Holy Embezzlement! What Makes a Pastor Steal Church Money?
Have you ever asked yourself why a pastor would steal church money? Seriously! If you look at this question with a magnifying glass it is not as simple as the pastor just being greedy. It goes much deeper than that. Why would a pastor go against everything that he knows and teaches to be true, deliberately violate those truths, and then try to hide it to perpetuate his behavior? In the business world and in the church the most common crime committed is embezzlement. Why is it that many pastors are now falling into this sin in larger numbers?

Let me give you some statistics about the life of many pastors today. This may help you better understand why stealing church money is on the rise.

• A little over 80% of pastors and their spouses currently or frequently struggle with discouragement, disappointment or depression.

• More than 40% of pastors feel they lead lives that are too busy and they often feel guilt over it because their children are the ones who suffer most.

• The majority of pastors feel the church, or the way that they "did church", has had a negative impact of their families.

• 40% of pastors experience serious conflicts with a parishioner on a monthly basis

It is a wonder you have persevered
In light of these statistics, it is a wonder you have persevered. Let's face it: Pastoring gets the attention of the enemy of your soul and he will resist you. You, in turn, must be diligent to guard your soul. What does that have to do with stealing money from the church? It has a lot to do with it. You see, these statistics simply set the table. As we travel deeper into the heart of the matter, we see an even greater need for pastors to be on guard; other conditions make it easier for pastors to fall into temptation. Here are four that when combined with the above-mentioned statistics can cause "even the elect" to break.

1. Around 7 out of 10 pastors claim that they do not have someone that they truly call a friend: When a parishioner needs help, he calls the pastor. When the pastor needs help, he goes into a cave. Unlike Elijah, pastors do not usually have God encounters in those caves. Instead, because of the busyness of life and the demands of pastoring, a pastor usually tries to cope in his natural self.

2. False identity: Unfortunately, many pastors that start churches have a difficult time separating themselves and their identities from their church. Therefore, 100% of their soul is wrapped up in the church. In some cases they believe that, like a man who starts a business, the church (or business side of church) is theirs and they make decisions how they please and no one can tell them what to do.

3. The vast majority of pastors are severely  . . . Click here to read more!