Selling in church – What does the Bible say?

TL;DR

Selling in church isn’t inherently wrong, but it must never hinder worship, promote greed, or dishonor God. Churches should handle sales wisely with the goal of honoring Him above profit.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible does not specifically address the topic of selling in churches, though Jesus does call out merchants and money changers on their greed and gross misuse of God’s temple in Mark 11:17. However, as an argument against selling in the church, that Scripture doesn’t apply unless the selling hinders worship or dishonors God in some way (1 Corinthians 10:31). Even so, the main focus of church should not be buying and selling but God—worshiping Him, growing in our faith, and honoring Him by loving others well. Although we have freedom in Christ to sell or not to sell in a church, we should seek wisdom in how we do it and seek to honor Him above profit.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Selling within a church must have the right purpose and motivation, which shouldn’t be greed or personal gain. Many Old Testament verses teach against greed (Ecclesiastes 5:10; Proverbs 15:27; Micah 2:2), such as Micah 3:11 in which the Lord chastises priests and prophets because of their greed: “Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.’” Believers must never allow money to make our worship impure.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

When the topic of selling something in church is discussed, the most common accounts debated are those involving Jesus cleansing the temple. In one instance, Jesus said, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (Mark 11:17). However, in the case of the temple, the selling and money changing was putting an undue burden on people who had come to worship, thereby impeding worship. If buying and selling takes place in a church, it should never impede or take away from worship in any way.

Paul communicates that we can exercise our freedom as believers under the Law of Grace as long as what we are doing is not sinful and aligns with our personal convictions. However, He also makes it clear we should avoid passing judgment on others and we should consider other believers’ convictions, too (Romans 14:13–23).

We can seek God in prayer and ask Him for wisdom on selling and buying in the church (James 1:5). If we do sell items, those funds should be used in a way that honors God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Each church must determine what is appropriate for its congregation on the matter of selling items. While offering music, books, or other helpful Christian resources may be appropriate for a congregation, other items or ways of selling may cause concern among members or the local community. The goal must be to gather to honor God and to show His love to others above buying and selling.

A few helpful guidelines a local church would likely wish to adopt could include:

No donations or purchases are required for those attending church services.

No high-pressure sales.

Selling must be in some way related to helping the mission of the church rather than simply making a profit.

Church leadership must approve items presented for sale.

Items sold must conform to local, state, and national laws regarding sales.

A local congregation may choose other guidelines as well. For example, some churches refrain from signage in the auditorium regarding items for sale. Other churches will not present sales from the front area, referring all sales to the bulletin or lobby outside of the worship area. Each congregation should carefully consider how to best handle such concerns in a way that honors God and cares for the needs of the congregation best.

UNDERSTAND

Buying and selling in church should be a matter of congregational conscience

Selling in church must not hinder worship in any way, and should honor God.

Jesus’ condemnation of the money changers and sellers in the temple was based on their greed, their hindrance to people’s worship, and the dishonor their actions showed to God.

REFLECT

Does buying or selling within the church building offend your conscience? Why or why not?

How do you ensure that everything you do honors God?

How does your church make decisions about secondary matters or matters of conscience?

ENGAGE

How can a church engage its congregants on matters of conscience, such as buying and selling in church?

How can churches ensure that their decision to buy and sell in the church building doesn’t hinder worship and glorifies God?

What are some possible dangers to buying or selling in church?