THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER’S PAY

There is the debate as to whether Christian ministers should be paid a salary or not. The argument rages between those who are of the opinion that there are no records of ministers being paid in the New Testament and that ministry is too lofty a work for anyone to measure its worth in dollars, pounds or naira. The other party believes that ministry is just like any other work people do today and that those involved in it should be paid for whatever service they render, even in God’s name. I share the latter view on Christian ministers’ remunerations. This position is however not without a “but” that should be clearly understood according to scriptures.

First, we must understand that there is no such thing as a full-time minister in the New Testament. The term full-time is the making of modern day church people to distinguish between those who work in church and do nothing else from those who though work in church but have other avenues of making money. The Apostles of the Lamb were both full time and part time ministers. There was no such distinction in their time and there is no record of any of them being paid by a local church. The truth is that there really were no organized local church settings as we have them today in their time. These men had been commissioned by Jesus Christ simply to go into the world and preach the gospel. They had received the power of the Holy Spirit to aid them in this work; they were consumed by zeal to do the work and they just could not do anything else. Paul said: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:  for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). So for them ministry was neither full-time or part-time, ministry was all-the-time and the distinction between full time or part time never came because they didn’t have paid ministers in a so called full-time ministry capacity like we have today. Nevertheless, in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul the apostle makes a case for minister to be paid. It is however important to note the real gist of that scripture, as we will see that the apostle had more to say on the subject than just ministers’ pay.

Verse 3 gives us an idea of what prompted this subject in the first place: some people had been criticizing Paul’s method of ministry. In their time the people held their leaders accountable and were not afraid to ask questions. The leaders themselves did not see it strange that people asked these questions. Instead of using his apostolic authority to shut them up, Paul, here, is giving an “answer” to those who “examine him”. Paul goes on to state what his rights are as a Christian minister in verses 4-6 and these rights should be accorded all ministers of the gospel at all times: 1. A minister has the right to a good life, to be merry, to eat and drink. A minister can own properties, have holidays and enjoy life generally. 2. A minister has the right to marry and have children. So, enforced celibacy is alien to scriptures. 3. A minister has the right to be fully committed to the work of ministry and do nothing else: he may “forbear working”. These were Paul’s rights and these rights should be accorded any minister of the gospel in any age. In verses 7-12 the apostle resorts to reason and the Old Testament to make a case for the minister’s pay. He ends this with verses 13 and 14: “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?  and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel”. Paul is here comparing the Levithical Priesthood to New Testament ministers. The Levites worked full time in the temple and were sustained by the tithes, first fruits and various types of offerings the people dedicated to God. Likewise Christian ministers should be supported by the people they minister to. Some people use these verses as the reason why tithes must be given in church today. I believe that if Paul thought so he would have stated clearly that tithes should be given to the ministers he was making a case for – I can see no better opportunity than now to mention tithes. The fact that he was silent on it showed that Paul saw tithing in its proper form: a form of giving which translates as free will giving in the New Testament church (2 Corinthians 9:7). Both the gentile and Jewish church of Paul’s day understood that the tithes were agricultural products that were to be given to Levites. Paul, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, could not ask anyone to give him tithes. The best he could argue for was that they who ministered “spiritual things” should enjoy material blessings from people.

In spite of the rights and privileges of Christian ministers, Paul shows us in verse 12 and 18 that there are somethings that were of greater priority to his rights and privileges: 1. That the gospel should not be hindered. 2. That ministers do not abuse their powers or rights by charging money for the gospel. Because of the possibility of these two scenarios occurring, Paul gave up his rights and privileges when ministering to the Corinthians. Some argue that this is peculiar to Paul alone and should not be used as a yardstick for all ministers. While this is true, we must not loose track of Paul’s discuss here. He is showing us that there are somethings that are more important than others. As good as the matter of a minister’s welfare is, the hindering of the gospel and the abuse of ministerial privileges is even more important. We must appreciate the enormous power a minister of the gospel wields and the great tendency for this power to be abused. When a man stands over a people and speak to them as God’s oracle, he stands in a position of great authority and power. That man may use that position to make or mar God’s people. One area where this position can be greatly abused is in the area of money. The gospel that Paul talks about here is a free gospel that should be ministered free of charge. When all a people hear when they attend church service is give money, give money, give money… are they hearing a free gospel? In this scenario, will the gospel not be hindered? What does hindering the gospel mean? People will not go to church because they believe that Pastors are looking for their money. The power of God that accompanies the preached word will be withdrawn because the Holy Spirit that brings conviction has been grieved. The name of the Lord will be blasphemed. Churches will be called “In the Name of God PLC”. Non Christians will say “I cannot afford to be a Christian because it costs too much financially”. Christians will be maligned as sheep that cannot think but who pour all their finances into churches where Pastors live large and ostentatious lifestyles. In short, the gospel will be hindered – it would not produce the effect it is designed to produce. It is because of these that the apostle traded his rights and privileges so that the gospel may have a free course in people’s hearts. We see proof of these when the apostle shows us in verses 19-23 that his priority is to bring GAIN to God’s kingdom and not to amass GAIN for himself. We see him exploring all kinds of wisdom, within a righteous context, to gain men for Christ.

