MFI: Minister Fraternity International
Posted on January 18th, 2005 by catalyst into the Uncategorized categoryHere is a quick thought about MFI.
MFI is short for Minister Fellowship International (www.mfi-online.org), and it is an organization based out of City Bible that serves as an association for like-minded churches all over the world.
Which is alright I guess.
My only problem is that a minister of an average sized church would have to pay $400 a month to be a part of MFI, which adds up to almost $5000 a year.
And what does the minister get for his $400 monthly payment.
Well, here is what MFI says:
MFI benefits the minister and it also benefits the congregation that member-ministers serve. It benefits the minister by:
- Helping them to establish meaningful covenant relationships with like minded leaders
- Providing resources to the ministers to enhance their personal life and ministry
- Providing a sense of covering and accountability
- Providing for the rejuvenation and refreshing of battle weary leaders
- Giving each member minister a sense of connection to a larger family network and a worldwide vision
Hmmm, so not much. Sounds like they are paying for friends.
Me and my brother are thinking of starting up Minister Fraternity International, and offering covering and accountability for half the price. Say $200 a month.
I guess I tend to think that $5,000 a year could be put to better use, by say feeding the hungry or clothing the poor.
But apparently, these ministers feel they need to be a part of some fraternity. And since that fraternity collects dues, what choice do they have.
Honestly, is this really the best way to spend the churches money? Is it really necessary for a minister to pay $400 a month for covering and accountability?
I don’t think so.
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January 18th, 2005 at 12:24 pm
$400 dollars a month doesn’t buy you much these days. I would hope that you would at least get a sack lunch with your tuition fee, and maybe free parking at all the conferences they have.
The most important part of their service is providing you with “like minded leaders”. Why would I need to pay $400 a month to talk to someone who thinks like me?
Suppose I surrounded myself with elders in my church that were all like minded. Suppose we were all like minded businessmen. What do you think would happen?
That’s right; you guessed it, Forward Together. That’s what would happen.
Well, I for one am going to jump on the bandwagon. I’m going to start selling the “Like Minded Bible”. For a mere $45.00 you can have your own personal “Like Minded Bible” which tells you just what you want to hear. This special addition Bible comes pressed down, shaken together and running out all over (Sounds more like a Martini).
Actually, it’s just Malachi 3 written over and over and over and over.
The one thing my Bible fails to do is “provide for the rejuvenation and refreshing of battle weary leaders”
I have no idea how to do that.
January 18th, 2005 at 12:52 pm
Not only are the “paying for friends” but they are paying off friends. This is how it works:
The “accountability” offered by the fellowship is really not all that you would hope it would be. When leaders from MFI go to a church in the organization, they are always the guest speaker. So of course they are going to think the church they go to is great because they are the one preaching that Sunday!
This is how things work: The host pastor (let’s call him Pastor John) invites his “like minded” pastor friend (let’s call him Pastor Peter) to preach at his church. Pastor Peter comes and delivers his “like minded” message as a relief to the “battle weary” Pastor John. Pastor John, out of boundless gratitude as the host pastor, then pays Pastor Peter a huge, non-taxable honorarium from the coffers of his church. A few months later, Pastor Peter feels a bit battle weary himself so he invites Pastor John to speak at his church and returns the favor of the huge honorarium. The cycle continues over the years as part of the fellowship.
I don’t know if they are paying for accountability and fellowship so much as they are paying for admittance to a networking club.
January 18th, 2005 at 1:43 pm
Brothers and sisters let us not forget that the measly membership fees also give them the ability to meet and “fellowship” with a network of other church leaders so they can speak at each others churches being paid large honorariums which would usually (not always) be a plain church check to the speaker as opposed to a “pay-check” with reported earnings. Now when an average person earns a bonus at work Uncle Sam gets about 50% (also the same percentage lost by someone who is self-employed), but not so for these lucky individuals. Thus, that is in fact one of the greatest benefits of membership. (There is another name for this type of activity but I will refrain)
And as far as accountability, let’s remember that it is a two-way street. You are only as accountable as you submit yourself to be, thus most are not truly that open and accountable. (Boy, I could tell you some stories here as MFI will usually only interfere into member churches problems upon invitation so imagine the church problems that are allowed to persist under the appearance of “accountability”) So again, the membership fees are but a small price to pay to have it appear to visitors and others that you are associated with a larger organization. It provides legitimacy.
