Gordon-John Manché refuses to disclose amounts followers pay in donations

Evangelical pastor Gordon-John Manché has avoided answering questions on how much money followers of his Nations for Christ church pay him in donations, saying the amounts were “irrelevant”.

Manché was one of the guests on Radju Malta’s Għandi Xi Ngħid on Saturday, presented by University of Malta academic Andrew Azzopardi.

Manché, whose organisation’s revenue is partially supported by tithes - donations of 10% of one’s salary, in accordance with an ancient biblical belief - insisted that all payments to his organisation were subjected to a public audit.

Nations for Christ, which includes the evangelical fellowship River of Love, has been criticised in the past for failing to submit its accounts to the Commissioner for NGOs, while Manché has courted controversy for alleged “gay conversion” claims.

Asked by Azzopardi how he made a living, Manché said he received a stipend which was similar to an average salary. But he would not supply a figure for the donations he is given, but said the information was available through audits submitted to the Voluntary Organisation Commission.

“I have a stipend like priests have. Hello? Isn’t it obvious? How do priests live?” the pastor said.

“How much is your stipend?,” Azzopardi queried.

“It’s irrelevant. You can check with the audits office […] It’s a normal pay.”

Manché acknowledged that members with higher incomes - such as those owning a business - were expected to donate higher amounts. “The scripture says that those who have a lot are expected to give more.”

He however also said that he didn’t “keep tabs on who donates and who doesn’t”, and that no money ever went to him directly, but was kept in a fund pool.

He also appeared to confirm that, while he was only a “preacher” and didn’t seek to control people’s minds, he did influence his followers when it came to major decisions in their lives, such as deciding on whom to marry.

When Azzopardi asked why anyone would need to consult him before getting married, Manché said that this was necessary if the marriage took place within his church. “Because Christ said marriage happens in the context of the Church. You can choose not to get married in the Church if you don’t want to… there’s civil marriage. These things are common sense.”