Paul ends this discusses with verses 24-27 by showing that ministry is a race that requires temperance and discipline. He shows us that Christian ministers have a crown to seek for; there is something to gain which is not in this life. He shows us that he keeps his body under and disciplines it so that he may not be a castaway. Some interpret this as a need to fast, so the minister does not sin and then loose his salvation but we must remember that Paul had mentioned earlier that ministers had some privileges to eat, drink, marry, have sex, and earn a wage. We can see then that bringing the body under subjection would mean giving up some of these privileges for a higher calling. That is to say that it is wisdom for a minister to stop some of his privileges to be more effective in ministry. And the implication is that if he does not do this he will be a castaway. He would loose a heavenly gain because he has sort earthly ones. So, this position is not something peculiar to Paul alone but should be the position that every Christian minister should seek for so as to gain a heavenly reward.

Having stated all this, the question still remains as to whether ministers should be paid or not. The answer to that is that no size fits all. There may be a need to pay a minister and their may be a need not to pay a minister. A minister may choose to collect money for a work he does in ministry; he may choose to decline. The important thing is for men of God to truly discern whether their action or in-actions in ministry is hindering or furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider this example: a people attend Sunday service and in the space of two hours the following offerings are received: Workers Anointing Offering, Sunday School Offering, Sunday Love Offering, Building Offering and Mission Offering – while tithes, first fruits and some prophets offering as considered obligatory. Can the people who attend such an assembly be said to have received a “free” gospel? The implication of not preaching a free gospel is that the gospel will be hindered in one hand and the ministers themselves will be cast away on the other hand. Is it possible for a church to run without collecting tithes and offering? Were tithes and offerings collected in the churches the apostles of the lamb led? The perfect scenario that 1 Corinthians 9 shows is that a church should be a place where people come to hear the gospel and not a place to collect money from them. Ministers should be afraid that in the process of collecting money, people may be “put off” and souls denied heaven. But do Christian ministers really care about these things? I think that both tithes and offering should never be collected in church services. A collection box may be available somewhere in a church auditorium for people to put their monetary support for the ministry. I also think a minister could have a number of people who will partner with him and support him financially and prayerfully so that money issues never take center stage in a church. Because God and mammon are rivals any day, it can be pretty difficult to notice when one has veered off worshiping God and started worshiping mammon.

When we understand the crux of Paul’s discuss in 1 Corinthians 9 and we look at the way and manner Jesus Christ handled the subject of money, and as well see scriptural admonitions to ministers in regards to money (Matthew 10:7-10; Phillipians 3:18-19; 1Peter 5:2; 1 Timoth3:3), we will realize that the minister’s remuneration is a vital aspect of Christian ministry. Christian ministers should be men and women of skill who can work secular jobs to provide for their needs and the needs of their family – Paul, himself a foremost apostle of the Lamb, was a tent-maker. In cases were the minister, however, feels led to “forbear working” and be fully committed to ministry, he must be ready to bear the cost that will come with such a decision (1 Corinthians 4: 9-13). Ministry is not a business venture; ministers are not Chief Executive Officers and therefore should not expect to rival CEO’s lifestyle and remunerations. Ministry comes with sacrifices and some of those sacrifices are what Paul will have us see in 1 Corinthians 9. God is faithful to meet the needs of his servants but God’s servants must not use ministry as a cloak for covetousness. In most cases when a man veers into full time ministry, it is always wise to have a group of people who believe in his ministry enough to support him financially on a regular basis. With Paul letter to the Philippians, it is safe to say this is how the apostles of old and even Jesus financed their ministry. If this cannot be done, such individuals should work with their hands and earn a living. This is very important in the light of the two issues that Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 9: the fact that the gospel must not be hindered and the fact that it must be presented free of charge. When money begins to occupy a crucial part of ministry and men who venture into ministry begin to use it as a platform to make money, they will begin to tear down the things that they were sent to build up.

PS: I wish to state that my writings are not directed at any church or minister in particular. My messages are to the body of Christ in general.

Happy New Year: 2014!