“For
the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘The
laborer is worthy of his wages.’” (rf. 1 Tim. 5:18–19 NASB)
“And
He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority
over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing
for their journey, except a
mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—but to wear sandals; and He
added, ‘Do not put on two tunics.’ And He said to them, ‘Wherever you
enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive
you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of
your feet for a testimony against them.’ They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were
casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and
healing them.” (rf.
Mk.
6:7–13 NASB)
“He
gave some as apostles, and some
as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body
of Christ…”
(Eph
4:11–12 NASB).
I was very
disturbed recently by an article that was forwarded to me regarding the growing
trend among both evangelical and mainline Protestant churches and denominations
toward bi-vocational, rather than full-time, pastorates. Do not get me wrong! I
do not have an aversion toward nor do I think myself above being a
bi-vocational minister! Indeed, for over the first half of my ministerial
career, I was in bi-vocational ministry, serving as pastor to churches too
small to afford a full-time minister while working full-time as a bookstore
manager in both college and Christian retail stores. So, I am well-versed in
the demands of being a bi-vocational minister. My hat is off to my fellow
servants in Christ who have two or more jobs to do to supply the needs of their
families!
I knew my
calling, in particular, was to eventually be in full-time ministry, wherein I
could totally focus my time and energy on the needs of the flock that God had
given me to serve. Toward that goal, I strived to get the education that was necessary
at the lowest possible financial cost to the family since I had a wife and five
children to consider. Had I gone the “normal” route of education, I would have
attended one of the larger seminaries, accruing a sizeable debt, and, if my
plans had come to fruition, would have exited with the desired Ph.D., ready to
seek the place of service that would accommodate both my family’s needs and the
ability to pay off the educational liability. The Lord, however, had other
plans for me and my family. I am happy to say that I was able to get my
education without any residual balance of educational costs to pay. We were
very blessed. Unfortunately, this is not the case for so many present and
future ministers today. Their prospects are dim, indeed, as this article
recounts.
No, my
disappointment is found in the fact that medium and large churches are choosing
to require their pastors to go into bi-vocational ministry. If this has been
done solely for financial reasons, then there is a shame and blight on the
Church as a whole, a direct reflection on the fact that we have assuredly lost
our way. A very large contingent of the flock of Christ has been so consumed
with being “relevant” to the surrounding culture that we have sold our soul “for
a mess of pottage”. We have followed hard after the latest fads to attract the
crowds, purchased the latest equipment to keep “current”, and polished the
presentation to make sure the “optics” are excellent and on par with those of
the best the culture has to offer. All the while, we have become
Biblically-illiterate, doctrinally-deficient, and totally self-absorbed and
preferential in what we blithely perceive to be known as “worship”. As a
result, those who come to our churches give little during the offering, know
little in terms of Scripture, and portray little in terms of holiness in their
personal lives.
If my
words appear harsh and a scathing indictment, it is not because I despise any
corner of Christ’s Bride, for I do not. Indeed, I love His Church with a great
passion and what I see is unachieved potential because of the selling of a birthright
for the sake of the acceptance of the world and its ways. The Church of Jesus
was NEVER meant to be popular with the culture (rf. Lk. 6:22-23; Jn.
15:18-20). When we do things that make us attractive to the
culture, we inevitably compromise the teachings of Scripture (rf. I
Jn. 2:15-17). And when we do not follow Scripture, curses, not
blessings, will come from Almighty God to get our attention. Guaranteed. Loss
of the financial ability to provide for the shepherds of His flock is surely
one of those in my opinion.
In the Old
Testament, when the Levites who served God in the Tabernacle or Temple were not
provided for by God’s people, this was due to the disobedience of the people to
God’s commands in the Law. By the same token, God has set up provision for His
servants through His Church, that all of their needs be met by His people so
that their primary focus should be their calling to serve God and His people
(see the above Scripture passages). When the servants of God are lacking, God’s
people are sinning by not giving as they are supposed to give to His Church
(i.e. tithing, a Biblical truth not taught in many churches today). Their
priorities are out of sync with God’s Word. Only when repentance takes place
will the situation be corrected and His blessings be restored, both financial
and spiritual.
If the
Church is failing in the area of finances toward her ministers, it is but one
of many areas that needs addressing and correction. May the Lord of Hosts grant
us the grace necessary to see clearly our errors as His people, provide the
Spirit of repentance required to turn from our self-centered and self-focused
ways, and the boldness to make the changes in our lives to begin putting Him
first once more in our giving, our lives and our testimonies before the world,
understanding that this will mean a sure disconnect from the culture around us
and the resulting rejection by many of us and the Savior we serve. But, as
Jesus rightly stated, that comes with the package, if we are truly His
disciples.
