One of the big pitfalls in pastoral ministry is the lure of pastoral power. We want people to respect our position of authority, listen to our ideas, and follow our instructions. While there is a certain amount of authority inherent within the pastoral position, it is, like any other form of power, easy to abuse, and while pastors are spiritual leaders, this does not make us immune to the lust for power, but to the contrary, often seems to amplify it. After all, we’re doing “the Lord’s work.”

Furthermore, just as history is written by the victors, it is also true that the rules are created by those in power. Pastors are no exception. We are experts in using Scripture and theology to reinforce their power. We use our knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, our sense of spiritual calling, our ordination, the seminary degrees, leadership skills, and charismatic personalities to convince people that they must follow and obey.

If you have been around church for any length of time, you know how damaging and destructive this can be, not only on the congregations, but also in the pastor’s life and family.

One way to begin to free ourselves from the bondage of power that we put on others and put upon ourselves is to unravel the theology and Scripture texts which have been used to support our claim to power and authority. There are dozens of these, but in the next couple of posts, I will look at some of the more prominent.
[Read more…]

Would you rather be given $1 million, OR start off with a penny, and every day for thirty days, have twice as much given to you each day? So on day 1, you get a penny. On day two, two pennies. On day three, four pennies. Which would you choose?

I hope you choose the second option, becaues it would give you $1.07 million. This is the power of exponential growth.

And lots of people say that this is how we should focus on church growth. Rather than focus on church addition, we should focus on church exponential multiplication.

In other words, most churches try to add a few people per year. Let’s say they start with 100, and want to add 5. The next year, they want to add another 5. And the year after that, 5 again. At the end of 3 years, they (hopefully) are now at 115 people. This is growth by addition.

Growth by exponential multiplication is starting with 100, and then multiplying by 2. And the next year, multiply by 2 again. And the year after that, mutiply by 2 again. At the end of three years, that congregation of 100 has grown from 100 to 800.

It is a different way of looking at things, which leads to a different set of questions, which provide different directions, values, and systems for a church that wants to grow by multiplication rather than addition. And according to some, this way of church growth seems to be defended by Scripture.
[Read more…]

In the last few days I have written several posts about pastoral pay.

• Do not Muzzle the Ox
• Is it more blessed to give than to receive? Says who?
• Pastoral Pay and the Levitical Priesthood
• Pastoral Pay

I want to say in closing that I am not actually opposed to pastors getting paid. I know it sounds like it. What I AM opposed to is pastors using Scripture to defend their salary.

I don’t necessarily think Scripture prohibits the practice, nor do I think it is sinful to pay a pastor. However, I think that a church should carefully consider the pros and cons of paying a pastor. Questions that MUST be asked include:

1. If we pay a person X amount of money, will the cost be worth the benefit? Brainstorm about what else could be done in the community or around the world with that same amount of money. Would such ideas be a better use of money than paying a pastor?
2. If we pay a pastor to lead the church, will this cause the people in the church to think that we are paying him/her to do the work of the ministry?
3. If we pay the pastor, what are we telling the congregation about their ministry in the church, for which they do not get paid?

I would make one other recommendation to help clarify some of these issues in the minds of the congregation. If you are going to pay someone to teach the Bible, organize the church for ministry, provide counseling services, be a CEO of the church, and be a visionary leader for the church, then don’t call them “Pastor.” Call him a “Permanent Church Consultant,” a “Church Manager,” a “Spiritual Lifecoach,” the “Professional Church Administrator” or something else. Such a move will help remove the false and damaging clergy-laity division that creates so much inertia in the church.

[Read more…]

If there is any text in Scripture which provides guidance on paying pastors and elders, it is 1 Timothy 5:17-18. Paul says that elders who preach and teach are worthy of a double honor, and that a worker is worthy of his wages.

So get out the checkbook.

Hold on. Not so fast.

Though some have disputed the idea that “double honor” refers to payment, the context indicates otherwise. First, Paul is talking about wages in the immediate context, and furthermore, in 1 Timothy 5:3, Paul writes that widows deserve to be “honored” which in that context, means that their daily needs are to be met by the church.

Curiously, though pastors assert that they are to be honored by getting paid, I have never heard of a church that honors widows in a similar fashion…

Nevertheless, even though honoring the widows refers to taking care of their daily and physical needs, this does not necessarily mean that a pastor or elder receiving a double honor means that he should get a salary.

First Timothy 5:17-18 says much less than we think.

Who is the Worker Worthy of his Wages?

The way this verse is most often used, one would think that the worker is anyone who works in “full time pastoral ministry.” Sadly, no such thing exists in the New Testament. There was no such thing as the clergy-laity division that exists today. In the church, every person is a full-time minister, every member a priest.

God also expects every follower of Jesus to have a ministry. To accomplish this ministry, he gives to each person a set of skills, gifts, and abilities. Those who are often called “pastors” generally have skills and abilities in areas of administration, leadership, encouragement, caring, and teaching.

So in the church today, why do we pay one type of minister, but not another? Is there any reason other than that these ministers who are getting paid say that they must get paid for what they do? Why is it we pay the “ministers” who have these gifts, but not the “ministers” with other gifts?

