SERVING THE LORD IN THE
FULL-TIME CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
"The Money Issue"

I must make it very clear at the outset of this article that the purpose of my writing is to encourage Christians to be available to serve the Lord in the full-time Christian ministry. This write-up is in no way a critic of anyone.

Some time ago, a fellow B-P minister told me that if we want to have people coming into full-time Christian service, we must be willing to give them an appropriate salary. I understand where he was coming from. It seems that the B-P Church has always taken the late Rev Timothy Tow's advice and example of living by faith in the ministry for full-timers. The concept of "pay as little as possible" to your full-timers so that they will learn to have faith in God has gone on for many years in the B-P Church.

When I first started serving the Lord in Grace B-P Church in early 1978 I was given an allowance (not a salary) of $350.00 per month. Then all of the staff did not get any bonuses for many years. I recall the struggles I went through those years to pay my income tax and other items. But praise the Lord; things have changed for the better. What I had experienced is something I will not want a new generation of full-time Christians workers to go through. The concept of "pay-as-little-as-possible" should never be adapted again in our church.

The Biblical Way to Support those in the Ministry
In the Old Testament, God told the people of Israel to look after those who are in the priesthood:

Deuteronomy 18: 1-8 (ESV)
"The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord's food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time. And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, where he lives and he may come when he desires to the place that the Lord will choose, and ministers in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord, then he may have equal portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony."

Israel did that well. Study the lives of Elijah, Elisha and the prophets of Israel who were all well taken care by God's people. There were, of-course, times when the people and kings would mistreat the prophets because they were offended by their ministry (i.e. 2 Chron. 16: 10).

In the New Testament, the church is told to support those who are in the ministry. Paul commended the church in giving him love gifts:

2 Corinthians 11:9 (ESV)
"And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way"

Philippians 4:15 (ESV)
"And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only"

Paul instructed Timothy to do the following, especially to ruling and teaching elders (pastors):

1 Timothy 5: 17-18 (ESV)
"Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wage".

The Fear of Entering the Ministry
Let me tell you that if the intention of anyone entering the Christian ministry is to have a "fat salary", this is not the place for you and you are most probably not called at all.

When I first entered the ministry, I had not thought of my pay and what it would be. All our staff workers today had the same experience. If you want a fat pay cheque, go to the world and work. This is not the place for you. In the ministry, be prepared to receive a salary that is not up to your expectation. Does it sound fearful for you to enter the full-time service?

What is the Christian ministry? It is a calling by the Lord for the person to give his/her life to serve Jesus! Once this is clear, the person enters the ministry. There is no doubt that you will be afraid of how you will be supported financially, etc. I remember a little boy asking his mother one day in Grace Church if the pastor is as poor as a church mouse. That proverb is a fear to many potential people who are considering full-time service. Even parents are afraid for their sons and daughters coming into God's work. Let me encourage you and your parents not to be afraid. I believe the Lord who called us into His work will be the provider of our needs. He has always done so for me and I am sure all who are serving the Lord can testify to this reality. Having said that, I must encourage the church to give their full support to those who have given and those who will give their lives to serve the Lord in Grace Church.

The Church support is crucial!
I like what is written in the Book of Proverbs 30: 8-9 (KJV):

"Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

The day of "pay-as-little-as-possible" to your Christian worker is over. This is an unbiblical practice. If God give us His servant from amongst us, we will give our utmost to support the person, whether it is in the mission field or at home. I want to encourage our people who are thinking of the full-time Christian service, but for the fear of financial support, you are holding back. I know the issue of money is always a sensitive matter. To be in the full-time ministry means one must be mute when it comes to speaking about money. This is not true! The church leaders are reasonable people. We want to support our people in the Lord's work so that they can concentrate on working for Jesus.

The issue of money in Christian service is to be seen in its biblical perspective. The church has a responsible role to encourage and give her full support to those who are in the Lord's work.

Pastor