I started pastoring a small parish of a big Pentecostal church in Akure in 2012. We used to meet in a small location in a housing estate until 2015 when we relocated to our permanent site, a location that's about 10km farther than our former site. Most of the worshippers in the former location refused to relocate when we moved because of the distance and associated stress. That means we have to start the parish all over again. So we have been having very low attendance which has been improving since about 4 months now. The new site is a new community occupied mainly by people who have just moved to their personal houses. More than 60% of the plots remained undeveloped for now. One major issue here is the rate at which most people that attend the parish sees the church as a place where their needs must be met. They keep coming up with one demand or the other every week. Their demands include food, money and now that school is about to resume, school fees and books. Parents will teach their little children to go and tell stories of how they can't resume at school since they don't have school fees and books, elderly people even come around to ask for money and food, this situation is becoming very disturbing and worrisome. How can people see a very small church of less than 40 (90% children) in attendance as a source of supply of all their needs? Our parent church don't get involved in funding the small parish, we are the one who returns our tithes and offerings to the national headquarters every month. Offering in the church is small, adults come around to put N10 or N20 in offering bag and later send their children to go and ask for N10k assistance, I got pissed off this evening when a small girl who attends a public secondary school came around to ask for school fees of N10k and books of N10k for herself and same for her 2 siblings making a total of N30k. We bought exercise books and gave 4 to each pupil just last Sunday with pencils and biros and between then and now, they have bombarded the church with demands of well over N100k. Where do they really want the church to meet their demands? The church is operating under a temporary shed we put up in 2015, we've not been able to continue with serious building project due to paucity of funds. We (I, my wife, my assistant and his wife) have been trying in the areas of giving out food items, money, drugs, clothes etc to these people yet its one demand or the other on a daily basis.
I see these attitude as unwholesome, disturbing and unfair.
I need serious suggestions on how to really handle this situation as it is already dampening my morale. Matured and spiritual suggestions welcomed, thanks.

kennybabs1980:
I started pastoring a small parish of a big Pentecostal church in Akure in 2012. We used to meet in a small location in a housing estate until 2015 when we relocated to our permanent site, a location that's about 10km farther than our former site. Most of the worshippers in the former location refused to relocate when we moved because of the distance and associated stress. That means we have to start the parish all over again. So we have been having very low attendance which has been improving since about 4 months now. The new site is a new community occupied mainly by people who have just moved to their personal houses. More than 60% of the plots remained undeveloped for now. One major issue here is the rate at which most people that attend the parish sees the church as a place where their needs must be met. They keep coming up with one demand or the other every week. Their demands include food, money and now that school is about to resume, school fees and books. Parents will teach their little children to go and tell stories of how they can't resume at school since they don't have school fees and books, elderly people even come around to ask for money and food, this situation is becoming very disturbing and worrisome. How can people see a very small church of less than 40 (90% children) in attendance as a source of supply of all their needs? Our parent church don't get involved in funding the small parish, we are the one who returns our tithes and offerings to the national headquarters every month. Offering in the church is small, adults come around to put N10 or N20 in offering bag and later send their children to go and ask for N10k assistance, I got pissed off this evening when a small girl who attends a public secondary school came around to ask for school fees of N10k and books of N10k for herself and same for her 2 siblings making a total of N30k. We bought exercise books and gave 4 to each pupil just last Sunday with pencils and biros and between then and now, they have bombarded the church with demands of well over N100k. Where do they really want the church to meet their demands? The church is operating under a temporary shed we put up in 2015, we've not been able to continue with serious building project due to paucity of funds. We (I, my wife, my assistant and his wife) have been trying in the areas of giving out food items, money, drugs, clothes etc to these people yet its one demand or the other on a daily basis.
I see these attitude as unwholesome, disturbing and unfair.
I need serious suggestions on how to really handle this situation as it is already dampening my morale. Matured and spiritual suggestions welcomed, thanks.

I understand what you are going through bro. I too have served in the past as an assistant pastor of an Rccg parish in a ghetto area of lagos. As a new parish in that area, our major goal was to meet the needs of improvished people in the area and grow a church. The outcome was massive...
Most times we almost ran out of finances by meeting needs of members and non-members alike, but there was always supernatural provision-we never went completely dry. God always met our needs when we were commited in giving sacrificially...though not immediately, but God always intervened.

Its such a blessing to give, though it takes a lot of faith to give. God blesses us greatly through our giving, even if God's blessings delay, never give up on giving. GOd loves givers because Himself is a great giver...

My advice to you is to keep giving your best...don't be discouraged... your harvest is coming!

judedwriter:

I understand what you are going through bro. I too have served in the past as an assistant pastor of an Rccg parish in a ghetto area of lagos. As a new parish in that area, our major goal was to meet the needs of improvished people in the area and grow a church. The outcome was massive...
Most times we almost ran out of finances by meeting needs of members and non-members alike, but there was always supernatural provision-we never went completely dry. God always met our needs when we were commited in giving sacrificially...though not immediately, but God always intervened.

Its such a blessing to give, though it takes a lot of faith to give. God blesses us greatly through our giving, even if God's blessings delay, never give up on giving. GOd loves givers because Himself is a great giver...

My advice to you is to keep giving your best...don't be discouraged... your harvest is coming!

God bless you Sir.

I will suggest you do the following:
Write the welfare department at the Headquarters, copy the Regional head, State head and Zonal head. Make them understand that you are on the verge of losing members to competitors, assure them that being a new branch with growth potentials, it will repay the assistance and loans sooner. They may help you or they may send you to another branch, replacing you with someone with proven records of building a new branch without asking for assitance.
A 100k 'bombardment' of needs in the circumstance you just narrated means you really have poor members. In some branches that amount is just a school fees for a ward.
You can decide to meet well- to -do individuals in your former branch to help out. The problem with this is that most people are beginning to see most large Pentecostal Churches as Business Centers and Commerce especially with the crass display of wealth and luxury by the Executive Officers. And contributions like this, that will help grow a franchise or branch are often done with reluctance. People like me will prefer to give to the poor or render assistancs without affiliating it to any Church enterprise, which to me is a direct marketing for a Church brand.
You may also tell the poor ( calling them beggers is derogatory) the true financial state of your branch. Those who will stay, stay; the rest can move to another brand where their needs will be met.
Goodluck Sir.