I have long struggled with the common Christian practice of having huge paid church "staffs" that cover everything from daycare to Senior Pastor, from janitor to secretary to Youth Pastor. I come from a spiritual heritage where large church staffs are uncommon. In college I struggled with the concept of even paying the secretary, when that money could be going to something more "productive" in the kingdom. (I later found out that the elders used that as a means of helping that woman and her family who had some financial needs.)
Now, I know that Paul, over and over again, emphasizes that those who dedicate their lives to the work of the gospel of Christ should be rewarded (honored) financially, at least be given the necessities of life (see I Cor. 9.11-14; 1 Tim. 5.17-18). I can't deny that God made provision for the priests of the Old Covenant, who were to dedicate their lives to ministering, sacrificing, singing, composing music, guarding the temple, etc. And it is just; those who work to spread and build the kingdom of God truly are worthy of our honor (with money).
Interestingly, Paul didn't use his "right", at least not fully. We know that he did work, at least at times, as a tent maker. And right after proclaiming his right to be compensated for his work in the kingdom with the Corinthians, he states (in 1 Cor. 9.11,17-19):
11We have planted good spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing? 12If you support others who preach to you, shouldn't we have an even greater right to be supported? Yet we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than put an obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ.17If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. 18What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher. 19This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. (NLT, emphasis mine)
Paul here was acknowledging that those who are paid for their service in the kingdom are at a disadvantage in two related ways. First (as was the case in Corinth), people can accuse you of preaching just to get rich. This is a huge criticism against many of the televangelists of years past (perhaps still today). Paul was pointing out that he never took money from the Corinthians in his efforts at teaching and preaching, in contrast to the false apostles who apparently took whatever money they could.
The second issue is noted in verse 19 above; there is a great temptation to tailor your message (and methods) to the ones paying your salary (2 Tim. 4.3 warns of this occurring. "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.") Not that in this case the problem arises from the preachers/paid staff; rather, the "employers" start making demands on the staff, and they have to either give up their job, insurance, and family security, or they can tell the people what they want to hear.
I have seen this problem in person several times. For example, there is one congregation (who no longer has elder leadership) that employs just one young preacher. I have seen several glimpses that this preacher has come to a deeper, fuller understanding of the gospel. Yet, as far as I know, he doesn't bring this out to the congregation or challenge the congregation. Why? I don't know. But I do know that he has pretty much only done preaching his whole young life, and that he has a mortgage and a wife and two kids he is supporting. I also know that if he were to share many of his new insights, it would likely cause considerable controversy in his small congregation.
I definitely see the benefits of paid, full time ministers of the Word. I also see the just mandate to support them. I guess I have just been pondering the drawbacks, because those seem so prominent in my spiritual journey right now. How can kingdom-centered, post-modern churches be organically birthed from large, modern churches, if the main leadership doesn't see the need for a new approach, and the only one that does is a full-time paid staff member that must think about his livelihood? If post-modern leadership must wait for a time when they can be fully supported before they even start the work, will it ever see fruition in such an environment?
One challenge traditional modern churches have faced is getting dedicated "lay" leaders to step up and commit the time and energy on a long term basis needed to effectively lead. It is draining, and hard. But I think that if asked, there are lots of people who see the need and the responsibility to participate in that. I have been a full time physician and one of two leaders in a house church now for 3 1/2 years. It was hard, but rewarding, too. I learned a lot. I am still willing to do that where ever my journey ends. I just hope that where I end up, there is a desire and implementation of having active non-paid leadership. Such leadership may be unpolished, but it has the potential to be "above reproach."
No comments:
Post a Comment