Nine Signs of a Church That Preaches the Prosperity Gospel

How do you evaluate a church that preaches the prosperity gospel?

The first nine years of my walk with Christ were spent in such an environment, and then I spent two years in theological rehabilitation, which prepared me for the next six years of pastoral ministry in an urban context. One thing is clear: the nine signs of a healthy church are a useful framework for evaluating any church, including those that preach the prosperity gospel.

What we are seeing is a church that preaches the prosperity gospel in complete opposition to the nine characteristics of a healthy church. The examples below may not always sound familiar to you, the reader. However, many of them are universal in nature and are spread through preachers on the Internet, radio, and television. Since the prosperity gospel movement is interdenominational, the teachings presented in this article should not be associated with any particular denomination of evangelical Christianity.

1. Expository Preaching

Sermons in prosperity gospel churches are far from expository preaching. Instead, their main goal is to motivate listeners to make financial contributions, believing that sacrifice is the path to receiving. Over and over again, preachers use texts about freewill offerings and tithing, teaching listeners to «activate» their faith, to «sow seeds of faith,» and thus apply the divine law of reciprocity, which they believe will lead to financial breakthrough.

Selected passages from the Old Testament are often used as examples of divine rewards for faithful faith. One text often used to manipulate listeners is Malachi 3:10. Prosperity preachers emphasize two points from this verse:

1. First, they tell their listeners that they are robbing God by not tithing.
2. Second, they assure the listeners that God wants them to test Him by sacrificing more so He can give them more.

Let us consider Malachi 3:10 in its proper context. The Israelites had failed in their duty to God by not providing enough food for the national storehouse, which was used to feed the priests of Israel. As a result, the priests were forced to abandon their duties and engage in agriculture in order to survive (see Nehemiah 13:10–13). Therefore, God calls upon Israel to test Him by demonstrating obedience through sacrifice. If they do so, He will reward them as He has done in the past (2 Chronicles 31:7–10). The point of this passage is about a specific historical episode in the life of Israel.

Preaching this text as Christian doctrine means more than simply applying its commands and promises to Christians. Yes, there are general principles about sacrifice that apply to Christians, but it is important to consider the differences between the old and new covenants, especially in the nature of God’s promises to Israel and their fulfillment in Christ for Christians.

A healthy church uses preaching to bring God’s word to its people. It presents the listener with God’s truth that convinces, encourages, clarifies, and calls to action. Such a church centers every text around the Gospel, showing the listener how central and necessary Jesus Christ is to the believer who lives in obedience to God’s word. A healthy church emphasizes that the results of a holy life do not necessarily lead to financial prosperity, but rather to godliness that glorifies the Lord.

2. Biblical theology

Prosperity gospel theology is based on the fundamental error that man shares some form of divinity with God, so that our words have the same creative power as God's words.

Psalm 82:6, Proverbs 18:20-21, and Romans 4:17 are popular Bible texts used to support this false teaching. It is often said that man is a «little god» and has the power to demonstrate divinity by speaking things, creating and controlling his own destiny with words, and even compelling a limited and confused God to act on our behalf.

However, none of these texts support the doctrine of prosperity. In Psalm 82:6, the psalmist addresses God regarding the immoral judges who ruled the nation of Israel. God directly addresses these false judges, calling them «gods» to emphasize that they were judging the people in His name. They were to use His word as the standard for judgment. In the next verse, God reminds them that they are not eternal beings but merely humans who have failed in their duties and have not judged fairly. This passage does not elevate man to the status of a demigod or grant him the ability to act with sovereign authority. On the contrary, the only true and living God condemns the immoral actions of these judges.

Proverbs 18:20-21 is a principle, not a promise, and it outlines two truths:

1. Our words do not determine our fate; they reveal the condition of our heart.
2. There are times when our words have consequences. This passage does not promise us the power to declare the length of our lives. Nor does it claim that God is powerless to save us if we curse ourselves to death, as some prosperity preachers teach.

In Romans 4:17, Paul teaches that God justified Abraham and declared him the father of nations before he had children. This passage has nothing to do with saints calling into existence more money, a promotion at work, or even the salvation of lost loved ones. In fact, it emphasizes the truth that only God can call things into existence.

A healthy church teaches its members sound doctrine that is rooted in Scripture and stays in its context. Such doctrine provides the listener with the spiritual nourishment necessary to grow to maturity in Christ (2 Tim. 3:16–17). For a church to be healthy, it must teach the entire Bible in its whole context and base all doctrinal beliefs on the whole of Scripture, not taking passages out of context (1 Tim. 1:5; Titus 2:1–10; 2 John 1–6).

3. Gospel

In many prosperity gospel churches, the gospel message is identified with the material blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. While the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are proclaimed and salvation through Christ alone is emphasized, many prosperity gospel preachers claim that the proof of a person’s faith in the gospel is whether they receive the blessings promised by God to Abraham (Gen. 12-15).

