How Bishop Eddie Long’s Settlement Affects The Black Economy

he news that Bishop Eddie Long has settled his case begs the question of what does this mean for the black economy?

One of the mistakes we tend to make in our community is failing to realize that churches are businesses. True, they are organizations that foster spiritual growth and development in our communities, but when the pastor leaves the pulpit and the choir removes their gowns, money is counted in the backrooms and decisions are made about what to do with that money.

Like any other business, churches have utility bills and capital expenditures to pay. However, the uniqueness of a church is it is also a non-profit, which means there are regulations to abide by in order to maintain its tax-exempt status. I recently asked my Facebook friends the following question: “Which is more important—the comfort of the pastor or the growth of the church?” Ironically, many felt the comfort of the pastor was more important. But here’s the trick: a responsible non-profit allocates at least 70 percent of its revenue toward the programs it was formed to develop. The other 30 percent would go toward administrative costs. The pastor’s well-being should be in that 30 percent. Unfortunately, we catch a case of spiritual vertigo and slide the pastor’s well-being into the 70 percent.