Church Leadership

Over the last three articles, this series made a case that runs against nearly universal church practice. Part 2 named the problem directly: when a congregation controls a pastor’s paycheck, it puts him in a compromised position, since he may need to teach truths some don’t want to hear. Money brings its own temptations and pressures, regardless of anyone’s intentions. That’s a common situation, not an accusation against any particular congregation or minister.

This is not a suggestion that gospel workers go unsupported. Part 3 and part 4 showed Scripture affirms the opposite, plainly and repeatedly. Jesus said the worker is worthy of his provisions (Mt 10:10). Paul built a sustained argument toward the same point in 1 Corinthians 9, concluding that “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Cor 9:14). Nowhere in this series is the right to material support in question.

Last time, we observed that the New Testament draws two pictures about two kinds of ministers. One man goes out to reach people who do not yet know Christ. The other man, whom I’ll call a resident pastor, lives among a congregation of people who already do. He serves as an elder, sometimes called a bishop or overseer. These terms describe the role people today commonly call a pastor.

In this article, we’ll examine passages people often use to authorize paying resident pastors a regular salary. I want to make one point clear from the beginning: nobody has misunderstood what these verses say. Jesus and Paul both affirm the right of gospel workers to receive material support. The question is not what the verses mean. The question is who the verses describe.

Before we apply these passages to resident pastors, we should ask a simple question: Do the people in these passages belong to the same category as the resident pastor? Watch closely as we follow the context.

Here’s something I believe without hesitation: God’s Word is perfect. His instructions for His people are good, and when we actually follow them, they produce good fruit. In the last article, I introduced you to Mark and David, two fictional men discussing a disappointing compromise made by their pastor because of his fear about the potential of losing his paycheck. Their story was invented, but the pattern behind it wasn’t. Let’s size this up with an example comparing two pastors. Both facing the same hard decision and watch what a paycheck does to the calculation.