Media personality Ola Michael has ignited fresh debate on the role of tithing in churches, arguing that the funds are often misapplied when used to support members’ welfare or social events.

Speaking during a discussion on UTV’s United Showbiz on April 26, 2026, Ola Michael shared his views on the purpose of tithing and how it should be handled within churches.

According to him, tithing is an act rooted in trust, and therefore, churches are not expected to keep 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 said.

He further emphasized that tithes are not intended to serve as a welfare fund for church members or to support social obligations such as 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.

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Ola Michael explained that the primary purpose of tithes is to support 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 noted.

Touching on welfare support within churches, he noted that some well-structured churches operate separate systems to cater for 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 added that in such setups, 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,” he added.

Tithes are not meant to be used as a fund for occasions or for the welfare of members - Ola Michael#UnitedShowbiz pic.twitter.com/pqmkybo2M0

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) April 26, 2026