Hello.  My home church has a lot of problems going on, and my opinion is that most of them stem from my pastor.  Where in the Bible does it say that the church is supposed to support the pastor and his family?  And if so, does that mean we have to support him and his family in every part of their lives?

Sincerely,
Perplexed From The Pew

Dear Perplexed From The Pew,

The Bible does provide precedent for financially supporting those who preach and teach… but only if they are living godly lives and if the congregation desires to do so – it certainly isn’t a blank check for bad behavior.  Paul says that when a good man is preaching the gospel, we shouldn’t “muzzle the ox while it is threshing” (1 Cor 9:9-11), which is a fancy way of saying that when someone is doing the work, they ought to get paid for it.  After all, a worker is worth his hire (1 Tim 5:18).

Having said that, someone who is preaching needs to be actually doing good to be worth his hire.  Just like a bad employee – a congregation has every right to let a preacher go if he isn’t doing a good job.  We here at AYP don’t like the idea of being fired… but we also don’t like the idea of doing inferior work.

Another problem might be that your congregation is mixing up the roles of a pastor and a preacher.  Preachers preach and teach; pastors shepherd and lead the church.  Many churches today are having problems because they are giving preachers the authority to lead the church – when preachers only have the authority to teach.  Pastors must meet rigorous qualifications before they are allowed to lead the church (those qualifications are found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9).  Preachers are not required to meet those qualifications, but they also aren’t given the same level of authority.  Another difference between preachers and pastors is that pastors never serve alone.  There are no examples of a pastor leading a church – it is always pastors leading the church (read the article “One Too Few” for further details).  If a congregation’s leadership isn’t following the Bible’s patterns, that congregation will have major struggles.  This may or may not be the issue in your situation.

Suffice it to say, if this man is more of a harm than a help to the Lord’s work in your area – the congregation has every right to send him packing.

I was beginning to preach, and I started preaching on the usual "God loves you" sermons, but gradually I began to gear toward what you may call "sinful nature" sermons, and I began to preach sermons on gambling, smoking, pornography, sex before marriage, etc.  At first, the brethren were glad to see me preaching on these things, but eventually, they all pulled me aside and told me that I was upsetting the church.  Even though they agreed that I was preaching the truth, they didn't want to hear me preaching on these things... especially smoking.  Not one time did I ever say that "_____ is sin" – but rather, using Christ's way to let people study and think for themselves about how God views us doing certain things.  Was I wrong for preaching on this, and are "God loves you" sermons all the church wants to hear now?

Sincerely,
Beginning Minister

Dear Beginning Minister,

Preaching is an honorable and difficult profession.  Paul warned Timothy that it would take patience, gentleness, (2 Tim 2:24) and boldness to preach (2 Tim 1:7).  All preaching involves hardship (2 Tim 1:8).  We are sorry to hear of the frustrations you are facing – it is a noble thing to preach… there is also a learning curve.  Your problem may be caused by a number of different factors:

1. Preaching requires balance.  It is important that we preach the whole gospel (Acts 20:27).  Balance in preaching is one of the most difficult challenges for preachers.  Even the most seasoned veteran finds himself leaning too far toward one type of sermon or another.  The congregation may be trying to tell you that it is time to move toward other topics.  That doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like hard preaching… but moderation is necessary.  The sum of God’s Word is truth (Ps 119:160).
2. It hurts when a sermon steps on our toes.  It may be that some people in the congregation don’t like the harder preaching because it is hitting too close to home.  It might be appropriate to continue to show boldness (Eph 6:19)… it might also be appropriate to show gentleness and back off from these issues for a while (Pr 15:4).
3. Your age and experience may be influencing your ability to preach on these topics.  It is unfortunate, but youth does make it harder for people to listen (1 Tim 4:12).  It takes time to show yourself as an example of faith, love, and purity.  In our youth, we bear burdens that bear fruit later on in our preaching careers (Lam 3:27).

Your problem is probably caused by a combination of all of these factors.  The answer is to surround yourself with wisdom.  In a multitude of counselors, there is safety (Pr 15:22).  Since you are just starting in your preaching, ask advice from other older and wiser preachers that you trust.  Get counsel from those in the congregation that you respect… preferably the eldership.  If they all feel that you need to continue to pointedly address these sin issues, you can feel confident when you get in the pulpit and do so.  If they have a different perspective, then you will be able to (with a clear conscience) change topics and know that you are doing the right thing.  Surround yourself with wise counselors, and Lord willing, you will have years of good service ahead of you.

I would like to thank you for this service.  Please be patient while I ask three questions.

When Paul encourages those "yoke fellows" in Philippians 4:3 to "help those women which labored with me in the gospel", how were the women laboring with Paul?  I have read Wesleyan and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentaries, and both allude to the women mentioned as "laborers"… but in a limited scope based on 1 Tim 2:11-12.  JF-Brown states that they were limited and alluded to them being in a less prominent sphere; which brings me to my next question:

Is there Scriptural support for women being in a prominent sphere in ministry (i.e. teaching, preaching, apostleship, etc.)?

My last question is: does 1 Tim 2:12 refer to women in a ministerial role at a church?  I anxiously await your reply.

Sincerely,
What About The Ladies?

Dear What About The Ladies,

The church is full of women that are faithful, zealous, and needed servants.  Paul mentions women ministering to others’ needs in Php 4:3, Rom 16:1, and Rom 16:3 – just to name a few.  We have the example of Lydia being a servant to the church (Acts 16:14).  We also have the example of Priscilla teaching and converting (Acts 18:24-26).  We don’t know exactly what the women of Php. 4:2-3 were doing to help Paul, but we know they were working hard.  They are many ways to help the cause of Christ, and it never specifies what specific things Euodia and Syntyche were doing to help the church.

Having said that, we do know what they weren’t doing.  Paul specifically mentions that women are to keep silent in the church assembly (1 Cor 14:34-35).  Women are not supposed to serve as public teachers in the worship service because men have the responsibility to lead the church in public teaching.  Elders (Tit 1:5-6), deacons (1 Tim 3:12), and preachers (2 Tim 2:2) are all required to be men.  1 Tim 2:12 specifically prohibits christian women from teaching christian men in a congregational forum.

Our pastor told us that when the offering is taken up, you do not ask God to bless those who did not have anything to give when the person is praying over the offering.

Sincerely,
Blessingless

Dear Blessingless,

That is utter rubbish.  God tells us to pray for the sick (Jas 5:14), the poor (Ps 86:1), our enemies (Matt 5:44), etc.  God tells us to pray for all mankind (1 Tim 2:1).  Any religious leader that is telling people that those who don’t put money into the collection don’t deserve to be prayed for is attempting to shame people into giving money.  It is a horrible and reprehensible practice used by men who are greedy and covetous (1 Tim 6:10).  Don’t walk – RUN from any church that uses this sort of money-grubbing practice.

If I think the pastor is adding or taking away from the Word (for example, he says some things written in the Bible are incorrect), should I continue under him?

Sincerely,
Basic Math

Dear Basic Math,

The Bible is perfect, and we all need to be very careful not to add or take away from the Scriptures (Rev 22:18-19).  We all need to learn to not go beyond what the Lord has written (1 Cor 4:6).  The reason for this is because anyone that willfully teaches or perverts the Scriptures is bound for hell (Gal 1:6-8).  If your pastor is saying the Bible is incorrect – he is wrong.  The Bible is just fine; he is the one that is in trouble.  Leave that congregation immediately and seek a faithful church.  As you can see, all churches are not the Lord’s church.  If you would like help finding a faithful church in your area, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will do our best to put you in contact with a congregation in your area.