Auctioneering in Church

A friend of mine sent me this what he had written to the Bishop of his Church against the unBiblical practice of auctioning in churches in the name of Harvest Festival.

Dear "Bishop"

As you know we are having our Harvest Festival coming Sunday afternoon, during your visit. Every year we will have Harvest Festival and used to collect a good amount of money by auction.

There are 2 different views with regard to Harvest Festival, and I was trying to study about this topic based on Scripture and also discussing with others who have good biblical knowledge.

Find below the views of few God fearing members of our Parish with regard to Harvest Festival.

And why I am asking your suggestion on this regard is to only obey God's command in everything we do as individual, family, Parish and as Church. And not to sin against God in any matter.

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Is auctioning scriptural? 

Were first fruits auctioned in OT times? Have we borrowed the agrarian first fruit symbol while leaving out the principles of giving and sacrifice that Scripture teaches?

1. Scripture teaches us to give willingly and cheerfully. In a harvest auction the following are questionable

a. Manipulation of emotions – people being coerced into calling out more than what they intended to give

b. Imagine the widow with 2 coins at the harvest festival auction. Would it embarrass her?

c. When Jesus was pointing out the widows offering, he was leading to the judgment of a corrupt temple system that was manipulating her to give into the temple treasury everything she had – even her subsistence!

2. Giving is private. Auctions are public and bids are on a pedestal for all to see, the Pharisees would have loved it!

3. It does not promote sacrificial giving against genuine needs. Those giving may not be aware or even endorse the actual needs.

4.  The motives of giving: Auction promotes a motive of looking good in front of others. It is feeds self promotion.

5. ‘Let each man decide in his heart…” If I decide in my heart an amount, why do I need to distribute it by bidding against commodities that people bring from the malls and retail shops? 

6. God loves a cheerful giver. When I get into the spirit of the auction and give… does that qualify me as a cheerful giver?

7. Harvest festival is the best fund raising tool [If we look at the past data]. So the true motive of having it is because it is an effective tool to raise money. Just the way advertisements sell cigarettes and alcohol capitalizing on sinful human nature.

8. ...in our faith convictions are more important than convenience......there is a way to run church….that is decided by God and not by clever human ways.....it is important that we fall in line with that......we are supposed to give anonymously, generously. And voluntarily and not of any compulsion. When I confronted last time on this ...at our church....kept quiet....didn't reply......that tells the whole story....in passing the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of traders ...should not be very far from us ....they also may tell you that part of the funds went for temple development etc .......the Lord was categorical in response.....if people in authority don't wake up to these glaring omissions ....what then is our faith. to me if a church will shut down because it followed God’s word....be it so ...its better to keep it shut , than run it on ungodly principles.....

.....Gal 1:10...and the motto of the Evangelical church Rev 1:2. (For the word)....will help....

Obey God ..that is important …there is no greater compulsion than that .

Since others..including the committee are not convicted about the matter (I am not sure whether they are even  aware of any other view on the matter)

and have endorsed competitive bidding as the way to make money for church very much against scripture that doesn’t endorse the process as I understand it………I am sure if I know anything about Jesus he will not attend this harvest festival auction even if you pray before and after it….......)

I for one will surely not be there , though I am in town that day…and I don’t want to part of this sin by giving any contribution too …

I have nothing against the people, committee or church as a whole  ….…but only because I am sure God has no interest in this matter and I have no compulsion to please anyone other than God .

If someone wants to know how money comes for ministry in God’s way , ask them to read George Muller’s biography. Things will be clear. Auctions usually happen in Stock exchanges and market places , cannot seem to forget the scene where Jesus said in the book of John , “my house will be called a house of prayer , but you have made it a market place.

I also feel it is responsibility of Church leaders to uphold what the biblical perspective for our obedience ought to be.

Looking forward for your suggestion.

….………….(The friend)