in Eldoret said there was nothing wrong with the Prosperity Gospel.

He said they were basically embracing a practical way of life.

“We have to accept that financial prosperity is the key to success of religion. No one can worship God in poverty. That is why we have to empower our followers economically first so that it becomes easier for them to worship God,” he said.