The chairman of The Apostles' Continuation Church International, Apostle-General Clement Brakatu, has cautioned pastors to refrain from charging their church members exorbitant fees to enrich their lives since it makes them self seeking and contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ.
He advised pastors not to enrich themselves and their immediate families with their share of what they gain from the church, leaving the poor in their church to "die in poverty when they (pastors) can help them to overcome their weakness and prove to them that Christianity is not about pastors gaining wealth from their churches but is rather about sharing love with people."
Apostle Brakatu's call comes at a time some pastors in the country have been demanding monies from innocent people and using church monies to buy luxurious cars and mansions and flaunt them in public.
Bemoaning the attitude of some pastors in recent days who capitalise on the Bible to defraud poor people either by false pretence or by extortion, he urged them to br charitable to the poor with proceeds they get from their churches whether as gifts or salaries, to signify that they are indeed Christ's followers.
In his estimation,the Bible teaches Christians to give alms to the poor yet "some pastors think it refers to church members alone, forgetting that they are not exempted from being charitable too".
Speaking at a ceremony in the Brong Ahafo region where the Brakatu Foundation headed by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Ameyaa Brakatu, was donating toiletries and bed sheets to the Sampa Government Hospital in the Jaman North district, Apostle Brakatu revealed that Jesus Christ whose footsteps Christians are following was very generous hence every christian had to see it as a duty to develop the habit of alms giving to justify the historic death of Christ.
Advising pastors who forcibly take monies from the sick and vulnerable people when they are in need of redemption, he cautioned that: "Jesus whom we are all following was love. He loved the people that he even had to feed people he was about to preach to which the Bible captures in Luke 9:12-18.
"This is what pastors of today should do...to give to the outside world for blessings."
Disagreeing with charging the sick for prayers, he quizzed that: "Did you hear Jesus charging the sick for healing them?"
"It is very unfortunate that today you hear some pastors charging atrocious fees for praying for people. The Bible never teaches that. You have to give to people so your boundaries are extended, says the Bible...this is a principle to make Christians rich yet they refuse to do it and claim they want blessings from God.
Adding to his advice, Chairman Brakatu said pastors should make alms giving a routine act and should not get tired of it because over twenty years of being in the Lord's vine yard, he sees giving to the needy, especially the sick as a way of unlocking blessings for church workers.
Apostle Brakatu recalled that, the late Apostle Emmanuel Kwadwo Owusu who inducted him into office in 2003, advised him to seek the welfare of members of the church and Christians since he had been made a leader to become a servant of the people.
He reiterated that he believes that seeking the welfare of the needy is the fundamentals of Christianity which prophets, Evangelists and pastors should notice and put to practice.
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