PASTORS AND PRIVATE JETS

I Know some people right now would be like, “Mr. Johnson what does this have to do with branding?”, well, as a good friend of mine put it, it’s all about perception, and perception (the right kind) is what branding seeks to create.

Now, the buzz about pastors, or men of God and their private Jets is one that has recently been the talk of the town and I just feel a need to put my two cents in. I am deliberately not going to dwell on any singular individual but focus on the entirety of the issue.

My first question is simple, what is wrong with a pastor owning a private jet?, The perception that men of God are meant to be two steps from poverty and give up all they own to feed the hungry and tend to the sick is an archaic one. Solomon was not just a king but a man of God, maybe not a pastor, but still a man God reckoned with. Also the bible says, and I quote, seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you. Notice the word ‘all’. So is a private Jet not one of the all? Why is it okay for celebrities and business people to own private jets and not a pastor? Musicians that rap about nonsense and rubbish as well as those that dance half naked on stage, they all have one, no one bats an eyelid, but a pastor who preaches the WORD OF GOD gets one and all hell breaks loose. I mean are men of God some lower life forms that are constrained to the basic food, clothing and shelter at their barest minimums. God even said in His word that ”Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” So when I hear the term ‘prosperity gospel’, I ask what's wrong with that? We all want to be successful and financially buoyant and apparently God wants it too. Yes some pastors overtly dwell on this topic as if that is all that matters and I admit that is wrong but it is a topic worth preaching about and what better way to convince a congregation of the word of God than by actually living it, prosperity and all. 

If someone told you, ‘you can be rich’ but looked haggard, hungry and unkept, you wouln’t take them seriously now would you. But if a billionaire sat you down in his suit and tie, nice watch and shoes with a desire to tell you how to prosper in life, I bet you’d pay rapt attention. So, must a pastor drive flashy cars and have expensive things NO!! Should they? YES!! But with a sense of responsibility, not to show off but to prove that it is possible to serve God and still live well. Though it is an issue of choice as all men are not the same it would go a long way to make their congregation see the possibilities serving God has to offer. I mean should a pastor with a wife and 4 children be living inside face me I face you with no car and faded suits before everybody sees him and says, ‘Heyya! He is a true  pastor!!” NO thank you. Just so you know Jesus was a carpenter, with 12 employees, one of which was an accountant, I don’t think you can have an accountant without having money.

Money! That brings me to my next question, is it financially responsible for a pastor to buy or accept a jet as a gift?

Now before you all shout and chorus NO! Let’s look a little deeper. Meet Pastor D, who has been preaching for the last 20 – 30 years, He started from the parlour of his room and parlour with his wife and a congregation of 3. He slowly rose, to a tent structure then a leased hall then their first building after about 18 years of ministry. He was originally driving a beetle, then 504 (the type without padding) then regular benz and now he Is driving Land cruiser. His ministry, after 20 years decided to build a school and set up a vocational center, as well as build 10 more churches. 30 years on they’re considering building more schools, and expanding the ministry globally, hence the church seeks to buy a private jet!

Now what’s wrong with this picture? In my view, absolutely nothing! It’s called progress. If these pastors were not visibly progressing in ministry would we go to these churches or listen to their sermons, most especially on prosperity? I clearly understand that the argument can be made that these pastors are using the offerings and tithes paid by many of their poor and down trodden followers to obtain such luxuries but did they take gun and point at anybody’s head? The misconceived perception here is the belief that pastor’s demand offering and tithe, (which 10% of your income from their congregation), which is very untrue. Pastor’s don’t ask for our giving, God does! “The guideline for our giving to God and His work is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." An excerpt for an article I read online here. Another good resource to answer some questions can be found here.

The problem I see here is the fact that people tend to follow the Men of God rather than the God of men. They want the blessings of God and not the God of the blessings. So when they give, it’s to the man on the pulpit and not the God upstairs. They do it because pastor said so and not God said so and when nothing happens in their lives to mark improvement, it is perceived as the pastor robbing them, whereas the real wrong doing is believing in the pastor and not God. If you really took the time to read and believe God’s Word, you would know that God abundantly blesses the giver (2 Corinthians 9:6, 8-14). I must admit here that there are some, in fact many, who have taken these sacred scriptures and twisted them for their own personal gain dealing yet another blow to the image of Christianity, not proud of it, but I admit it.

Okay so how much is this ‘private Jet’ sef? Well from my research (google, baby!) you can park one in your house for anything from $25-$50 million dollars!! (pricelist here)That’s about N3.75 – N7.5 BILLION NAIRA!! YEPKA!! The money is many!! 

