A New Christian Church Focuses on Paying Off Debts of Members and Others



In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, an almost closed church has been "rebirthed" by focusing on the ills of capitalism and paying off debts of individuals. It pays off debts of members and non members. The long link explains the strange path which led to this growing small church.

I tried to figure out the finances of this church but was unable to do so. It started with 600K savings so that explains some of it. But it will need to sustain funds into the future to pay off peoples' debts so somehow it has to keep raising money. We know the majority of people with unsustainable debt got into that situation, not because of poor money management, but because of medical bills or loss of jobs. Such people will often have at least a little money to pass along when their crisis has past.

Partly, it started by pastors admitting that what church members talked to them about privately were not topics usually addressed in the church's theology. They talked about their money problems. The church's innovators noted that the Bible talks about money a lot also. I've read that the Bible refers more often to money than to any other topic. That includes sex which is discussed most often by some church officials.

I recall years ago reading a series of books by a sociologist who spent time living with very poor Mexicans in Mexico City. One of the things he noted was they talked endlessly about money. It is the universal preoccupation across all cultures, languages and nations.

The church's pastor and other leaders decided that in organizing a Christian church around sharing of money and alleviating the poverty of as many individuals as they possible can they would be carrying out the mission of Christianity. They adopted a new name for the church, Jubillee Baptist. "In the Bible, Jubillee is a time (for) ....cancellation of all debt."

Very recently one of its pastors was accused of sexual misconduct so the outcome of that and how it affects the church is yet to be seen.

I'm going to follow this church into its future to see if it continues to be successful.

Comments

  1. little helperDecember 16, 2019 at 6:39 PM

    A new spin on "prosperity".

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jon LindgrenDecember 16, 2019 at 7:56 PM

    helper "A new spin on 'prosperity.'"

    Interesting you would find it that way. If you wish I'd be interested in where you see that link.

    The sympathetic article thought of it as socialistic, share the wealth. To me it is sort of utopia thinking, "Let's have a church where we all share and we'll all be happy." The church has a website, Jubillee Baptist in Chapel Hill. I don't know as much theology as you do so I couldn't identify where the threads of thinking originated from. They seemed to refer to the Bible as a guide for a useful life. They specifically said there is an afterlife. It wasn't UCC or Presbyterian, the only churches I've been involved with the last 40 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. little helperDecember 16, 2019 at 8:12 PM

      I could have added; "A new spin on prosperity," with emphasis of social positivism.
      Note; I did not say "prosperity theology, or social gospel". In fact, "theology" is 99% absent.

      Delete
    2. little helperDecember 16, 2019 at 8:14 PM

      PS. re. "where you see that link"-----No link needed. The article speaks for itself.

      Delete
    3. little helperDecember 16, 2019 at 8:32 PM

      pps; I googled their web site, and saw an absence of, "This we believe and/ or teach," (Credo)
      Compare to UCC , Presbyterian, and virtually all other churches.

      Delete

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