The question is simple.
Are ministers of the gospel entitled to receive financial support from those who benefit from it?
My position: of course!!
And, I am not a minister in the sense of full-time ministry.
Read 1 Corinthians 9 for Scriptural support.
A full-time minister is entitled to financial support from those who benefit from his ministry.
In fact, it is shameful if a congregation does not support their full-time pastor in a manner that reflects love for him and his family, and provides for their needs.
Yet, I have heard some say "the gospel is free". True enough, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay the plumber to put in the piping. Taking a Scriptural principle and applying it in a manner it wasn't intended to be applied is one of the primary causes of error in the Church.
Try getting a plumber to put plumbing in your house for free. Think it is going to be good quality work? It might be in some rare cases. Maybe you have a father-in-law who used to do plumbing.
Same with the ministry. You might find some unpaid pastors, such as a retired pastor or energetic bi-vocational pastor, who are great. He might not ask for any income because he has a strong desire to serve, he is single, and has a lot of energy. However, that isn't the norm.
In fact, what you might get is a cult leader who offers you free teaching or materials, and misleads you into error. All the time, he might tell you that the "gospel is free" and points you to the fact that others charge for materials and books, but HE doesn't.
This is like going to a restaurant that serves poisoned food or dung on the menu, and tells you to eat all you want, because it is FREE. If you want to eat the food that chefs at this restaurant prepare, go for it. That's what some are doing. Yum, yum.
By the way, that was the claim of the cult leader I followed. He pointed out how others charge money for Christian books, but HE did not. Of course, he wouldn't tell you that he was an uneducated man who knows no Greek or Hebrew, has not been educated in church history, and teaches heretical things. He would't tell you that he plans on convincing you that you need to donate 23% of your gross income when you become a member of his church.
So much for the cults, though. You find any number of incompetent people who will use their alleged free literature and free services.
I have no problem paying for a good study Bible. I have no problem paying for a good, sound book on a Christian topic I'm interested in. I have no problem contributing to the salary of good pastors who have been well educated.
If you don't, then you may deserve what you get.
By the way, I am not discounting some pastors who can afford to go without a salary, especially single, young guys who are well-educated, qualified to be an elder, and may have inherited some wealth. Or, an older person who is retired and is qualified to be an elder.
Paul apparently didn't accept support from certain congregations to further the cause of the gospel. Additionally, apparently he used his tentmaker skills to provide for himself at certain times. But, he also affirmed that this wasn't expected of all full time ministers of the gospel, and they were entitled to receive a living from those who benefit from their ministry.
What I am against are those who claim no pastor should receive a salary, or those who discount individuals who charge for books or materials they have written. These individuals have families to care for, too.
Does this justify the clowns on programs like TBN who are selling their nutty teachings? Well, if you want to buy poison and dung for your meals, go ahead. I don't care to, thanks.
That's my strong conviction. What is yours?
Are ministers of the gospel entitled to receive financial support from those who benefit from it?
My position: of course!!
And, I am not a minister in the sense of full-time ministry.
Read 1 Corinthians 9 for Scriptural support.
A full-time minister is entitled to financial support from those who benefit from his ministry.
In fact, it is shameful if a congregation does not support their full-time pastor in a manner that reflects love for him and his family, and provides for their needs.
Yet, I have heard some say "the gospel is free". True enough, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay the plumber to put in the piping. Taking a Scriptural principle and applying it in a manner it wasn't intended to be applied is one of the primary causes of error in the Church.
Try getting a plumber to put plumbing in your house for free. Think it is going to be good quality work? It might be in some rare cases. Maybe you have a father-in-law who used to do plumbing.
Same with the ministry. You might find some unpaid pastors, such as a retired pastor or energetic bi-vocational pastor, who are great. He might not ask for any income because he has a strong desire to serve, he is single, and has a lot of energy. However, that isn't the norm.
In fact, what you might get is a cult leader who offers you free teaching or materials, and misleads you into error. All the time, he might tell you that the "gospel is free" and points you to the fact that others charge for materials and books, but HE doesn't.
This is like going to a restaurant that serves poisoned food or dung on the menu, and tells you to eat all you want, because it is FREE. If you want to eat the food that chefs at this restaurant prepare, go for it. That's what some are doing. Yum, yum.
By the way, that was the claim of the cult leader I followed. He pointed out how others charge money for Christian books, but HE did not. Of course, he wouldn't tell you that he was an uneducated man who knows no Greek or Hebrew, has not been educated in church history, and teaches heretical things. He would't tell you that he plans on convincing you that you need to donate 23% of your gross income when you become a member of his church.
So much for the cults, though. You find any number of incompetent people who will use their alleged free literature and free services.
I have no problem paying for a good study Bible. I have no problem paying for a good, sound book on a Christian topic I'm interested in. I have no problem contributing to the salary of good pastors who have been well educated.
If you don't, then you may deserve what you get.
By the way, I am not discounting some pastors who can afford to go without a salary, especially single, young guys who are well-educated, qualified to be an elder, and may have inherited some wealth. Or, an older person who is retired and is qualified to be an elder.
Paul apparently didn't accept support from certain congregations to further the cause of the gospel. Additionally, apparently he used his tentmaker skills to provide for himself at certain times. But, he also affirmed that this wasn't expected of all full time ministers of the gospel, and they were entitled to receive a living from those who benefit from their ministry.
What I am against are those who claim no pastor should receive a salary, or those who discount individuals who charge for books or materials they have written. These individuals have families to care for, too.
Does this justify the clowns on programs like TBN who are selling their nutty teachings? Well, if you want to buy poison and dung for your meals, go ahead. I don't care to, thanks.
That's my strong conviction. What is yours?
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