Per a comment from good friend Adam Walker on the last post, I got to thinking about a couple things. Then a good friend from Korea asked me a question about his tithe (I don’t think he read the last post) and some of my counsel to him has prompted me to clarify some issues.
I will have to stick with the position that the scripture does not support paid staff positions in the Body of Christ. Now, that does not mean that those positions are unbiblical, but to assume that they are necessary or even positive seems dangerous to me for a couple different reasons.
First of all, I do believe that paid positions do not facilitate growth in the Body of Christ. I know many people who have paid positions as ministers in their respective fellowships, and I have a great amount of respect for them. But I also know their struggles to get people involved and to step up to a mature position in their fellowship. Of course, they don’t generally appreciate my suggestions, but what they’re doing doesn’t seem to be working a whole heck of a lot either. Paid positions, in my experience, tend to put a line of demarcation between “full-time” ministers and “lay” people, and does not encourage the whole of the Body to be the expression of Christ they were meant to be.
The Bible seems to have the standard that we all are “full-time” ministers in the Church. All are pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists or prophets. Not some … but all. Now, I do believe that some are given more responsibility in certain areas, and I’ll come to that later.
Which leads me to the second reason. Not only does it fail to facilitate real growth in the lives of the majority of Christians (which is the heart of most paid ministers I know and respect), it gives more credence to the priest class idea that I’ve mentioned before. It assumes that some people are not held to the same standard, and that leads to pride which leads to a fall. If it doesn’t lead to pride, then general frustration and “burn out” are common.
Paid ministers don’t generally feel a part of the Body. They feel very outside of it, in fact, like a hired hand who will one day move on when a better position opens up. Therefore, because the congregation PAYS them, they expect more work and ministry from them.
So, to be brief, my two main reasons against paid positions are these: they generally retard the growth of those being ministered to and it leads to either pride or discouragement among those attempting to do the ministry.
Now, here is the ideal, which needs to be stated. The Bible is clear that those who minister in the Word should recieve a material blessing. This goes hand in hand with the sowing and reaping idea I previously discussed. If someone sows ministry into your life, then they will reap a reward. A portion of that reward should come in a material gift.
If we put this together with the biblical idea that one of the main avenues of giving is to the poor or needy among us, why would we need paid positions? If the mentality is that everyone is to be taken care of, regardless, why the need to designate some as “priests” among us? We are all priests and kings.
I also believe that most ministers would greatly benefit from working a forty hour week job. I believe that those they minister to would also greatly benefit from it. It puts life in its proper perspective and puts the leader in the position where he must teach the Body how to minister to itself, and since he CAN’T do it all because he’s got a job, too, necessity is the mother of invention … people find a way to be a part of something and the Body ends up ministering to itself and other leaders naturally rise to the forefront and it stirs up the gift that is within people.
This is not just idealism talking here. I’ve done it. I took over a “full-time” ministry in Korea called the Hospitality House. But I was also still teaching five days a week. Now, some might consider that not a “full-time” position, but believe me, it was.
Becca cooked dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. On Wednesday night, I led a Bible study. On Friday night after dinner we just hung out or watched a video or something. On Saturday night there was a time of singing and teaching after eating together. We also attended the chapel service on Sunday evening on base and then we all ate together at the food court after service.
Becca and I also took care of all the administrative duties of the ministry. We collected the offereings and decided where the money would go and we paid the bills and cleaned the facility.
All this while having Micah and I worked forty hours a week.
How did we do it? you might ask. Well, we didn’t do it. We made it clear that others would have to step up and contribute if there would be a fellowship there at that ministry. And people did. People cooked and led worship and taught Bible studies and cleaned the House and took money to the bank and did dishes and put up tables and set up chairs and a host of other things that we didn’t have the time to do.
And at the end of the weekend, I did not feel exhausted because I had worked my butt off. I felt completely at peace and encouraged because I just witnessed the Body ministering and discipling itself for a whole weekend. But they all still saw me as their leader. Many even called me their “pastor.” Like I said, I still have people emailing me and asking me counsel on serious issues in their life. They knew it was my responsibility, but they also felt a great deal of ownership in the ministry and, more importantly, each other. I was not a burden to them, and they were not a burden to me. We were free to bless one another. What a wonderful experience.
Periodically, a new person would come around, start to get involved and then balk at the amount of stuff we asked of others, or stuff that we just would not do. I would let things die before I allowed myself or my wife to suffer burnout. Burnout is an ugly thing. So after their balking, someone would tell them, “oh, she just had a baby and he works forty hours a week.” Then they would understand and begin to pitch in a little as well.
Its amazing how much gets done when everyone pitches in just a little.
When we left at the beginning of July, there was no one to replace us. We were not told this was the case until late May (after being assured for months that someone would be there). We were told we would have to hand it over to some type of “leadership team” that would take over in the interim.
No problem. We already had one, quite unofficiallly, and it took us a couple weeks to make it official. It was pretty seamless and the ministry still went on. In fact, they still do not have an official director for the ministry, and attendance is just as high or higher than it ever was while we ran it. Its going strong. So strong, in fact, that when the new directors get there, they can just take on what they can when they can and ease into what God has called them to do and be at peace about the rest.
