Distinct Duties in Church Traditions

In the world of church traditions, clear distinctions have always been drawn between the duties of those who have devoted their lives to service and those of ordinary parishioners. The foundation of this principle is the requirement of self-denial, which applies only to the clergy and monks—groups for whom special norms mandate the renunciation of worldly goods. Meanwhile, an ordinary believer is never obligated to sell all of his property or donate funds as an expression of his faith.

It is important to note that the strictest rules regarding the management of church property apply only to leaders and ministers operating within church institutions, where even the need to alienate assets is acceptable only in exceptional circumstances confirmed by a synodal decision. These prescriptions emphasize the difference between the everyday life of a believer and the life of a religious person—a principle that remains relevant today in understanding the distribution of responsibilities and expressions of faith.

Should a believer sell all of his property and donate money to the church as an expression of his faith?

The presented materials do not establish a general requirement for an ordinary believer to sell all of his property and donate money to the church as an expression of faith. The cited quotations show that such norms pertain primarily to church institutions, ministers, and monks, for whom special mandates of renunciation from worldly goods exist. For example, one of the sources states:

"Renunciation for all altar servers from the honors and occupations of this world, and for monks, regardless of their ecclesiastical rank, from any excess property, even money. The remaining money and property after the monks should be the property of the monasteries—not of flesh-and-blood relatives." (source: link )

This formulation indicates that the requirements of strict property renunciation applied to church ministers and monks, not to all believers in general.

Furthermore, other sources discuss the rules for managing church property, emphasizing, for instance, that bishops do not have the right to alienate church property except in cases of extreme necessity. One text states:

"Speaking of a bishop, the rule reminds us that he should not alienate church property except in the case of extreme necessity... And if extreme necessity forces him to act in this way for an urgent church need, then in such a case he must thoroughly justify it to the synod..." (source: link )

These provisions relate to the management and disposal of property within the church hierarchy, not to the obligations of individual believers regarding their personal assets.

Thus, according to the cited materials, an ordinary believer is not obliged to sell all of his property or donate money to the church as an expression of faith. The norms described in the sources apply only to specific church ministers and only under conditions of extreme necessity.