1 Corinthians 9:13-15: “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things.”
A Scenario
Stan owns a small handyman business and uses every opportunity to share the Gospel with those he meets. One week he built a deck and did a good job “as unto the Lord”. He left an invoice but received no money. He called to ask about payment and was told “there were some other bills that came up,” and he’ll have to wait. He does, but the check never comes. After a couple of follow-ups, he realizes it never will. Stan knows his rights, but his first love is Jesus Christ. He’s more concerned about his testimony for Christ and the soul of his customer than his own rights. So, he doesn’t demand payment or threaten the customer with a lawsuit, but leaves it in the hands of the Lord, praying “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done!” Stan knows his rights but chooses not to use them.
A small congregation ordains Daniel as pastor and charges him to care for the flock. It’s a demanding calling to “feed” them spiritual food, watch and warn of danger, notice and comfort the sick, warn the unruly, seek the wayward, and perform many other often unnoticed tasks. Daniel, husband and father of four, is already a busy owner of a small concrete company; but Daniel loves his congregation and is honored to be called to serve Christ in this way. They are not a large congregation, and the work is manageable if he is diligent. Daniel is diligent, as the very “love of Christ constrains him!”
Over the next eight years the congregation grows from around forty-five to well over one hundred. Daniel now has James as a co-pastor and Robert as a deacon to help out. Both men are committed fellow laborers, and together they lovingly serve and teach. The congregation designates one offering a month for the ministry team. The larger congregation demands more of Daniel’s time. Being lead pastor means more meetings, more people with personal needs, more input needed, more… “everything” … and even with James’ and Robert’s capable help he often finds himself stretched pretty thin.
Other areas have changed as well. His concrete company has added two employees to keep up with demand. However, he hadn’t realized the responsibility he would feel to ensure enough work to keep them busy enough to pay them well. Days off have become harder to take. Additionally, he and Mary now have five children, and with teenagers, difficult issues and questions can sometimes lead to late night discussions that rob them of sleep. Daniel can hardly believe they have teenagers already and sometimes wonders where the time goes. He hates to hurry through supper after work to then attend a meeting while his wife and children stay home. He can hear playful shouts while he’s in the office studying for tomorrow’s message. He realizes another week is already gone…the oldest turns 16 next Tuesday… “How can I slow down?” Daniel loves his congregation deeply and does not doubt his role. Still, at times he can identify with the Apostle Paul, who said, “beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28).
1 Corinthians 9 caught Daniel’s eye a couple of months ago and gripped him with longing. He reread verses 13-14, “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”
“What does ‘hath the Lord ordained’ mean?” Daniel pondered. He opened his Strong’s Concordance and found that “ordained” is also translated “to arrange”, “appoint”, “prescribe”, and “give order”. “So,” Daniel thought, “isn’t it true that God actually ‘arranged, appointed, prescribed, and gave order’ that we who minister the spiritual Word to our congregations should have our physical needs met by those in the congregation?”
Daniel didn’t want more money; he desired flexibility. He dreamed of dedicating all the time and effort his work required and pouring it into the congregation instead. He thought of taking a day to ride with Brother Sam to get a glimpse into a trucker’s life and express his appreciation for Sam’s work ethic and testimony among the other truckers. He admired Sam, and since Sam’s children were a few years ahead of his own, he would have a wonderful chance to gain wisdom from an older brother’s experiences to apply in his own life. They would both be blessed!
He dreamed of taking the boys out to Brother Dave’s place when he’s baling hay and giving them the chance to put in a good hard day’s work on the farm. That would be a blessing to Dave and his boys! Or going to the assisted living facility and sitting for the afternoon with dear old brother Levi and listening to his stories of ministering in Northern Canada. He was sure everyone would enjoy those days very much! Or maybe he could care for the boys while Mary would go help Sister Cynthia do spring cleaning and show her she is loved and valued! After all, wasn’t Mary part of this calling? Cynthia’s move here from her community was hard, and she seems more tired (maybe distant?) since their first baby. She’s likely missing her mother’s help and Mary could greatly encourage her!
Daniel dreamed of how often, very often, he could be in his office studying. He could take the time to drink deeply from the Word and allow time for the Holy Spirit to have His full work in Daniel’s heart before sharing with his beloved flock what God had spoken afresh to him that week.
Daniel’s heart raced as he thought of all the potential…but no, Daniel caught himself. He knew that his people and his culture were not comfortable with a minister being fully supported by the church. They believed that a partially supported ministry was more ideal and “safer”. They observed many unscrupulous “pastors” whose salary amount depended on their congregation size. These pastors made people feel good and gave in to the temptation to be “people pleasers” rather than faithfully teaching the Word which resulted in both the pastor and congregation losing their way (Daniel had seen it too). This reason (among others) had become so ingrained that his culture saw a full-time pastor as no more than a hired hand and unlikely to fear God more than he feared losing his support. Daniel had once held this very view, but this Scripture clearly showed it was not Paul’s position or what God had “ordained.”
