Some ask why churches should be exempt from taxes. “They do nothing,” they say. “They just sit there in their ivory towers telling everyone how to live and thinking they’re better than we are.”
That’s a very cynical and – it turns out – incorrect view. Churches are much more valuable to the community and perform more services to our society than would the tax money they would otherwise have paid.
The local church offers marital counseling lowering the divorce rate, domestic violence, child abuse, and since most criminals grow up in single parent families, it lowers crime. Churches have programs for youth to help them see a better way of life and help keep them from drugs, crime, and just plain getting into trouble. These programs often give a male role model to children from families with a single mom.
Church youth programs offer car washes, barbecues, and work days where young people can learn to work and earn money to pay for events like camps and concerts. One church had a “Rent a Kid” program where church members rent a teen for a day to do yard work, baby sitting, simple household repairs, you name it. Again, this taught the young people the life value that work produces benefits.
There are young adult ministries to help college-age people in their drive to become more productive adults. This helps prevent these folks from losing their dream due to drug addiction, alcohol dependence, or having to leave school or work due to unwanted pregnancies.
Then there are ministries for older adults. They have problems too. Many are parents with no experience handling children. Counseling and classes on child rearing are offered. Churches are a community in themselves, too. People who are having family issues have access to other adults who have gone through the same struggles.
Many of the problems and issues mentioned above are also addressed on Sunday mornings along with messages telling Christians to reach out to those who are hurting and in need.
“And the pastor who leads these people, he must make a fortune.” The average Baptist pastor in Arizona where I live makes just over $47k per year. That’s not much for a guy who works an average or 60 hours a week and typically has a Masters degree.
When I was a young man, I worked in a paint plant. One of my fellow workers was a pastor who worked on his sermons during lunch and on breaks. His congregation was small. It couldn’t support him and his family. He had to work in a warehouse driving a forklift 40 hours a week in order to provide for both his family and for his congregation. Most pastors aren’t in it for the money because it just isn’t there.
Why is this important?
First, the church needs to know it is the visible and physical representation of our Savior. When we act as He would, we bring glory to Him and to His church. When we don’t, we bring shame and strengthen the stereotype that churches are a drain on society.
Secondly, the community needs to know the local church is not a building where Christians hide to separate from the “unclean.” We’re God’s servants, and as such we are to serve those around us, the homeless, the sick, the lonely, the hurting. “And such were many of us.” The larger the church, the more it can help.
There’s an old story that makes this point here. It’s of a stranger who wandered into a church and asked a member, “When does the service start?” The member answered, “The service starts when the meeting is over.”
The Holy Spirit tells us through James that this is our mission:
James 1:26-27 (ESV)
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
So, why should churches remain tax exempt? Those in need are more accurately identified by the church. Attention to their needs is personal and addressed by concerned people anxious for the welfare of others. To put it practically, government keeping churches tax exempt is cost effective.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 