The Body is meant to minister to itself at the direction of their spiritual Head. True leadership facilitates this and works itself out of a job in order to ensure it. I kept saying that in Korea and then I actually had to put my spiritual money where my big mouth was. But I relished in it because I have faith that God can lead through His Spirit and doesn’t need a one man show, “full-time” paid minister to do it. And God has shown Himself faithful, as I knew He would.
At this point, Micah needs me to change his diaper and provide for his every need. But one day he will wipe his own butt and get a job and leave my house and live on his own. I need to teach him with that end in mind to be a good father. I will always be his father and I will always be able to give him wisdom, but one day he will be his own father and the leader of his own family and I cannot do that for him. But I can teach him with that goal in mind.
What motivation does a “full-time” paid minister have to work himself out of a job? If his congregation didn’t need him anymore, he would lose his income and health insurance and a host of other trappings of wordly security.
Jesus and Paul both worked themselves out of a job, in a sense, knowing that it was better for those they led to be led by something else, the Holy Spirit Himself.
So, to sum up, I believe in giving money or other material things to those who minister Truth to you. It is a principle, not an obligation. It has been my experience that if you give money to those who have blessed you in Word, then God reveals even more of Himself to you. Its called sowing and reaping. But we are called to take care of one another, regardless of positions. If we all give our fishes and loaves, no one will lack. The early Church experienced this. We just don’t have faith that God is faithful enough to do that.
Ironically, you would think that those mature enough to be considered “full-time” among us wouldn’t need worldly security of income and benefits from the Body. Jesus didn’t. Paul didn’t. I don’t read of anyone in the New Testament who did. Although they didn’t always work a job, they didn’t get a regular salary, either. They trusted the Father with all and taught those who believed to take care of one another in light of that faith.
So that’s the example that I choose to follow and that’s the example I will teach. I believe it is the best. And while paid positions are not unbiblical and I am in no way intending to dishonor those in paid “full-time” positions in the Body (many that I have met have a real heart for people), sometimes the good is the enemy of the best. I choose the best.
Peace.
Hey bro, I have many mixed emotions about your thoughts here. I totally agree with you about most of your principles (ironically), and I personally would love to work myself out of a job by thoroughly equipping the lay leadership to do ministry. I agree that (at times) having paid ministers creates a “clergy class” that can make people slackers, though those people tend to be lazy anyway. I also agree that paid ministers tend to feel as though they are not part of the church.
However, at the same time, I don’t agree that those called to vocational ministry would benefit from a “regular job”. I worked a 45 hour a week job and served on staff at a church and I can honestly say that my experience was far removed from yours. However, my experience was very similar to many others. I got burned out, tired out and angry with a church that wouldn’t support the ministry. I ended up working two full time jobs full time, it didn’t work. On top of that, even though I am a “full time” guy right now, I still have two other jobs to make ends meet, and I again have the same problem. There is no one in my church to hand anything off to, if I don’t do it, it does happen at all, and the Students get hurt in the process.
I think I expressed my feelings on this best the other day when talking to friend (who tends to agree with you). The church needs to be made up of people that step up to the plate and take on the role of minister in every facet of ministry. I want to see entire churches of mature believers, that live as vocational missionaries, discipling and teaching. However, even within a dedicated body like that, I still see a need for some people who devote themselves completely to that church body, in the way that many of the disciples did.
My goal for vocational ministry would be to be like Paul. To develop the body to the point of where it doesn’t need me, then move on to help another church.
I also believe that it is possible to do this in one place. Basically, as a church grows it becomes many sets of smaller people groups. Some of those groups will become developed enough to be self sufficient, and others will need attention. I can see pastors playing the role of developing one group at a time until that group is mature and able to care for itself and build back into the church to promote further growth.
This is a matter of opinion of course, I’m not saying that it’s Biblically mandated, but at the same time it is not unbiblical.
I tend to believe this because I feel that my life’s calling is to vocational ministry (in or out of the church). I have tried doing other things and working in ministry on the side, and that doesn’t work for me.
Lastly, I totally disagree that vocational ministers aren’t effective in growing a church (both in number and in spiritual depth). I can site tons of personal examples and statistics that point at the effectiveness of paid pastors and other ministers. If the bottom line is winning souls for Jesus and making disciples, the only men (except two) that I can point to that have done this consistently in their lives are all full time ministers. In short, if we are looking at fruit for the kingdom, I see a ton coming from the full time ministers that I know.
P.S. I love you brother and deeply respect your opinion. I also appreciate you and, as iron sharpens iron, pray that even when disagreeing we will sharpen and encourage one another. Also, we would like to get together with you guys soon.
I read the actual TICFITB #17, and don’t remember if I wrote on it, but saw this just now and thought of your post:
1 Cor. 9:3-10,
“My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? 8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.”
While currently working a 40+ hour a week job and starting a Church here in Santa Fe, I see how this could easily turn into a full time ministry, but more importantly I think of my missionary friend Amy. She won’t have the luxury of making a living where she’s going – should we not finance what God’s called her to do?