Posted by temasektimes on July 8, 2012
This is my take on the post found here
Thank you for writing such an amazing post on your take on the
whole City Harvest Church saga. I respect your views but I would
not take yours as a business case as its biased and you merely
conveniently connecting the dots backwards.
So I would like to correct certain misconceptions and
assumptions you made. I may not not address everything but I will
try the best I can with what I what I know.
To begin let me first say that I am a member of City Harvest
Church. If you feel I’m biased just take it as a view from the
other side of the coin. As a believer my views will be based on my
total reliance on my faith, hope you understand.
1. Clever packaging of Sunday services.
I totally agree with you! I love the CHC does it services. Being
from a Christian family and coming from an Orthodox Church
background I always felt Sunday services boring and unrelatable.
Everyday weekend certain sounded like story telling than learning
anything from it. When I first joined CHC I was shocked! I couldn’t
believe that being a Christian was an in-thing and you could learn
life lessons that could be applied in our daily lives! I was drawn
by Pastor Kong’s sermon on being a problem solver and making an
impact in this world.
As Christians you believe in a God who is omniscient, all
knowing and all powerful, the church always encouraged the
congregation to think and do big think as far as your imagination
can take. This indeed will increase followers as no one has ever
taught these things in a church before. This may increase retention
but if it was just a fad how long can the church keep bluffing
people with these? It has brought a positive impact in their lives
hence they continue to join services and continue giving because to
run a church with all the stuffs that you’ve mentioned is not free.
People continued supporting it because they love it and want the
church to continue.
You make it sound easy retaining and having a huge following but
then why is there still only a few who can do this and why do many
of them fail?
2. Extra revenue in the form of advertisements, sales of
CDs
Church does maximize it revenue with advertising and selling
related contents. If the church has a bookstore built with it
definitely I would go and buy as I was to read more or wish to
share it with family and friends.
If Universal Studios has a souvenir shop after every ride, why
can’t the church do the same? If the secular can do it why can’t
religion?
3. Efficient collection of tithes
We do give our tithe out our free will, its not paying. No one
is forced to pay. So since i said free will it is indeed a monthly
giving that is given by each member of the church. It is given in
cash and via electronic payment. Online payments encourage our
overseas members to continue giving as they believe in our church
and its activities.
But…not GIRO! Church doesn’t have a GIRO system and I do not
know where you get your facts from. Instead of watching services
online you my wanna come down and see it yourself.
4. 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold returns on your church
donations
Pastor indeed preaches on the 100-fold blessings. Its biblical
and thats what church does, teach the Bible. Of course there are
other churches who slam it as each and every church has it own
focus.
I have been with the church for over a number of years and I
have seen the blessing and that’s why I continue to give. If the
scripture did not hold any water and people didn’t feel any of this
were true then shouldn’t the people already stop giving? I mean it
common sense right?
Like any religion “The 10 Laws Of The Harvest” promises each and
every believer a blessing in return which is biblical. Isn’t every
Christian promised heaven in his/her after life? Is that being
greedy and self centered?
5. Quality of customers
How many organizations claim because they were asked to give 10%
of their earnings they had a huge membership?
If the church has attracted an ambitious bunch then why is there
so much focus on fasting and prayer? I don’t see you even mention
about that in here. Its convenient to take a slice of a weekend
service out of context instead of seeing what were the focus of
each and every week.
You won’t get 33,000 blind people to follow that unless these
people had an encounter. Like any organization if the claim didn’t
hold water would you continue giving?
Yes CHC members are ambitious and always looking to be somebody
in the marketplace. There is nothing wrong with that.
6. Kill off competition
How would one know what is a good or a bad ground? Its in its
fruits.
Similarly the sermon tells each and every believer that since
you all have experienced the goodness of God in this church this is
indeed the good ground to give. The church does give to the poor
and needy around the world. It does practice what it preaches. You
can check on CHC website to see the reports.
Is it killing off competition? I don’t know. If the church
impresses a believer he/she will sure follow. It pure free
will.
