Well meaning Christians, what do you think is the reasons for the random opening of churches all over the place today? Are all these churches needful or are there nuisance among the genuine one? Advice the next man who is attempting to open a new church please.

Businesses need to expand. Church business is good business.

My question is. . . Do we really need 3 Redeemed Churches on one street? I mean you are driving on a street with oh let's say 10 houses and 3-4 are RCCG buildings. Why do they do that?

Honestly Redeemed Christian Church is the new Cele. No offense to Cele or Redeemed or whoever takes offense.

If banks are opening branches all over,

why wont churches open too!, lol

In business you need more branches to make a good profit. PERIOD.

Churches now are business centres where u must pay to receive the miracle of Jesus.

No money no miracle in you life

Rather than new church buildings, I think we should develop spiritual social responsibility: orphanages, public shelters, feeding houses etc.

Mavenb0x:

Rather than new church buildings, I think we should develop spiritual social responsibility: orphanages, public shelters, feeding houses etc.

Unfortunately most of our church leaders today don't consider the setting up of the highlighted instituitions above "profitable". They would rather open up new branches were they can generate revenue in the excuse they are "spreading the gospel", i wonder what gave them the impression that it is only inchruches they can sread the gospel. i am quite certain in they would cover more mileage spreading the gospel through charitable instituitions than through there profits centers they call chrches.

Churchs are parasites and most of them should be closed because of noise nuisance.

Hahahaha! Christians, especially the naija versions, will wake up by force, whether they like it or not.Una never see anything yet.New churches will soon start opening in your compounds when the streetspaces in your towns are completely filled up.

It is not only in Naija oh!

Here in Boston it is the hispanics/mexicans that own this joint. They open churches like it is going out of fashion. Almost every corner is assaulted with banners that read "Iglesia Pentecostal, Pastor: Jose Sanchez".

There's this street just outside in one of the suburbs called "Pleasant Street" . . . I have been meaning to do a walk of the ~2mile long street and document all the churches there . . . I kid you not, there must be close to 25 churches on this short stretch - from 7 day adventist to baptist to pentecostal to catholic.

I figure, why pay tithe in any church when you can open your own and collect others tithes and offerings tax free?

btw . . . did I mention Pleasant Street is probably second next to Main street in crime and drug trafficking?

@JeSoul: sister, your last post is heart-breaking

My dear it breaks my heart everytime I drive it.

I've truly been meaning to go and interview as many pastors that have churches on their street to see what reason they could possibly have. And how they feel knowing they are in the worst neighborhood but yet they're all having very little impact, infact there are about 6 clubs on that street alone, a few within less than a stone's throw from 3 of the churches, the rest only a few blocks.

My God have mercy on us all.

Proliferation of churches does not have to be a problem. I'm sure some Christians here are a part of that problem while complaining about what others are doing. If only the Catholic denomination was to be in a town, how many here would be found worshipping with Catholics? Each one of us prefers our own denominations - but as with human frailty, we often think that this problem of proliferation is to be blamed on others, not our own. Sad.

Viaro you are talking about denominations. This is different from 3 Redeemed church parishes in a single short street.

Redeemed is a franchise and new pastors pay a fee to be given the commercial rights to open new branches. They remitt a percentage to the centre. This is a FACT.

Indeed I was talking about denominations - and that is precisely what proliferation of churches are! That does not mean my initial comments were about what any franchise remits anywhere and anyhow, for if that were the case, then I know how just to deal with that as well.

A church is not above the law. Like any other edifice or structure, it may become unlawful. The place of its location, and the time and manner of its use, may be such, under the circumstances, as to constitute that interference with the rights of others as to become in law a nuisance. The playing of church bells three times a day and four times on Sundays at regular hours for a period of approximately four minutes can constitute a nuisance.

Correct, Horus. Also there should be a UK style Charity Commission to regulate funds.

Come to the Old Kend Road in London theres a nightclub there called Traffick. Friday and saturday nights its a nightclub and sunday morning it becomes The Holy Ghost Church Thats what i call correct business acumen

JeSoul:

It is not only in Naija oh!

