Assembly of God Churches- Faithful Religion or Franchised Faith?

Who owns your church? The building where you worship, the property it stands on, the furnishing inside. If you are a member of a church affiliated with the Assembly of God and haven't bothered to read the by-laws, the answer may surprise you.

When someone invests in the right to run a copy of McDonalds, or some other established business, and continues to pay for that privilege, it's called franchising. Do Assembly of God church members realize their churches could be considered part of a franchised religion?

The District Council of the National Assemblies of God recently filed a lawsuit against Timbercreek Community Church and Pastor Paul Kirk in Greene County Circuit Court in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1999, Timbercreek Community Church was built and developed with funds from other Assembly of God congregations. The congregation is said to have been established in part by the relocation of several members of James River Assembly of God.

The District Council of the Assemblies of God asserts that monetary donation and relocation of another Assembly of God congregation was given on the condition that Timbercreek Community Church maintain affiliation with the Assemblies of God. Now that a fuss has risen over church affiliation, the Assemblies of God Council states that the assets of Timbercreek Community Church must now become the property of the Council.

This assertion cannot be a surprise to anyone involved in obtaining Assembly of God affiliation for a church. According to the Assemblies of God bylaws, Article XVI. Affiliated Ministries, Section 6.Dissolution: The charter or bylaws of an affiliated ministry shall specify that in the event of dissolution its assets shall be distributed by the General Council of the Assemblies of God or any Assembly of God church, district council or corporation.

The Council is accusing Kirk of using the district's property and assets while leading the Timbercreek Community Church congregation away from the Assemblies of God. Kirk asserts that the Timbercreek Community Church never intended to sever its Assemblies of God affiliation and that the lawsuit is both unfortunate and unscriptural.

Only God knows what's really going on between the Assemblies of God Council versus Pastor Kirk and the Timbercreek Community Church. What's at stake? Something most corporations consider far more important than souls. Assets. Money. Property. Buildings. Fledgling churches may wish to consider traditional funding over signing their churches away to Corporate Religious America.

Ask people in the community who the local Assembly of God church belongs to, and they'll usually tell you that it belongs to the local church members. It is the community and local church members who put in the hours of physical labor, hard earned income and prayer time to build the church. It is local church members who clean and maintain the property. Who scrimp, save and give faithfully to the pastor and therefore the church. It is the faithful congregation who pays the mortgage, the insurance and related bills.

Ask an Assembly of God pastor or the General Council of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri and they'll tell you the church and all of its assets belong to the Assemblies of God. Just as all Assembly of God affiliated churches belong to the Assemblies of God.

Many Assembly of God church members have no knowledge of Section 6 and its implications should they decide they no longer wish to be labeled Assembly of God. The saddest part of this whole scenario is that the most dedicated, hard working church members are usually the ones who have no idea what their religion is really costing them.

Many church members have never seen the bylaws, have no idea what payments their home church is obligated to make to the Assembly of God or how much control the District Council of the Assemblies of God actually maintains over their church.

True believers are usually more concerned with faith and religion than with church politics and bureaucracy. They trust the pastor and the board members to 'take care of all that stuff' while they maintain the church and bring in souls.

Who owns your church? Where are the financial fruits of your labor going? Many religious organizations have posted their bylaws online. Some churches will provide them upon request. Check them out. You might find you're supporting a religious franchise.