The Archbishop of Suva Peter Loy Chong says Pacific Island countries are known for their vast church buildings. “Throughout the Pacific, we see churches and in Samoa, they can have two in one village, so it shows something and that is the hunger for God in probably third world countries,” he said. “It also shows Read more
The biggest denomination in Samoa, the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS), has borrowed $15 million from the Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F). The Chairman of the Church’s Finance Committee, Le Mamea Ropati Mualia, said the loan is to fund the construction of the Jubilee Church at Malua and “other developments”. Le Mamea could not Read more
Bishop Brian Tamaki tweeted: “A Sweet-Smelling Fragrance that is Acceptable to God (Phil 4:15-19). My God shall supply all your need”, after church members last weekend showered the stage with high-denomination bills during a church service, boosting church coffers by $100,000. Destiny Church-affiliated charities received nearly $6million in donations in the last year after self-appointed Bishop Read more
A Houston pastor has come under fire for refusing to bury a 93-year-old woman who had been a member of his church for 50 years but did not tithe enough as her death neared. Barbara Day told KRIV that she was devastated by the way pastor Walter F. Houston treated her when she contacted him Read more
A new cultural approach to teaching Pasifika families how to get out of debt and be smarter with their finances is about to be trialled at two Auckland churches. The financial literacy programmes which began in October are being delivered bi-lingually, taking into account cultural values and obligations that impact financial decisions for Pacific people. Read more
Giving money to the Church is more important than paying for a child’s education for most Samoans. A study published in the Singapore Journal of Topical Geography “Hard times in Apia? Urban landlessness and the Church in Samoa,” says research suggest that “all five areas surveyed, households prioritise giving to the church as their primary Read more
An ATM has just been installed in the Windsor Park Baptist church in Auckland, New Zealand. The logo on the machine is “Baptist Savings“, a small but significant sign that a financial force is rising that could suck more business out of the big four banks. Baptist Savings has seen its deposits grow in the Read more
A new church in Samoa built for $12 Million and millions were reportedly spent setting up a Christian television service. Where do the churches get the money from in a struggling developing country? A recent survey found 97% of all households reported giving church donations, taking 17.1% of household income, but some families report giving Read more
The Families Commission has released a report Pacific families and Problem Debt which is based partly on discussions with members of Pacific communities and 25 agencies, such as budgeting services. Many of the service providers and informants stated that belonging to, and fully participating in, churches was important to their Pacific clients. This included making financial contributions to Read more
The God business is going gang-busters at City Impact Church and its Queenstown branch. In the year to last December, revenue at the pay-to-pray religious network topped an unprecedented $10 million – up $2.7m or 36 per cent. According to freshly-filed financials, tithes – a 10 per cent worship tax labelled “donations” – accounted for Read more