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| William Branham had unique views and teaching on proper church structure and governance. This article will examine whether his views were scriptural. | | William Branham had unique views and teaching on proper church structure and governance. This article will examine whether his views were scriptural. |
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| | ::''Related articles'': '''[[Are Christians required to tithe?]]''' and '''[[Financial accountability in the messagee|Financial accountability]]''' |
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| =What did William Branham teach about church governance?= | | =What did William Branham teach about church governance?= |
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| The biblical evidence of the existence of a plurality of elders is undeniable.<ref>Daniel Akin et al., Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004), 271–284.</ref> | | The biblical evidence of the existence of a plurality of elders is undeniable.<ref>Daniel Akin et al., Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004), 271–284.</ref> |
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| =False teaching on tithing going to the pastor=
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| William Branham stated:
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| :''But a tenth of that went—a tenth of the tithings—all the tithings went to their priests, their pastors. Yes, tithings are to go for nothing else.<ref>William Branham, 61-1015M - Questions And Answers, para. 176</ref>
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| The tithe funded the Levites (Num. 18:20–32). The Levites were scattered all over the country and were not just in Jerusalem at the temple. The Levites also included everyone in the tribe of Levi that worked in the temple - the priest, the song leaders and musicians, even the doormen and the janitors. In Num 18:21–32 it is laid down that the tithe must be paid to the Levites, not just to the priests:
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| :''And the LORD said to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.<ref>Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Nu 18:20–21.</ref>
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| According to Numbers 18:26-28, the Levites paid ten percent of the tithe to the priests (who were also part of the tribe of Levi). Therefore, if the pastor is the New Testament equivalent of the Levitical priest, they should receive only got a small portion of the total tithe (ten percent of the tithe).
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| For a detailed discussion on tithing, please see our article - [[Are Christians required to tithe?]]
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| =Quotes of William Branham= | | =Quotes of William Branham= |