This verse does not justify such a distinction, except in one area, and one area only. In the context of Paul’s words, the one who deserves wages is the one who devotes himself to the Word and doctrine. It seems that if we are going to use Scripture to defend our practice of paying pastors, then only pastors who devote time to studying and teaching Scripture and theology should receive any kind of payment.

How Much Payment?

But what kind of payment, and how much? Well again, some have argued that if “honor” in 1 Timothy 5:3 means paying widows enough to live on, “double honor” in 5:17 means paying pastors twice as much. If a church decides to pay a pastor who devotes time to study and teaching, I do believe they should pay him well. Numerous questions must be asked to determine this for your own gathering.

For example, how often does he teach? How long does it take him to prepare? What is his educational background? How many years of experience does he have? What is the comparable pay for people in the church who have similar years of education and experience? How much is his teaching worth to you? These, and other similar questions, might help you determine what your gathering could pay a pastor.

However, it does not appear that the passage supports this practice of pastoral salaries. In First Timothy, Paul is writing to Timothy, one of the elders in the church of Ephesus. He has already instructed them to provide for their needs with the work of their own hands (Acts 20:33-35). If they were following his instructions, they would not need the same “honor” that was being given to the widows.

How to Receive Double Honor?

They were, however, allowed to receive the “double honor” which is not an additional salary, but gifts—probably of food or money—from individuals in the congregation who were appreciative for the study and teaching that the elder provided. Today, we might call this an “honorarium.” Paul seems to indicate that while giving the double honor is not required, if a particular elder devotes time on his nights and weekends (after he has worked his regular job) to study and preparing quality Bible teaching for those who gather, then if someone wants to give him a gift of appreciation, the elder has the right to accept it.

These gifts of appreciation are not to be expected or demanded (cf. 1 Pet 2:5-9). They are not to evolve into a full-time salary. They are simply gifts given to those who lead the church well, especially in the areas of the word and doctrine. How much should the gifts be? The text does not say. It is up to the individual, and what they want to give to the elder who has helped them understand Scripture in a greater way.

We are looking at several passages that are often used to defend the right of pastors to get paid. Frankly, I am not exactly against pastors getting paid. What I am against is the use of Scripture as a defense for the practice, especially when these passages are used to lay burdens of guilt on others if they don’t give more, tithe more, and “joyfully” sacrifice more.

We have looked previously at the Levitical Priesthood and the statement in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Today we are going to look at the statement in 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul quotes from Jewish law: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”

First Corinthians 9 is about Apostolic ministry

First Corinthians 9 contains Paul’s defense of his right as an apostle to receive money from the people he minister among, but his refusal to do so in spite of his rights. Paul compares that apostolic ministry to soldiers who go to war and workers who tend fields. They enjoy the fruits of their labors, argues Paul, and so also should an apostle.

Paul supports his case with a quotation from Deuteronomy 25:4 about not muzzling an ox while it treads out the grain (9:9-10), and also mentions the biblical precedent of the priests serving in the temple who get to partake of the offerings and sacrifices that are brought in (9:13-14). In such ways, Paul clearly defends his right to receive payment for his work as an apostle. He goes on, however, to explain why he has given up this right so as not to be a stumbling block to anyone (9:15-18).
[Read more…]

How often have you heard a sermon about tithing based on Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”?

This is another example of a text ripped horribly out of context.

In the passage, Paul is providing instructions to a group of elders from Ephesus. In the preceding verses, (Acts 20:33-34), Paul reminds them that he has not been paid with gold and silver, or even with clothing, but has provided for his own needs, as well as those who travelled with him. He did this so that he and his companions would not have to accept payment from anybody in Ephesus.

Paul Provided for his own Needs

From statements Paul makes elsewhere, this seems to be his normal approach to ministry. He made tents for a living, to provide for his needs while he traveled and taught in the churches (cf. Acts 18:1-3; Php 4:14-16). And notice again that in verse 34, Paul not only provided for his own needs, but also for the needs of those who travelled with him! Though we often hear of “Tentmaking pastors,” I have yet to hear of one who not only provides for himself, but also for the other members on his team!

[Read more…]

Having looked briefly at Pastoral Pay in a previous post, I now want to address several of the passages that churches and pastors use to defend the practice of paying a pastor. We might be surprised to discover what these texts actually teach.

The first passage is not really a passage, but a biblical example: that of the Levitical Priesthood.

Some pastors point to the Levitical Priesthood as proof that spiritual leaders should have their needs met by the people they serve. Passages such as Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 18 are often referenced in support of this idea.

While it is true that Priests serving in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, could eat of the grain and meat that was brought as sacrifices, it must be noted that this was only for the Priests who were serving at the time the sacrifice was made.

How often were Priests serving in such capacity? According to 1 Chronicles 23–24, the Priests were divided up into 24 divisions, with each division serving about two weeks out of each year. For the rest of the year, they had to provide for their own needs and that of their families.

But how did they do this?

[Read more…]

Previously we have looked at the pitfalls of pay and popularity that are inherent within pastoral ministry. The third pitfall is pastoral power.

Power is a great pitfall and temptation for many pastors.

It is not that power is evil. Power is good. After all, God has power, Jesus ministered with power, and the Holy Spirit comes in power.

The problem with power is that it can corrupt. It can go bad. It can be used in ways for which it was never intended. Power, when mixed with pride, becomes dangerous, damaging, and destructive. It can seek to control the lives, thoughts, and actions of others.

[Read more…]