I have found that this teaching leads people to one of two conclusions:

1. If someone has prosperity and health, they conclude that they are saved because they enjoy the promises of Abraham.
2. But if these blessings are not seen in the life of a believer, they are considered to lack faith. They are sinning. They need to give more. Or perhaps they have not yet placed their full trust in Jesus Christ and need to be born again to receive the blessings of Abraham.

In contrast, healthy churches unashamedly proclaim God's entire plan of salvation, which includes the truth about:

• that we are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27);
• that they once had open communication with God (Gen. 2:7-25);
• and yet, through the sin of our first father Adam, all mankind was physically (Gen. 3:1-19) and spiritually (Rom. 5:12) separated from the holy and righteous God who created us. Because mankind is separated from God through sin, the wages of sin is bloodshed and death (Lev. 1:3-17).

The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, who eternally existed as God (John 1:1), became man (John 1:14), lived a perfect life according to God’s law (Heb. 7:26), and shed His blood by dying in the place of sinners (Mark 10:45 and 1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus was buried in the tomb for three days (Matt. 27:57-66), and on the third day He rose from the dead (Matt. 28:1-8). He now calls all people to repent of their sins and trust in Him to be reconciled to God and receive eternal life (John 3:16).

The biblical gospel does not promise that Christians will be rich and prosperous in this life, through the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. Instead, Christians are «blessed» in Abraham because we receive the Spirit (Gal. 3:14) and will receive not only the earth but also a whole new creation in the future (Rom. 4:13, Rev. 21-22).

4. Conversion

Conversion in a church that preaches the prosperity gospel contains an unpleasant combination of opposites: easy belief and salvation by works.

Prosperity gospel preachers are known for teaching that a sinner is «saved» when he or she finishes saying the «prayer of repentance.» After this simple salvation occurs, the new believer must:

• to submit to the leadership and teachings of the church;
• to tithe regularly;
• give donations often;
• to strive to participate in church service consistently. As long as a person does these things, he maintains his salvation. But if someone stops for a long time, he can lose his salvation. To promote this teaching, pastors are known to use psychological and biblical manipulation to get church members to perform various types of service in the name of serving the Lord. Their service, they promise, will prevent them from «falling from grace» and losing their salvation.

Some prosperity gospel followers burn out and become angry with their leaders. They begin to question the methods of ministry and refuse to submit to its demands. I have watched pastors who feel they are losing control of these people react by claiming that the church member is in rebellion, causing division, and on the path to losing his salvation unless he repents and begins serving again. In such cases, 1 Samuel 15:23 has been used as evidence to point out the consequences of the person’s actions and to discourage others from following him. But this verse is talking about King Saul’s direct disobedience to God’s command, not about a true believer questioning an unbiblical teaching or practice of the church.

A healthy church lovingly teaches a biblical understanding of repentance and conversion. The Bible says that conversion occurs when the true biblical gospel is preached (Rom. 1:16–17, 10:9–17) and the sinner repents of his sins, trusting fully in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19; Rom. 3:21–26). Conversion occurs when the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner, who is dead in sin, and gives him new life in Christ (John 3:3–8; Eph. 2:1–10). Biblical conversion focuses on repentance and faith in the work of Christ, not on simply saying a prayer or serving until exhaustion with fear of losing salvation.

5. Evangelism

Prosperity gospel churches often teach that evangelism must be accompanied by the demonstration of signs and wonders. When these two elements are combined, it is claimed that sinners will repent and believe in Jesus. I have heard people say in prayer before evangelism that sinners will not repent unless they see physical evidence of the supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit, as stated in Mark 16:15-16.

Since the inclusion of this passage in the original and most reliable manuscripts is controversial, it would be unwise to base one's doctrinal position solely on this passage. Furthermore, requiring people to demonstrate the signs from this passage in order to be effective in evangelism is dangerous and manipulative.

Biblical evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel and the call to repentance of sinners. The Gospel does not need any updates, embellishments, or extraneous elements to be effective (1 Cor. 15:1-4). The Bible clearly states that the preaching of the Gospel has power to save sinners (Rom. 1:16, 10:17).

6. Church membership

Prosperity gospel churches often equate church membership with regular attendance, tithing, and service—with or without a formal agreement. People often «swindle» into church membership if they do these things long enough.

In one case I recall a person who had attended a church for over twenty years, receiving the benefits of membership, but never formally joined the church. She felt no need to do so because she supported the church financially and served every week. I have observed people in such circumstances who lived in blatant sin and avoided church discipline.

A healthy church presents church membership as a blessing and a responsibility for the believer. The blessing is that the church affirms the believer’s faith and builds him up in love (Eph. 4:11-16). The responsibility is that Jesus requires Christians to submit to His authority by submitting to the authority of the church. You are not a true member of the body if you can just walk away at will.

