From all indications, there is urgency in passing the amendments to the Charities Act. Efforts to finalise the changes were placed on hold to facilitate the September 3 general election, but now that that is over, the Andrew Holness-led government hopes to have it tabled in the House in the first quarter of 2026.
Some church leaders hope that pressure from the Christian community will force the government to have churches exempted under the Act.
“It forces you into a must [register] and then the system may not necessarily be commodious to your registration, so you may end up not being registered, especially if the system of the world doesn’t like what you are doing. I will just put this out there that that is not a legal term, but it is a legal reality, and if they don’t like what you are doing, then you can get into trouble from there, and then your registration is denied. It means that churches may have to close their doors if they are not registered,” one pastor stated.
The pastors said they will be lobbying the government through the different umbrella church groups to ensure their religious freedom is protected.
Govt wants to monitor Tithes and Offering!
Planned efforts by the government to monitor and regulate the collection of tithes and offerings from the church through the passage of a proposed non-profit organisation Act will be a breach of Jamaica’s constitution.
According to attorney-at-law Helene Coley-Nicholson, Jamaica’s freedom of religion clause is one of the strongest globally. The constitution of Jamaica establishes the freedom of religion and outlaws religious discrimination. Churches have the right to practise their beliefs in worship, teaching and observance, whether individually or in community with others. The constitution states that parliament shall pass no law and no organ of the state shall take any action which abrogates, abridges or infringes those rights.
President of the Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM), Jenni Campbell, noted that tithes and offerings are a part of Christian worship and cannot be placed under a loose heading of ‘collecting and distributing funds’.