A video of a pastor announcing the suspension of offering collection in his church has gone viral, capturing the attention of Nigerians.
Daily Trust reported that will addressing his congregation in both English and Yoruba, the pastor explained that the country’s dire economic situation prompted this decision.
“Don’t collect offerings today, for now, because of the situation in this country. For now, we are pending the offering,” he said.
The pastor emphasized that ceasing offering collections doesn’t mean pastors will go hungry, asserting, “Not giving an offering doesn’t mean the pastor would starve, if truly he was called.”
He urged other clergymen across the country to follow suit, adding that churchgoers often spend significant amounts on transportation just to attend services, potentially leaving them with no money for offerings.
“All pastors should notice that pending the situation of this country, we should stop the collection of offerings. The reason is that a church member can come to church spending N1000 as a fare, and still give an offering and may trek back home.”
“Come and serve your God and go home. Until the price of petrol comes down. It is not easy. You are going to work tomorrow, you don’t know, maybe the transport fare to Mushin would be N500 or N700.
“For all pastors, stop collecting offerings. There’s one thing I want to say, stop collecting offerings for now. Stop collecting offerings for now,” he reiterated, receiving cheers and applause from his congregation.