7. Church discipline

I have observed church discipline in prosperity gospel churches to be at one of two extremes:

The first is informal excommunication from the church when the biblical protocol of church discipline was not followed (i.e. Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 2:6; 2 Thess. 3:6-15). People who were said by others to be living in sin were «expelled» from the church privately, and in the public sphere they were spoken of as those who should not be associated with because of their disobedience.

The other extreme is the complete ignoring of sin by the leadership in another leader, a popular member, or both. When this approach is used, leaders who are aware of the person’s unrepentant sin deliberately refuse to acknowledge and address the situation. Unfortunately, I have witnessed leaders who have raised questions about the sin of other members receive responses such as, «God forgives, and his love covers a multitude of sins» and «only God can judge them.» In the case of sinful leaders who remain in ministry, they have been told, «The gifts of God are given without repentance,» a distortion of Romans 11:29. Prosperity preachers often use 1 Chronicles 16:22 («Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm!») as an excuse to avoid questions from their church members. Sometimes prosperity gospel churches have been known to cover up a leader's sin by sending him on vacation instead of practicing 1 Tim. 5:17-20.

Healthy churches embrace God’s desire for purity and holiness in their congregations. By helping their members grow in Christlikeness, they will shine like stars in a world shrouded in darkness (Eph. 4:11–32; Phil. 2:1–18). Healthy churches understand that even leaders are not immune to temptation, misjudgment, and sin. Therefore, they teach and practice biblical principles of church discipline, including discipline for leaders (1 Tim. 5:17–20).

8. Discipleship

Discipleship in prosperity gospel churches often tends to be dependent on the pastor or other prominent church leader. The initial level of discipleship is known as the «armored» stage. A armor-bearer in Scripture is someone who carried the armor of their leader and protected him (1 Sam. 14:6-7; 2 Sam. 18:15). But in prosperity gospel churches, the term «armored» has become an informal position. New believers who are seeking to grow in their walk with God are placed in a group. This group is trained to meet the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the pastor or church leader. The pastor often assigns armor-bearers to perform various tasks—from carrying his Bible to paying his bills—all in the name of «ministry.» In some extreme cases, I have counseled former squires who were instructed to give the pastor massages after sermons and even provide sexual favors.

If the squire stays long enough, he can be promoted, with a title, a preaching license, and even ordination. Most often, the pastor does this to boost his ministry statistics, since many of these «ordained» men (and sometimes women) sit in the pews, cheering the pastor on as he preaches. I have known some pastors who boasted that they had dozens of «ordained» men under their leadership who had been under them for decades. Rarely are these «ordained» men sent out to plant churches, restore failing churches, or engage in professional ministry abroad. Unfortunately, in one case I counseled a man who had been under the pastor’s leadership as an «ordained» for over fifteen years and had never once received instruction in the biblical qualifications of an elder.

Healthy churches teach their people to rely more on Jesus than on the pastor or church leader. Believers grow by deepening their knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18) and, through the power of the Spirit, by imitating Jesus (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Eph. 5:1). Bible students produce more Bible disciples, not dependents (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 2:1-8).

9. Church Leadership

Prosperity preachers often receive endless support from their members because people live in a fantasy world because of their pastor. If the pastor’s wealth and bank account increase, the members of the congregation celebrate as if the prosperity has become their own. Some churches want their pastor to have the latest luxury car, wear expensive designer clothes, and live in a big house so that God’s blessings will «flow» down to them. I was once told, «If my pastor lives in luxury, he is paving the way for me and my family to live in luxury.».

In many cases, the pastor is considered the voice of God for the church and therefore has unquestioned authority. The leadership structure varies between a CEO model and a monarchy. I have often observed others being appointed as pastors or elders not based on biblical qualifications but rather on their profession and proximity to the pastor.

Healthy churches support biblically qualified leaders. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 are passages that clearly outline the qualifications for men who will lead God’s church. Biblical qualifications emphasize a man’s character, not his profession or friendship with the pastor. Elders are to care for the flock, feed them with sound doctrine, lead them in humility, and protect them from false teachers.

A flock without a shepherd

My heart aches for the people who fall under all or some of the teachings discussed here. They are like the weary, confused sheep without a shepherd, whom Jesus had compassion on (Matt. 9:36). These precious souls in Jesus’ day were being abused, tormented, and persecuted by their leaders. They knew no other way of life because their religious leaders treated them this way. Jesus responded by telling his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.

The pain I feel for the weary and confused sheep today motivates me to do two things: pray that the Lord will send workers to seek out and minister to these confused sheep, and work to lead a healthy church to reach the sheep in my city.

I pray that this article will help light a fire in your heart to see healthy churches serving in different cities around the world.