In the February article we looked at how a biblical church makes decisions. In the March newsletter we discussed the main purpose for the church, that is, the ministry of the Word (preaching and teaching). In the April newsletter we considered Christ’s command for the church to make disciples. Now let us discuss the idea that the local church has a need for a 'full-time' elder. I have been thinking about this for some time and three arguments for why the church should desire a full-time elder come to mind.
The first argument involves our purpose as a church – which is the ministry of the Word and making disciples. If the church had to choose between a pastor who was able to study and prepare full-time, and a pastor who had to divide his time between preparation for preaching/teaching and another job in order to feed his family which do you think would better accomplish the purpose of the church? The benefits of having a full-time man who is tasked with seeing that both these objectives are accomplished seem obvious. Would you prefer a doctor who ‘practiced’ full-time or a physician who had to divide his time between doctoring and a second job in order to feed his family? Coming to public worship and hearing the preaching of the Word is spiritual food and spiritual healing for the people of God.
My second argument comes from the general concept known as the law of the harvest. That is, what you sow is proportional to what you will reap1. "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6). What does our church value most? I am not talking about money now, just the general idea about retaining the attention of a gifted man to study and prepare for the preaching of the Word. If the ministry of the Word is not important to us, if we value the preaching/teaching little, then I suppose a man who has to divide his time between preparations for preaching and supporting his family might be acceptable. But then according to the law of the harvest, our stinginess may mean a small harvest. If we desire a generous harvest then giving a gifted man a generous amount of time for preparation seems more likely to result in a generous harvest.2
And I do not think this is primarily about money - if there was a way to relieve a man from any concerns about how he might provide for his family and how he might prudently plan for the future without talking about money, then the church ought to consider that way. Micah (Judges 17:7-13) hired a Levite to minister in his household and offered him some spending money, "... a suit of clothes” and a place to live. Any church could make that offer, I suppose. If I were Bill Gates or Warren Buffett I might consider allowing a pastor and his family to live in one of my spare homes and providing him with a generous allowance.
But I think that sparing ourselves from the financial aspect of supporting a pastor would deprive us of one of our responsibilities and one of our privileges as a church. I think supporting the pastor is one way that every member our church participates in ‘making disciples’. There is a reciprocal aspect to providing and receiving support. Elder/pastors' dependence on his own congregation for his support provides a biblical connection between “the one who is taught the Word … (and) the one who teaches” (Galatians 6:6). It is the law of the harvest - what the church sows the church will reap in due time.
Can you see that the time you spend with your children/grandchildren will be proportional to their growth and maturity? Can you see also that the time that the pastor spends in study and preparation may be proportional to the harvest in due time? Granted, all things are subject to the Lord’s will! Here again we are confronted with the tension between God’s sovereign will for his church and our responsibilities as members of His church. But I hope we would not be known as stingy Christians who are so short-sighted as to neglect one of the principle means of grace.
My third line of thinking here is that the Bible is full of evidence to suggest the importance of a full-time pastor/elder. The first examples are the Levitical priesthood. Though they were not given an inheritance in the Promised Land they were given cities and land for their flocks to pasture. They were given a tithe from the people whom they were to minister to so that they would be able to do the work at the tabernacles or temple. They were clearly, 'full-time' as servants of God and of the people. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that the "laborer is worthy of his wages" (1 Timothy 5:18) and that an elder who works “hard at preaching and teaching" is worthy of a double honor (1 Timothy 5:17).
There are some who think that pastors do little during the week and do not deserve full time support. Just as there are good, honest men who serve as pastor/elders we know there are also lazy and dishonest men. But I do not see this as an argument for stinginess in our support for pastors! Such men should be dealt with in the process of church discipline just as we ought to deal with any man who is lazy or dishonest.
There are some who view pastors as employees of the church. I think we need to be careful to recognize that we are prone to either hold pastors too highly or too subservient. Pastor/elders are not men who are infallible or above criticism. On the other hand, the Bible tells us that elders/deacons who “serve well … obtain a high standing and great confidence in the faith …” (1 Timothy 3:13) and deserve respect from those whom they serve (1 Timothy 5:17). Also, as we have discussed last month, Christ brings elders/deacons to the church - the church has a responsibility to be the means where His servants are recognized. The church recognizes elders and deacons not by chance or popularity but through wise evaluation of the office bearers conformity to the biblical qualifications. Elders/deacons are directly accountable to Christ!
In summary, there are a number of good reasons for a church to obtain a full-time pastor if possible. As in all things, we are to trust in the Lord as well as to do our best to be good stewards of the blessing that the Lord had granted to us in this life.
Next month I would like to look at what our confession says about supporting the pastor (2nd London Baptist Confession, Chapter 26; paragraph 10).
Robin
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1Note: I am not suggesting a mathematical or financial formula for obtaining a blessing from the Lord! Our purpose as people of God is to glorify him and enjoy Him forever – It sounds very strange to say but biblically speaking, our goal in this life is not to obtain wealth or happiness. And it may be hard to accept but by faith we trust that the Lord will give us what will most glorify Himself and what will truly be good for us. In other words, our investment in the law of the harvest is subject to the lordship of the Almighty and we trust that everything He does is right. We may live in poverty or in wealth but as the apostle Paul stated, “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
2Note: I understand that there may be some churches who are unable to support a man full time. I can think of four possibilities in these cases:
First that the church is simply unable. This seems obvious but in a case such as this one must consider whether this is actually a church at all. Church plants will usually need financial help to get started but I think there ought to be a time when such a gathering of believers should evaluate whether they are able to continue in light of the fact that they apparently do not have enough people with the financial resources necessary to operate.
Secondly, that the church members are being unfaithful or short sighted. In our culture there is a sad lack of appreciation for the preaching of the Word, even among otherwise sincere believers. Again, it is likely they have not appreciated the law of the harvest and are perhaps unwilling to make the immediate sacrifices necessary for a long-term benefit. Yes, it may be difficult to take the first-fruits of your paycheck to support a man who speaks to you and your family once or twice a week. But this is what James meant when he exhorts us, "The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts ..." (James 5:17-18). And it is not for your long term benefit alone, it is your children and your neighbors who also benefit from the preaching of the Word. I pay public school taxes even when my own children have not gone to public school simply because I have an interest in the education of my neighbors children - how much more will I eagerly support the vitally important preaching of God's Word in our own community?
Thirdly, it may be that the pastor is wasteful and extravagant and is demanding more salary than the church is able to afford. If so, is it possible that he does not meet the qualifications for the eldership? 1 Timothy chapter 6 we read that elder/pastor should be temperate and prudent (verse 2); free from love of money (verse 3); able to manage his own household (verse 5). Such a man should not be considered for the eldership. And if this lifestyle developed in a presently serving elder it would be up to the local church to help him bring his life back into order. Matthew chapter 18 including church discipline comes to mind.
Fourthly, it is possible that the full-time elder is hesitant to express his needs to the congregation for a concern that he may be perceived as ungrateful for the sacrifices that the church has already made for his support. In this situation, due to the fact that he is also a member of the local church, there ought to be some men in the church who will stand up for him and make the appeal on his behalf if there appears to be a valid need. I think it would be shameful for a church if their pastor needed to request benevolence funds from the church budget to meet his financial obligations. END
