Is the church just after my money?

It is one of those objections that stops people at the door. The TV evangelists asking viewers to empty their bank accounts. The offering plate circling a congregation with all the subtlety of a debt collector. The megachurch pastor with the private jet. If you have ever looked at organised religion and thought "this is just a money-making operation," you are not alone.

Sharon Edmundson tackles this question head-on in her talk for Crowd Church, starting from a surprising place — with Jesus himself, sitting in the temple, watching people put money into the collection.

Jesus, the People-Watcher

The passage is from Mark 12:41-44. Jesus sat opposite the place where offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few pence.

There is something unexpectedly ordinary about this scene. Jesus, sitting and observing. People coming and going. Money being dropped into a box. No big speech, no dramatic confrontation — just quiet observation.

But what Jesus noticed, and what he said about it afterwards, turns the whole conversation about church and money upside down.

The Widow Who Gave Everything

"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.'"

Jesus was not impressed by the size of the donation. He was interested in what it cost the giver. The rich people gave large amounts, but from their surplus — money they would never miss. The widow gave a tiny amount, but it was everything she had.

This is not a story about God wanting your money. It is a story about what trust looks like in practice.

Exploitation Is Not What God Had in Mind

The talk does not dodge the reality that money has been badly misused in the name of religion. Sharon acknowledges it openly. People have been exploited, manipulated, and pressured into giving money they could not afford. That happens, and it is wrong.

But she draws an important distinction. "We can judge a faith by its misuse, but it's far better to judge it by what it actually says and whether or not it's actually true."

She uses a medical analogy. "If the doctor gave me some liquid medicine and told me to drink it three times a day, but I decided to rub it on my skin, it wouldn't mean that the doctor was bad when I didn't get better. If I then went and told everyone how rubbish the doctor and the medicine were, I would be misrepresenting both."

The same principle applies to faith. Just because someone uses God's name to justify financial exploitation does not mean God approves of it. In fact, the Bible is remarkably clear on this point. The verse just before the widow's story has Jesus condemning religious leaders who "devour widows' houses and for show make lengthy prayers."

God is not on the side of the exploiters. He never has been.

Why Money Is Not a Private Matter

In modern Western culture, money is treated as private. Your finances are your business. Your faith, if you have one, should stay in its lane and not interfere with your bank account.

Sharon challenges this split directly. "If God does in fact exist and is who the Bible says he is — if he did in fact create the physical world and everything in it, from the vastness of the universe to the detailed world we can see through a microscope — it makes sense that he is the authority on every aspect of life."

A faith that has no bearing on how you spend your money is not really a faith. It is a hobby. And the Christian claim is that following Jesus touches every part of life, including the financial bits.

"A Christian is someone who's stopped living for themselves and has decided to follow Jesus in every area of life — including their money."

That sounds demanding. But Sharon frames it differently. "Jesus said, 'If you continue in my word, you're really my disciples, and you'll know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' When we follow God's way, including in the area of money, it brings freedom — because we're living as we're designed to live."

She uses a vivid image. "A fish that breaks free from water is not really free, because it's now going against the way it was designed."

Two Masters

Jesus made a statement about money that is remarkably direct: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

The talk unpacks what this looks like in practice. "If we're rich, we can be addicted to money and want more and more. Our security, our identity, can be in our prestigious high-paying jobs, our designer gear, our holidays abroad. If we're poor, we can be afraid of not having enough and become obsessed with money that way."

Either way, money becomes the thing we trust most. And God's invitation is to shift that trust to him — not because he needs the money, but because the relationship matters more than the bank balance.

Real People, Real Stories

The talk includes several testimonies from ordinary people about how their approach to money has changed since following Jesus.

One person describes learning to use money as a blessing to others before spending it on themselves. "Whether that be just really tiny things, like offering to pay for a friend's meal, or maybe giving to charity — there are lots of ways to use it as a blessing to others before you need to spend it on yourself."

A business owner talks about trusting God with work and finances. "We've had a couple of times where it's gone quite down to the wire, and we've prayed together. Within hours, he's provided a great big job."

A couple describes the practice of tithing — giving the first ten percent of their income to their local church. "There'd be months recently where we've just been like, 'It doesn't work out. How are we gonna get to the end of the month?' And God just puts it on people's hearts — they just send us money randomly." She mentions a specific example: needing new tyres for the car, and a cheque arriving for exactly the right amount.

These are not prosperity gospel promises. Nobody is claiming that giving money to God makes you rich. What they are describing is a lived experience of provision — sometimes dramatic, sometimes ordinary, but consistent enough to build trust on.

Sharon's Own Journey

Sharon shares her own story of giving things up to follow Jesus. She sold her car — the only thing she had worth selling — to fund a gap year with a church in Liverpool. "That year totally changed my life. No exaggeration."

She is honest about the ongoing tension. "The most current question for me about money and provision is: Lord, do you want me to keep volunteering, or should I get a job that pays? Or maybe both. I'll keep praying and figuring it out."

That is not the language of someone who has it all worked out. It is the language of someone in an active, sometimes uncertain relationship with God about practical matters.

What Jesus Actually Noticed

Back to the temple scene. Jesus did not criticise the rich people for giving large amounts. He did not set up a minimum donation threshold. What he did was notice someone everyone else overlooked — a poor widow with two small coins.

"Are you someone who's well off?" the talk asks. "God would say: don't put your security in your status and your money. You're no better than someone who's less well-off. Are you someone who's struggling to make ends meet? Know that Jesus doesn't overlook you, and that what you have to offer is valued."

The point is not about the amount. It is about the heart behind it.

Your Next Steps

1. Examine your relationship with money. Not how much you have, but how much power it has over you. Does your financial situation determine your sense of security, identity, or worth?

2. Read Mark 12:41-44. It is only four verses. Ask yourself which character in the story you most identify with, and why.

3. Try giving something away. It does not have to be ten percent of your income. Start with buying someone a coffee, covering a friend's meal, or donating to something you believe in. Notice how it feels.

4. Ask the trust question. Where is your ultimate trust placed — in your bank balance or in something bigger? That is not a comfortable question, but it is an honest one.

The Real Question Behind the Question

"Is the church just after my money?" is often a smokescreen for a deeper question: can I trust God with the things I value most? The widow in the temple answered that question with two small coins. Not because she had to. Not because someone pressured her. But because she trusted the God she was giving to more than the money she was giving up.

What would it look like for you to take even a small step in that direction?