Women who enrich pastors
http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/saturday/Women+who+enrich+pastors+/-/1216/1153170/-/view/printVersion/-/faw3oe/-/index.html
By Irene Njoroge
Posted Friday, April 29 2011 at 18:00
In Summary
* Coming under the guise of God’s messengers, there are crafty pastor who take advantage of members of their congregation with various problems, write Irene Njoroge
Pastors are among well-respected members of any community. People revere them as servants of God who are out to help and counsel them and offer spiritual nourishment. But due the exalted position they hold in the society, some take advantage of the trust bestowed on them.
The men and women of the cloth come in different shades, just like everybody else. While most of them are genuine and are out to build God’s Kingdom and to help people as a calling, some are travellers on the gravy train that is religion in today’s Kenya.
There is money to be made, and plenty of it too, going by the success stories that abound of pastors and their multi- million shilling lifestyles that include ownership of planes and mansions – not to mention the businesses some of them own.
It is all very well for a pastor to succeed financially. Questions arise when desperate people, especially women are taken advantage of by these same people that they look up to for spiritual growth.
Some pastors demand hefty payments and gifts in exchange for prayers. They have cultivated the art of squeezing money from their members to a point where some women have given out title deeds and vehicles to certain pastors, only to regret it later.
There are also several sex scandals involving pastors and gullible women.
Many of these get-rich pastors have discovered a particular target group that is vulnerable and living in quiet desperation. These are well-off women who appear happy and comfortable on the outside, but are suffering deep down, from all manner of issues, which they dare not present to the outside world.
This group comprises women aged 28 until middle age and beyond. Indeed, 80 per cent of the membership of some of these churches is made up of these women.
The pastors in these churches rarely persuade men to give money or to attend their services because it is easier for them to manipulate these vulnerable and gullible women.
Bancy Wacera, a 33-year-old mother of two was experiencing marital problems with her husband, who had taken to drinking heavily after losing his well paying job in Nairobi. She works as a teacher in a private school, and earns a comfortable salary.
She decided to pray for her husband to find another job and stop drinking. A friend introduced her to a famous pastor in the city who holds numerous crusades and prayer sessions.
The first thing he asked her for after the introductions was Sh25,000 as an offering for the prayers. She promptly gave the money which her friends had asked her to carry with her.
The pastor anointed her and told her to visit each week with an offering of Sh10,000 per visit. Each visit lasted exactly five minutes, as he had very many people waiting to see him.
All the pastor did was offer a quick prayer and then ask Bancy to come back the following week. After 10 visits and Sh125, 000 poorer, she gave up and continued attending her regular church and praying at home.
One year later, her husband found work, and life was back to normal. Bancy says in retrospect that she was ready to do anything to save her home from falling apart. She says she willingly gave out the money, therefore does not blame the pastor, but feels one should not have to part with money for a man of God to offer prayers for her.
According to Reverend Nelson of the Nairobi Lighthouse church, there are very specific scriptural references to giving for the Lord. He says that the 10 per cent tithe is mandatory, as is the first fruits offering.
Indeed, the Bible says give and it shall be given unto you. This should not be misinterpreted to mean that for every prayer and healing that God gives through his anointed servants, there should be payment, especially cash payment or in kind.
A person may appreciate what has transpired in terms of healing or breakthrough, and decide to contribute to the church or ministry as a sign of gratitude.
But according to him, pastors are not supposed to make it seem that without money, there shall be no healings or breakthroughs.
Ignorance of the scriptures leads many to give the wrong way to the pastors who demand such giving.
There are several reasons why the women seek spiritual help from churches which include:
Marital problems
Sometimes marriages face problems which are both perplexing and overwhelming. These problems range from infidelity to financial issues and disagreements with in-laws.
These issues threaten the essence of the homes, and since not many women would want a broken home, they are ready to do anything to protect their marriages.
Out of desperation, they move discreetly from pastor to pastor for prayers and divine intervention which promise them a solution to their problems.
The group of money-hungry pastors waiting in the wings will usually ask them to “sow a huge seed and expect a miracle within a short time.”
Of course, the women do exactly this, hoping for the best. And once you start giving out money, it does not stop because the awaited miracle is a sham.
Childlessness
Many women who are having difficulties conceiving often go for prayers hoping for a miracle from God; and who else to intervene if not God’s servant?
In comes the money-hungry pastor. Knowing that she is desperate, such a pastor will make sure that makes as much money from such a woman as he can before she realizes that no miracle is forthcoming.
They will be asked to plant one seed after another. Some pastors even ask the women to have sexual relations with them as the only way of having a child and many women fall prey to this- sometimes leading to the very marriages they are hoping to save falling apart.
Seeking for husbands
Many young women and those who are not so young complain that there are no men out there to marry the. As the biological clock ticks, many become desperate for marriage.
This is where the cunning pastors come in. With promises of prayers which will land them suitable husbands.
We all remember the scramble by women when a Nigerian pastor came to town promising husbands to single women. Look for those women today and you will discover that none of them got the promised husband yet many of them must have parted with a tidy sum to the Nigerian.
Other women who seek these pastors may have a boyfriend who is reluctant to walk down the aisle. The tricky type of pastors particularly love women with this problem because many of them fall under this category and as they are asked to keep praying, they will also be asked to sacrifice as much money as possible so that their prayers may be answered through sustained prayers
Women with terminal illnesses
Many women go to the church pastors for healing prayers and anointing. This is in accordance with the scriptural teaching found in James 5:14. When these prayers are offered in the right way, and in faith, the pastor cannot be faulted.
However, the money-minded pastors make incredible demands on the sick and desperate person. One unforgettable case is the issue of one Lucy Nduta, who claimed she was in a position to cure those afflicted with HIV.
She had conveniently opened a laboratory near the church, where she would send the “healed” people after she had prayed for them. The laboratory would, then issue them with results that read negative.
To express their gratitude for such a miracle, many of the faithful offered her plots and huge amounts of cash. The law eventually caught up with her, but not before she had fleeced unsuspecting people of millions of shillings.
This was an extreme case of greed, but it illustrates the influence pastors have on people.
Why women are targets:
These crafty pastors target women because in Kenya, women form the largest church going group. Women are also quite gullible when asked for money, unlike men.
When women are overwhelmed by personal problems, they are usually willing to talk about their issues with counselors and pastors. Because of their vulnerability, it is easy for them to be coerced, persuaded, and convinced that the solution lies in giving money to the pastor for special prayers.
Other ways in which pastors dupe women:
*Certain pastors purport to have the gift of prediction into one’s life and are therefore able to tell such women about people who are causing problems in their lives or marriages.
These predictions have turned women against their sisters, co-workers, best friends and others due to suspicion. This is done in a bid to control the women and make them dependent on the pastor for emotional support. For this support, one usually has to part with money.
*Many women confide their personal secrets to their pastors. Some of these secrets are very sensitive and emotional. Certain pastors cash in on this and ostensibly provide a shoulder to cry on and a bed to lie on. Other pastors seduce young girls and unhappily married women who may have confided in them very personal issues about their marriages.
If you find yourself in any of these situations involving a pastor, it is best to check what the scriptures say about it. If your conscience tells you that there is indeed a problem, it is always best to pay heed to your instinct.
Visit a church where you feel comfortable about everything. If their policy of receiving money suits you, then you are probably in the right place.
irene.media2010@gmail.com