What should he do? He wanted to be faithful in preaching the “whole counsel of God,” but it would be very awkward to stand in front of the congregation he so loved and ask that they consider supporting him so he could quit his concrete job. Daniel read again and saw that Paul also said, “But I have used none of these things” (v. 15) and “necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (v. 16)! He had his answer. Paul knew his rights, but he chose not to use them.
Daniel would follow Paul’s example and not “use” or demand his “right” to be fully supported, even though he saw the potential benefits for the congregation if they were to choose to do so. He would leave it in the hands of the Lord, praying “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done!” Maybe another brother would read and see that God had “ordained” that they should be giving their faithful pastor enough support to give him the freedom to fulfill his calling to the true best of his ability. Maybe…
Daniel knows his rights; he sees what God has “ordained,” but his first love is Jesus Christ. Daniel is an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he says with Paul “necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” He’s called to minister, and he will do so faithfully and lovingly as long as God gives him the grace to do so. Daniel knows his rights but chooses not to use them.
An Appeal
Men and Brethren, what shall we do? Are there unordained brothers out there who will take the time to seriously consider this issue? Frankly, I believe we Anabaptists have been unbiblical on this issue. I also believe it has cost our congregations, our pastors, and their families much potential blessing. God has given instructions on this issue. He has “ordained” that it be so! While I realize there are reasons for objections, I believe we too easily dismiss these instructions.
I’m reminded of a past conversation (not in my congregation) where this issue arose. I suggested that we Anabaptists should reevaluate our understanding of this topic, and that I personally felt that if a congregation can provide full-time support for their lead pastor, it would be both biblical and beneficial. Immediately, another brother retorted “That’d never work!” followed (if I recall correctly) by mentioning “hirelings,” “being afraid to speak the truth because you’ll get fired,” etc. The conversation soon changed to another topic.
Pondering that conversation, I’ve wondered that if I spoke to an Evangelical friend and told him that based on the Scriptures I believe that God would have us literally love our enemies, turn the other cheek when wronged, not go to war or court against our fellow man, and never swear an oath, his response might very well be “That’d never work!” If so, I would ask him to reexamine the Scriptures and see if his understanding has been skewed by the worldview he’s been given and the way he’s been taught to interpret Jesus’ teachings. I would not want to assume he knows better and doesn’t care about the truth. I’d want to invite him to reexamine his conclusions. I could also tell him, “It does work!” I’ve seen these teachings put into practice. It can and does work to live this way in the real world. We must trust the way of the Master even when we fear it may not “work.”
I invite you to do the same. I realize there are many nuances to the hundreds of Anabaptist congregations, and no one-size-fits-all application works perfectly. Each congregation must decide what God would have them do. We must be careful lest we be guilty of “by our tradition making void the commandment of God” (Mark 7:13). My invitation to you is to search the Scripture with fresh eyes and make sure we understand correctly what “the Lord hath ordained.”
I Am Not Advocating:
- One Pastor instead of a leadership team. Scripture supports plural ministry.
- Use of Pulpit Committee (search committee). We do not “hire”, we call from within. We must then give those ordained the freedom and ability to fill the role to the very best of their potential. Think—“If I didn’t have to support myself and my family through working a full-time job, then I would be able to fully give myself to the ministry of the word.”
Potential Obstacles:
- Tradition. I deeply appreciate tradition and am quite unlikely to change anything just for the sake of change. I also believe deeply that we must seek to understand why it has been as it is before we change. My intent is to ask us to evaluate our situation and prayerfully ask, “Is this Biblical, and is it best?” and then carefully proceed as the Word and the Spirit lead.
- Profit. Honestly, many ministers would have to take a pay cut to make this happen. Many ordained men are very successful businessmen. Asking a pastor to give his full energy to the congregation may also be asking him to take a significant pay cut and possibly even a reduction in standard of living. These are real issues and affect real people.
- Unreasonable Expectations. This could possibly be a pastor’s greatest fear when considering full-time support. Realistic expectations must be held and communicated by both the congregation and the pastor. He is to give his best to fulfill the calling he’s been given. They will want him to be diligent in his role, but they’ll also make clear that he can lay aside daily responsibilities sometimes and have an outing or recreation with the family. Everything must be done in love.
Conclusion
Read these Scriptures: Deuteronomy 25:4, Matthew 10:10, Luke 10:7, 1 Corinthians 9, and 1 Timothy 5:17-22 with their surrounding context. Speak with your pastor. He is very unlikely to bring this up and ask his congregation to put it into practice for his sake. Does he wrestle with some of the same conflicts as Daniel does? Does he feel stressed, overburdened, or that no one understands? Are there ministry opportunities he dreams of having the time and flexibility to do? Maybe he can give insights you’ve never thought of. There are many ways beyond just finances in which we can support our pastors. Ask!
And may our prayer ever be:
Build Your Church, Lord
Make Us Strong, Lord
Join Our Hearts, Lord, Through Your Son
Make Us One, Lord
In Your Body
In The Kingdom Of Your Son