The Most Common Case For Church Incorporation

Money.

The theology and theory of incorporating churches, raising revenue, and organizing institutions to give structure to the body of Christ is strongly influenced and sometimes determined by the laws, culture, and practices of the countries in which a congregation of believers forms.

Here in the United States, in an effort to support the moral life of its citizens, encourage the altruistic spirit that makes America great, and support the many causes that don't properly belong inside of its direct control -- our government and the laws it has instituted have provided many benefits to the institutions that work for charitable causes and depend upon the indirect economy of free will donations to survive and prosper.

At first, this appeared to be a benefit to the church because it provides a range of motivations for those who may or may not otherwise be inclined to support the mission of Christianity. In many sermons on tithing there is often a promise of the benefit of tithing on a believer's fiscal well being -- implicitly depending upon the tax benefits provided by the state.

Many have focussed on the interpretation of the law for incorporated vs unincorporated church, making the argument that the church deserves the benefits proffered by the state regardless of its relationship with the state. But my question is, does the church actually want more benefits from the state than simply those granted by the Bill of Rights as described in Constitutional Christianity?

In The Spirit of the Laws, Baron de Montesquieu (1748) summarizes a key threat to the life of the body of Christ if it becomes entwined in the institutions of the state,

"A more certain way to attack religion is by favor, by the comforts of life, by the hope of wealth; not by what reminds one of it, but by what makes one forget it; not by what makes one indignant, but by what makes men lukewarm, when other passions act on our souls, and those which religion inspires are silent. In the matter of changing religion, State favors are stronger than penalties."

Since our mission is to call sinners to repentance, to share the good news of salvation, to build the body of Christ, and to dedicate our lives to His service. Do we want money that was given to us just because someone wanted a break on their taxes? After all, as Ed Bahler recently noted, Poor People Are 3X More Generous even though they don't receive any benefit from the state for supporting the Christian cause.

Do you financially dedicate yourself to Jesus Christ and His mission in all of the many individual and collective forms that it is taking as the church evolves into the 21st century, even when the state doesn't endorse it?