7. Providing a place where the rich can
network
Church is indeed about fellowship and networking. But is every
weekend about networking and name card exchanges? No.
I do have friends in the business and insurance. If i find my
friend reliable with whatever they do, definitely I would recommend
and use their services.
As a member I am flattered when you say its a network of the
rich and powerful.
8. Preach what people like to hear.
Clearly Matthew 19:23-24 speaks of putting your money above God.
We preach on that and that’s exactly the reason why we have no
qualms over giving money to the church. As members its no big deal,
we put God’s work above wealth.
But from your post you claim that we are blinded and brainwashed
to give away money.
You wrote;
In the video “Rich God? Poor God?”, the Pastor preaches that it
is absolutely ok to be rich. Some prophets of God were very rich.
(Abraham, David, Solomon)
There is nothing more musical to a money-minded person than to
hear that God is on your side in your pursuit of money. The
church-members who are more money-minded will love this and donate
even more.
Pastor stated that the men of God were wealthy people and that
is what the Bible says. He’s not making stuff up and as Christians
we ought to be self sufficient and wealthy so that you can continue
to give for good causes. Good causes according to the believers
will.
9. God pays for the returns, not the
church.
Here we go again. Blabbering the same ol’ thing.
The church doesn’t owe anyone any money. If you want returns
from the same organization you give money to, engage a broker.
Donations are all out of free will, simple as that. The
principle applies to any charity, people work and donate, the
charity takes and continues working.
10. Social pressure to conform in church settings and
ease of influence
Free will again, whether you are turned off by people or no
people its up to you. We still receive donation via our online
portal and those people are disconnected as they can be. But we
still continue giving as we believe in what the church is
doing.
11. Tremendous future earning power
I was in debt when I first came to church but few years later I
am now living a debt free life. The church actively teaches the
congregation on “How to get out of debt”, “Building Financial
Excellence” and so on. I was always blessed by that and applied
Biblical Principles which you call “Prosperity Gospel” and it
worked!
I love this!
In the Pastor’s words, “You may be poor today, but you will not
be poor all your life”.
I totally abide by what he says ‘coz its true! Poverty is a
mindset if you can overcome this, you can overcome your debt.
12. Stable earnings in times of depression
Besides being a growth stock, CHC can also be viewed as a
defensive and safe stock. People pray hardest when they fall in
hard times. Strangely, some people have an urge to tithe when they
are in financial troubles.
We should continue tithing no matter what financial condition
you are in because the Bible says so. Its a curse to hold on it. I
have personally held on to it to pay our my loans and it has never
done any good.
People who have tasted the blessings on giving will never go
back again. May be you should give it shot! Give 10% of what you
earn to any charity you like, I can guarantee you will feel the
difference.
Psalms 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the
man who takes refuge in him.
13. Using Prosperity as a theme to appeal to
customers
Here we go again! Prosperity gospel is only preached during
offering. This year our theme is “Relationship and Discipleship”
and last year our theme was “Love”. I don’t see you speak about
those programs we did. All you claim you see is Money, Money and
Money.
Money is integral for all charities. If you cant bring in the
money, your work to spread the Gospel in an effective manner will
stop. You cant help the poor and the needy. You cant bring in Guest
Speakers, you cant run simulcast to people all over the world!
We don’t love money, we love God. Money is the enabler unless we
are all living in Willy Wonka’s world. Reality is you still need to
pay the bills.
14. Tax benefits as church is registered as a
charity
Tax breaks helps uses that extra to do more. This is same for
all charities, its not a CHC exception.
Pastor indeed is runs a business, you should may be consider
investing since you already has confessed you love for his business
acumen.
Here my challenge for you.
Join City Harvest Church for a year and in the end if it
has not changed your life for the good. Please come back and write
again.
*The above was first posted on this blog
Damn scary.
Most parts of the post talks about giving money, many fold
returns in money , business, revenue, future earning power, rich,
taxes, network, customers. 