Here in Boston it is the hispanics/mexicans that own this joint. They open churches like it is going out of fashion. Almost every corner is assaulted with banners that read "Iglesia Pentecostal, Pastor: Jose Sanchez".

There's this street just outside in one of the suburbs called "Pleasant Street" . . . I have been meaning to do a walk of the ~2mile long street and document all the churches there . . . I[b] kid you not, there must be close to 25 churches on this short stretch [/b] - from 7 day adventist to baptist to pentecostal to catholic.

I figure, why pay tithe in any church when you can open your own and collect others tithes and offerings tax free?

Only 25 churches in a two mile street? that is really small in some areas in naija you would have 25 churches in a street just half a mile long.

I have also thought about this and it's getting worrisome, the church i attend has a branch in like 4 states for now, and it's only one per state, some churches use the excuse of saying, some of their members would like to attend their church but because they stay very far from the church, they end up not coming, hence the need to open more branches. (lame excuse) what stops their members from going to another church near them? at least they have eyes and ears to investigate churches around them before picking one they like. REDEEM IS JUST A NUISANCE to almost all the streets of Lagos. i don't care who i hurt with this but it's the truth, why would one church have up to 6 branches of the same church on one street? tell me, if all houses on a street are turned to churches, where would people that pay tithes to these churches live? use as business? use as hospitals? use as hotels? use as parks and other things?


IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AT ALL.

honeric01:

the church i attend has a branch in like 4 states for now, and it's only one per state,

what stops their members from going to another church near them?

Didn't your own church know that there were already other churches in those four states before forming their own? What stops them from just simply going to those churches already established instead of polluting the environment with their own nuisance?

_{It just seems the same thing: people tend to blame others so they can feel comfortable with their own.}

Sincerely its becoming worrisome,i see no reason for that and to think that it doesn't even stop prostitution,adultery,robbery e.t.c makes a waste of time and human resource,you do wonder why is there prolification then,its useless and it shows that most churches now are for profit making, talk of end time.

viaro:

Didn't your own church know that there were already other churches in those four states before forming their own? What stops them from just simply going to those churches already established instead of polluting the environment with their own nuisance?

_{It just seems the same thing: people tend to blame others so they can feel comfortable with their own.}

Comparing one church in a whole state to 5 churches in one street, is your comparison justified?

Someone deleted me post on this thread.

ManMustWac. abi na you?

@Ibime: I dont think moderators can delete posts. That was the work of the hardworking spambot trying to keep this place "clean".

You had keywords like f1xed inc0me, wall str3et, and salar1es, which are keywords that will look like sp@m.

honeric01:

Comparing one church in a whole state to 5 churches in one street, is your comparison justified?

I think so - in accordance with the part of your post that I responded to; and in accordance with the general problem of people complaining like you.

Right now, your church has four branches (as you said) in four states. I have a few questions in mind: (a) were there no churches in the place where you church went and pitched their own tents? (b) how has your own church helped to solve the problem by erecting their own station in each of those four states? (c) is your small number of four churches in four states the better deal from heaven that we never knew about in the Bible all these years? (d) AOB - 'any other business'

You see, my dear honeric01, if I were to follow your example, then I could chorus after you that 'i don't care who i hurt with this but it's the truth'; and perhaps this other side of the 'truth' did not cross your mind when you splattered out like that earlier.

Does this mean that it is all right for the problems highlighted here to keep proliferating indiscriminately? No, that is not what I'm saying. I think that when issues like this come up, we ought to be thinking with our heads and hearts and ask if we're part of the problem or the solution.

viaro:

I think so - in accordance with the part of your post that I responded to; and in accordance with the general problem of people complaining like you.

Right now, your church has four branches (as you said) in four states. I have a few questions in mind: (a) were there no churches in the place where you church went and pitched their own tents? (b) how has your own church helped to solve the problem by erecting their own station in each of those four states? (c) is your small number of four churches in four states the better deal from heaven that we never knew about in the Bible all these years? (d) AOB - 'any other business'

You see, my dear honeric01, if I were to follow your example, then I could chorus after you that 'i don't care who i hurt with this but it's the truth'; and perhaps this other side of the 'truth' did not cross your mind when you splattered out like that earlier.

