Why go to church?

I have been finding church-going a bit of a struggle recently. I came home from church on Sunday saying, "When I go to church I want to hear the message 'Praise God because He's worthy!' rather than 'Give your tithe so that God will bless you!'"

Our church has been talking about money more and more. It isn't that I don't like talking about money at church. God should be Lord of our whole lives, and that includes our money. Of course we should give generously, and of course we should be encouraged to do so at church. But we don't need to hear the message all the time, and we shouldn't be encouraged to give for our own personal gain. The Prosperity Gospel is doing well in Africa (as elsewhere) and its principles are very close to biblical ones. Yes, God will bless you if you give generously ... the problem is that you can't assume His blessings will be material ones ... or that material things are necessarily a blessing in your spiritual life.

At church on Sunday the service leader suggested that if you look back over your life with God you'll see that things just get better and better in material terms, that you just get richer and richer. That may be true in this particular man's life. But many Christians around the world would have to disagree. In some countries people lose their belongings, their children and their freedom because they follow Jesus. Which rather seems to disprove what the service leader was saying. I may see if I get the opportunity to talk to him about it, though it will be difficult as he is someone I respect a lot, and who clearly loves God ... I think on this one occasion he just got a little carried away.

Our church leadership has also decided to start writing up on a blackboard at the front of church how much the offering was the Sunday before, and how many people gave how much tithe. They aren't saying who gave how much "yet"! They have also decided to put the offering box at the front of church, and during the offering song everyone has to file up to put their offering in. Personally I think this just encourages deceit, as people feel obliged to go up to the front, and once they are there, they at least have to look as if they're putting something in. So my small rebellion is that I stay in my place while Marc goes up and puts our offering in.

As missionaries it is difficult too to know what our role should be. Church leadership has been successfully handed over to locals ... when is it our responsibility to intervene if we think wrong things are being said, or unhelpful things are being done, especially if our opinion isn't asked for?