Accra: Media personality Ola Michael has sparked a renewed discussion on the role of tithing in churches, arguing that funds are often misapplied when used to support members' welfare or social events. Speaking during a segment on UTV's United Showbiz on April 26, 2026, Michael outlined his views on the intended purpose of tithing and how it should be managed within religious institutions.
According to Ghana Web, Ola Michael asserted that tithing is fundamentally an act of trust, which implies that churches should not maintain detailed records of contributions. "Tithing is something that is trusting, so we don't keep records. When you keep records, you're moving them from the original purpose to a new purpose, which is wrong," he remarked.
Michael further clarified that tithes should not be allocated as a welfare fund for church members or used to support social obligations like funerals. "Tithes are not meant to be used as a fund for occasions or for the welfare of members. We don't use it to support funerals. I don't know where that thing is from. We don't pay tithe because you want the church to help you with funds when you have a funeral," he stated.
He explained that the primary purpose of tithes is to facilitate the growth and operations of the church, including expansion projects and evangelism. "We use the tithe to take care of the church and expand it. We also use it for evangelism. Some churches would use the tithe to build churches so that their members wouldn't have to travel far to attend church," he added.
Addressing welfare support within churches, Michael noted that some well-structured churches operate separate systems to assist members in need. "Since the tithe is not for welfare purposes, some churches take money for welfare. In some churches, they don't do their welfare in general. They put them into groups or associations. Men would have their group, women and the youth also have theirs," he explained.
He further elaborated that support is provided at the group level when members face challenges. "So in case there's an issue with someone in the youth group, they would use the money in that group to support. You would only see this in well-structured churches," Michael concluded.