Does this mean that it is all right for the problems highlighted here to keep proliferating indiscriminately? No, that is not what I'm saying. I think that when issues like this come up, we ought to be thinking with our heads and hearts and ask if we're part of the problem or the solution.

Let's put it this way, each churches with at least 5 branches on a street like Redeem, we have more than 1000 denomination of churches in Nigeria, multiply that 1000 in 5 places, what would the answer be? remember that we haven't brought the numbers of street in lagos into consideration, if we have to do that, we should be having more than 50 million churches in Nigeria. and more than 5 thousands churches on one street (though not possible)

Now, let's come to 1 branch by state method, an average of 1 branch in one state by any church should give us 1000 churches in each states if calculated the way i did in my previous paragraph and it will give us an average of 37,000 churches (branches) in the whole of Nigeria (all denomination of churches included in this).



if this is not curbed, with redeem already having 5 branches on one street of Lagos, we might end up having more than 2 million branches of redeem in Lagos alone. where would the members be living or doing their businesses from?

viaro:


Does this mean that it is all right for the problems highlighted here to keep proliferating indiscriminately? No, that is not what I'm saying. I think that when issues like this come up, we ought to be thinking with our heads and hearts and ask if we're part of the problem or the solution.

We all know the churches guilty of this and until they are stopped, the smaller ones won't stop either. i would want a law be passed stopping any church from having more than 1 branch in any particular city/state or maybe start by stopping them from having more than 1 branch in a town or local government.

honeric01:

Let's put it this way, each churches with at least 5 branches on a street like Redeem, we have more than 1000 denomination of churches in Nigeria, multiply that 1000 in 5 places, what would the answer be? remember that we haven't brought the numbers of street in lagos into consideration, if we have to do that, we should be having more than 50 million churches in Nigeria. and more than 5 thousands churches on one street (though not possible)

Please allow me to pass silently over that exaggeration.

Now, let's come to 1 branch by state method, an average of 1 branch in one state by any church should give us 1000 churches in each states if calculated the way i did in my previous paragraph and it will give us an average of 37,000 churches (branches) in the whole of Nigeria (all denomination of churches included in this).

How do you arrive at the idea of this 'method' in your Christianity?

if this is not curbed, with redeem already having 5 branches on one street of Lagos, we might end up having more than 2 million branches of redeem in Lagos alone. where would the members be living or doing their businesses from?

Let me guess: do I take it that you have an axe to grind with Redeem (RCCG)?
You see, most of these large denominations started in just about the way you guys started: the 'method' of small branches . . until they mushroomed into iroko trees with many branches. Don't be surprised to see yours going that same 'method' when the time comes.

honeric01:

We all know the churches guilty of this and until they are stopped, the smaller ones won't stop either. i would want a law be passed stopping any church from having more than 1 branch in any particular city/state or maybe start by stopping them from having more than 1 branch in a town or local government.

Your proposed law is asking for trouble from heaven. What if someone else proposes an alternative 'law' to ban churches (like your own) who like to stop others from branching out?

The way I see it, many people who complain here are actually part of the problem rather than the solution. Perhaps one would have hoped for a situation where positive things result from the proliferation of churches - but that is a far cry from reality on ground (and that is what seems to be the main reason why many people frown at the many churches springing up here and there).

Instead of complaining about any particular denomination, is there a way we could look at this subject differently?

Ibime:

Someone deleted me post on this thread.

ManMustWac. abi na you?

nope maybe the spambot did it.

viaro:

The way I see it, many people who complain here are actually part of the problem rather than the solution. Perhaps one would have hoped for a situation where positive things result from the proliferation of churches - but that is a far cry from reality on ground (and that is what seems to be the main reason why many people frown at the many churches springing up here and there).

Instead of complaining about any particular denomination, is there a way we could look at this subject differently?

   And how would you know this? Do you know the posters and their denominational affiliations? do you know their personal leanings? and whether or not they've "contributed" to the spreading of churches in their locations?

Perhaps "the way you're seeing it" is entirely presumptous.