IMAGINE walking along the road when a dazzling golden BMW wheezes to a stop right in front of you. Wow, what a shiny beauty! A man steps out of the car and you recognise him as the businessman that has been making the headlines in the newspapers. A shrewd, successful hardworking businessman and a glorious four-wheeler – they make a great pair.
Now, supposing the man is a doctor, or a lawyer, or an accountant? No problems, professionals these days are well paid. Supposing he’s just a schoolteacher? It’s still all right, for he may have diligently saved to buy that car. But what if that man who steps out of the luxurious car is a pastor?
If you are like the majority of Christians, you would probably cringe. How can a pastor own such a nice car? Where did he find the money to buy it?
THE CHRISTIAN MINDSET
The scenario above is somewhat dramatised but it reveals the mindset of many Christians with regard to the pastoral and other full-time ministries. The underlying belief is that being in full-time ministry is incompatible with the enjoyment of material prosperity and well being. And this attitude does not only concern wealth. Some extend it also to the matter of work and rest.
This common perception is not entirely wrong. The problem rather is that few Christians actually seek to understand why they think what they think, and are therefore unable to separate truth from its opposite. Our purpose here is to analyse this mindset from a biblical perspective with the aim of constructing a more reasonable paradigm from which to think and act.
Three major assumptions lie behind the belief that full-time ministry is incompatible with material well being.
Let’s examine each one in turn.
- Poverty is a prerequisite for spirituality
This view is still prevalent among the traditional churches. It seems that their remuneration schemes for church workers are structured along the “keep them poor, keep them humble” rule. This view is heavily influenced by the fact that wealth brings with it many temptations. American author Randy Alcorn in Money, Possessions & Eternity says that nine out of 10 Christians survive adversity with their faith intact while only one out of 10 survive prosperity unscathed.
At the same time, we must also acknowledge that wealth is a blessing from God. The Lord “takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant”, says Psalm 35:27b. Wealth can also be put to good and proper use in God’s service. Moreover, the poor can equally be led into sin if they are tempted by envy and covetousness.
The truth is that neither poverty nor wealth is more spiritual, but a heart that is right before God. However, a life that is sufficiently provided for brings honour to the Lord as Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.
At the very least, those who lean toward the poverty-equals-spirituality view must themselves actively seek a simple lifestyle. It will be double stan-dard and hypocrisy to impose their leaning on others – pastors or otherwise – if they themselves are not striving for spirituality.
- God’s servants are supposed to have relinquished all claims to material prosperity for the sake of the gospel
According to this popular view, wealth may not be evil but the servants of God are supposedly a special category of people called to make some very special sacrifices.
The statement is true as it stands. Peter, James and John pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Jesus, while Matthew got up from his tax collection booth, left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11, 28). Paul and others also gave up everything to follow Jesus.
But this is only one side of the story in God’s bigger plan. Why is it that the Lord does not call all His children to leave their jobs and venture into full-time ministry? If He does, there shall be no one left to support all of them!
Peter once said to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed You.” (Mark 10:28) To this, Jesus replied, “Assuredly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses, and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecution – and in the age to come, eternal life.” (vs 29–30)
How are these servants to receive a hundred times more in this time? Through His children, of course, who are to act as their new families and providers.
Unfortunately, we seldom see this part of God’s plan executed. Yes, the servants of God may have left everything. But are we now to deprive them? Should we not bless them all the more for their sacrifice?
Paul’s treatise on this issue in 1 Corinthians 9 is in line with this view. Paul insisted: “Don’t we have the right to food and drink? … Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? … If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? … The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:4–14)
God’s servants are entitled to the same standard of living as other Christians. Furthermore, they are entitled to rest, holidays, sabbaticals, and other privileges, just like other ordinary workers. This is by no means pampering them, because theirs is one of the most difficult vocations.
Churches must also consider the full-time workers’ family responsibility. Very rarely, if ever, does God call people into full-time ministry and expect them to cease supporting their families. If churches do not take this into account, they will stand to lose many capable and qualified people who are keen to serve but have to consider the implications on their family. Incidentally, 1 Cor. 9:5 may imply that the pastor’s wife is also entitled to the church’s support.
Before going to the next point, let’s note an interesting twist to the argument. Some Christians and lay leaders allow that pastors, full-time workers and their families should have all their material needs met, but this is to come about by faith. They are to “live by faith”.
This argument is also deceptive because once again it is technically true. Yet, how often does the Lord drop supplies direct from heaven as He did for Elijah (1 Kings 17:4–6)? When His servants exercise faith, the Lord’s usual way of working is to move His other servants to lend a helping hand. Thus the argument actually amounts to a challenge to extend a blessing, and is no excuse to sit back and do nothing. And when speaking about having faith, do remember that faith without works is dead.
Moreover, only those who have lived by faith can insist that another person does the same, lest we be accused of double standard.
- The servants of God are super-humans with no or little material needs
The view sounds ludicrous but many Christians prefer to believe it as it absolves them from further responsibility. The Bible states very clearly: “Elijah was a man just like us.” (James 5:17a) James’ point was that we too could do great things for God despite our frail human nature just like Elijah’s. We are given a picture of Elijah’s human frailties in 1 Kings 19 when he fled from Jezebel. He was tired. He needed to eat and drink. Even Jesus the Son of God was tired and had to sleep in a boat.
Sometimes, God may endow His servants with supernatural strength and endurance; however, more often, they are ordinary people with material, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and other needs.
MUTUAL SACRIFICE
In conclusion, Christians at large need a paradigm shift with regard to the way they view the relationship between God’s full-time ministers and material well-being. Christians have a responsibility to provide sufficiently for the material needs of the servants of God.
Are we now advocating materialism? By no means. Rather we are advocating the opposite – that is, sacrifice. We call on all the servants of God to “leave everything” for the sake of the gospel just like all their predecessors did. We also call on all lay Christians, armed with a correct understanding of material wealth, to respond to their ministers’ love and sacrifice by giving them the best.
This is mutual sacrifice, which is the correct biblical model for our thinking and action.
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