Sometimes, those of us who are pastors think of ourselves as the head of the local church, the spiritual leader that deserves respect and obedience from others, or the one like a High Priest who has the closest connection to God.

Among the disciples of Jesus and in the early church there were spiritual leaders who thought of themselves in such a manner. Some of the early believers wanted to sit in places of honor and privilege (cf. Matt 20:21-24; Jas 2:1-13), and receive recognition for their leadership role within the church. This seems to have been a problem in Corinth also, as Paul had to remind the believers there that the church has only one head, Jesus Christ.

Many of the early Christians came out of Judaism and pagan religions where a class of clerics and priests ruled and dominated other people in all things spiritual. So also, the concept of the man as the head of the household carried over into the idea that the pastor was the head of the church, especially since early churches often met in houses.

Scripture argues against a single, authoritarian leader in a church, and taught instead that all were equal in Jesus, that spiritual gifts were given to all for the benefit of all, that we are all priests with Jesus as the High Priest (cf. Matt 26:6-11; 1 Pet 2:5, 9; Heb 4-5).

Ultimately, the cure for wanting to be the man in charge is to see Jesus as the sole Head of the church. There are no sub-heads in the church, nor are Jesus and pastors conjoined twins. We do not share headship over one body. Jesus is the head, and the pastor is part of that body.

When we view ourselves this way, we begin to see that our role in the church is the same as everybody else’s: to serve the other members of the body.

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.
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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.
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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.

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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.

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