Abstract
This contribution addresses financial giving and offering in the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (CCCS). More specifically, there is a general concern regarding excessive giving of financial resources to various church donations and church-related programs. This concern is generally voiced by the New Zealand-born cohort within the church and voices outside the Samoan church. Contrary to these voices is the inherent belief of the faithful parishioners that these contributions are a sacrifice to God, through the church. From this understanding, I delve deeper into the Samoan epistemological understanding of sacrificial offering, or taulaga, underpinning an articulation of traditional discipleship within spiritual and socio-cultural spaces.
Furthermore, by critically evaluating the transplanting of the CCCS in New Zealand, my contention is that the re-translating of taulaga in a contemporary, foreign context has provided new challenges for the diaspora church. I engage the concept of taulaga with discussions about the theology of stewardship. How can the parishioners of the CCCS preserve the inherent belief that taulaga is a sacrificial offering to God and serve as faithful stewards in their communities?
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Notes
- 1.
Atina’e is an offering that is dedicated to the operational costs of the ministry.
- 2.
A sacrificial offering collected in the first week of September commemorating the acceptance of the Christian gospel.
- 3.
faife’au is the Samoan term given to a church minister. Fai means to do or to make and feau means chores or work, therefore Faife’au means “to do work.”
- 4.
2017 Income Tax Amendment No. 11 Samoa Ministry for Revenue (https://www.revenue.gov.ws/images/2015/Legislations/Amendments_Principal_Legislation/Income-TaxAmendment-Act-2017-No.11.pdf)
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Pouono, T. (2021). Taulaga in the Samoan Church: Is It Wise Giving?. In: Havea, J. (eds) Theologies from the Pacific. Postcolonialism and Religions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74365-9_12
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