So in reality these membership fees are quite a good investment in this club.
You can bet if I ever decided to start a Business Church the first thing I am going do is become a member because as we know, membership has its privileges.
For the record I am a first time poster who recently found this blog. On a personal note as a former PBCer& CBCer it is amazingly cathartic to read about others who have struggled with the same questions, pressures, and challenges as I have. It truly was a long road through the pain, guilt, questioning my faith and my sanity, back to recovery for me but thanks to the grace of God and His great amazing love for us (which I have since found to be unconditional ie: independent of whether I tithe this week or not or whether or not I choose to follow the exact same path to holiness and maturity as the royal leadership team thus becoming a ‘mini-me’), I was able to overcome the years of abuse and programming suffered there.
Although I must admit, on bad days I do still fear the curse of Malachi, but I figure as long as I keep my property staked with prayer stakes anointed with oil from the most recent Renewal/Revival/Prayer/Prophetic/etc Conference, that will keep the evil away and the blessings flowing.
January 18th, 2005 at 4:57 pm
Did anybody else notice the Member of the Month section of the MFI website?
Catalyst, I think that is all that is keeping you from charging for this site. Start a member of the month section and we’ll all pay to be a part of it.
January 18th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
THANK YOU, Catalyst, for writing about this! Hilarious. MFI is a special kind of denomination without calling itself one. I mean, it doesn’t “move pastors around” to various churches like most denominations, but it still has its hierarchy (CBC is the mother-ship, naturally), requirement to hold the same “pillars of doctrine” and “community standards,” etc. Of course all the leaders are “like-minded!” They all buy the same books written by CBC/MFI leaders, published by their own publishing company, send their kids to the same camps, conferences & PBC, etc. If you’re not like-minded when you join, your $400/month fees certainly will ensure you get the programming required to think like the rest of them.
I LOVE the comments about the $400 membership fees buying the opportunity to make even more money through “honorariums.” That’s SO true.
Definitely, the $5k/year could feed the poor. It could also buy some very nice communion wine. Even THAT would be a better use than buying friends & status within that in-grown group who isn’t respected by anyone except others who are in it.
“fearthecurse,” we understand!!! I’m glad you got out & that God is restoring you!!!
Wow.
January 19th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
As the niece of a pastor, I would like to say a word in defense of pastors and the needing of support and friendship. My church growing up was small and out in the boonies. I personally watched my uncle go through times when he needed other pastors to encourage him and in turn he had times when he encouraged other pastors. Since not all churches have bunches of district pastors on staff, MFI can be an invaluable tool and resource for pastors who would otherwise be on their own tending to their flocks. I will say, though that charging for that is a bunch of baloney, and pastors should be supporting, encouraging and praying for each other for FREE.
January 19th, 2005 at 4:25 pm
I went to school with both of the guys responsible for this site, and I have to say, that WOW! … in ten years - nothing has changed. How’s Ms. Callahan doin’. Here’s a suggestion… stop simply bitchin’ about them, do something about it. I don’t agree with CBC’s nonsense either, but for Christ’s sake… do something about it other than piss and moan about them.
No one ended or prevented animal testing by protesting… the people that said, “the hell with it… we’ll have nothing to do with it!” they stopped buying the product… that has helped their cause.
The point is… you’re fueling a fire… you’re not helping or informing people. You’re chasing your tail… and giving attention to thier church. You’re no different than an anti-smoking commercial- your just another commercial advertising cigarettes - good or bad. To each his own… I guess.
January 19th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Anonymous,
So what is your suggestion? Besides voicing their concerns through an open forum like this, what should they do to help make a change?
January 19th, 2005 at 4:54 pm
Damn Priv8pete,
What did you do to piss of Anonymous?
He/she does have a point. Those “Truth” ads warning people about the dangers of smoking are lame. It’s such a waste of money. It’s obvious that they are just bitter toward the tobacco companies.
You both should stop bitching about the church and actually do something. Take a page out of the anti-abortionist page and go block the church doors. Or better yet, maybe something from the Muslim Holy War, I believe in Arabic they say “Jihad”.
Some people just don’t understand.
January 19th, 2005 at 8:56 pm
H Meacham?
January 20th, 2005 at 5:50 am
This is a blog where I express my feelings. That’s it! Nothing more. Please stop giving me more credit than I or anyone else deserves.