Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Workin' For A Living”
Categories: DOCTRINE, THE COLLECTION, THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, WORSHIPIf a pastor receives a salary from the church, should the congregation pay all of the bills that the pastor incurs (for instance: his rent or other bills)?
Sincerely, Paying the Bills
Dear Paying the Bills,
Both pastors and preachers (yes, there is a difference) can be financially supported by a congregation.Paul makes it very clear that a ‘worker is worthy of his hire’ (1 Tim 5:17-19).Unfortunately, we live in a world where religious leaders have thoroughly abused this blessing.Televangelists and ‘mega-church’ pastors are well known for their greed and multi-million dollar homes.This has left a sour taste in the mouth of many Americans when it comes to supporting preachers and pastors.
A congregation does not have to pay all of the bills of a preacher.However, it is a blessing to him and to them if they can.If he is working hard doing preaching and teaching, then being financially supported can free him up to continue to work even harder.
If a pastor or preacher has to work a secular job to pay the bills, it will take away from his time to spread the gospel and teach christians; it is more important that he provide for his family in such cases (1 Tim 5:8).Ultimately, it is his responsibility, not the congregation’s, to provide for his family.Even Paul worked as a tentmaker to pay the bills at times (Acts 18:3).A godly man will not overburden a congregation or squander the money God has blessed him with .
A congregation must take up their weekly collection (1 Cor 16:1-2), assess all of their various costs, and make a prayerful decision as to how much they can afford to support a preacher.Some congregations will be able to fully support a preacher; others may not be able to support one at all.In either case, it is acceptable according to what a congregation has (2 Cor 8:11-12).