Yes I agree, the money is stupendous almost pornographic, it can build homes and feed generations. But, if pastors known for their philanthropy, have sent people’s children to school, (maybe not yours or mine), have set up businesses and have created employment opportunities for hundreds if not thousands of people is that not commendable? If a pastor has spent money to buy buses and charges a flat rate for transportation regardless of distance, is that not something. If pastors and their churches have built schools to better educate our children and show the government of this country how to do it is that not praise worthy? “BTW I went to a Christian university, covenant university to be exact, yes! it was pricy and expensive and no! my parents are far from millionaires but guess what I finished in the 4 years I signed up for not the 25-life being metted out in other public institutions. I am also aware that a good number of students at the time I was in school were there on scholarships obtained purely on merit.”

So if they have done all this and deem it fit to a get a jet to advance the ministry, why the hubbub? If governors and government officials who use government money to buy jet for themselves are not coming under fire, then why are pastors? Perception. The perception that pastors are not meant to have much and are meant to be the custodians of philanthropy is what has fueled this onslaught. I don’t think it’s necessary for one to publicize the good they’ve done as that will inevitably raise the issue of seeking publicity, so when people hear news about such ‘luxuries’ without any news of the philanthropy to ‘justify’ it, you have what is presently going on. Even God’s word advices we give in secret so much so that our “left hand does not know what the right had is doing” (Matthew 6:3), and when this is done, “God that sees in secret will bless in public”. (Matthew 6:4)

The issue of giving and philanthropy brings me to my third and final question, What have you done?

It’s easy to point fingers at other people and say x, y and z. But what have you done? (me inclusive) My good friend, who inspired me to write this, argued that pastors have a moral responsibility as spiritual leaders to take care of their congregation, very true. (See here, scroll down to see Mark Driscoll’s list of duties for the elders-pastors (from Vintage Church, [Crossway: 2008], 72)J) But does that mean we don’t have the same responsibility even if to a lesser extent. I remember reading a comment on a blog where the guy said his neighbor goes to a popular Pentecostal church and gives all he can yet he can’t feed adequately, and the question that came to mind is what has the guy commenting done to help the guy he’s commenting about. It sounds hypocritical to me to accuse someone of not giving enough when we’re not giving at all. Yes the Poverty around us is unprecedented and buying a Jet in these times, especially for a pastor, is questionable, but you nko? The money we spend to buy blackberry or Samsung galaxy note, is it small? Don’t belittle it, people have built empires with N1000. Even if you don’t want to give your tithe to a church, package your 10% and give it mother-less babies, give your house-help an education, use your resources to do something for someone, I’m sure God will be pleased. I’ve always believed Christianity was about relationship and not religion. The relationship between God and man, our emulation of Jesus, so what will Jesus do? Will He buy private Jet? Some say no! But, who really knows? Don’t forget God is a God of opulence; Heaven does have streets of gold if I’m not mistaken. These pastors as far as I know have been doing a lot of giving over the years and hence they are given. Call it prophet offering, gift, seed, whatever!! They are blessed for their giving by God through man.

We buy what we need per time, a N7500 T.M or N25 000 ferragamos, N80 000 blackberry, but, how much do we give? 

I’m sure we’d all like to own a range rover for those of us who don’t already have one, that’s around N11-N15 million. When God blesses us to reach that level, would we not buy? But, how much are we giving? Yet the perception remains that these pastors are money grabbing and selfish. Some may be but not all. I recall a somewhat prominent musician and his business partner selling a private jet to a popular pastor and turning around to say that the pastor is a money grabbing fraud, talk about hypocrisy. Some pastors may not feel a need to use a jet yet alone own one but that does not mean those that do are the devil incarnate. I, for one, do pay my tithe and I can say categorically that it works wonders for me. But the perception is that it is yet another ploy by pastors to get money from congregation. I’m no mother Theresa but I try to give what I can when I can, not beyond my means. That should be what matters, do what you can, when you can. Don’t withhold when you can help. Maybe if we knew some of the sacrifices and things these pastors have done we would be less hostile towards them. I am aware of pastors that feed and house families, are the prayers of gratitude from those families not enough to bring about Jet ownership!! But still the negative perception remains. I am not one to say that these pastors can do no wrong. Of course they can, they are men of God but they are first and foremost men, prone to the imperfection that is humanity. They do have their excesses and can be overbearing but that does not and should not discredit the good they do and have done, jet or no jet. This ill-conceived perception that persists is partly their faults for one thing or the other they or someone in the pastoral fold has done in the past but remember no man is perfect (David committed adultery, Solomon was a polygamist with concubines, Moses committed murder etc). Rather than judge them we should look inward and evaluate ourselves ‘cause God will judge not based on pastor or church membership but on our individual actions and lives. I know  probably can’t change this perception with this ramble of mine but let me plead for one thing- Let this perception not discredit those who are doing good work and living well (flying privately and all)and more importantly let it not discredit the message they are preaching, let it not discredit the word of God.

If you want to see fake pastor at work watch this video