I grew up in the baptist church. My grandmother used to take me along with her to most of the services when I was younger. The pastor at that time had a job. He did not feel it a crime to do repairs on the church himself, with his own hands. He did not hold service all day and beg for money as the pastors do now.

This pastor died when I was about 6 years old. The new pastor that came in was a native of Jacksonville, but moved from New Jersey to uphold his new position.

With him came lots of changes. He is more of a flashy person with the expensive vehicles, the big rings, and fancy house. He has no other job besides his church job.

Whereas the people of the congragation that are giving their hard earned money are/were not so fortunate as to have a better living (some living in projects, cannot even afford tires for their vehicle, etc.).

From reading the bible and from my understandings Jesus did not have the finest things that life could have offered at that time. He went around doing good deeds without looking for money for the services that were preformed.

In my opinion, the pastors of today, mostly money hungry and seeing the church as a business, are ruining things for people that want to be a christian. I have a major problem not only with church but with the money hungry pastors.

My grandmother who live off social security was in process of having her house foreclosed. My family and I have done all we could to help her and also provide for our families too. I asked her recently why she did not go to the church for assistance (since she has been a member before I was born and I am now 25 years old and also she has paid her tithes faithfully out of her social security money when she had rx's to purchase), she told me that she did not want to because this supposed "to be" trusted pastor would and have been known to spread gossip within the church.

Amoung other wrongdoings of this pastor he is thriving better then anyone I know.

I have grown to not trust the people that God has supposed to have been lead to "teach" the word.

I might overcome this but I don't see it anywhere in my near future.

from Nameless Baptist