Should a Pastor, Pastor a Church for free

[Pastor Lorenzo Edwards]

Should a pastor that spends most of his time preaching and teaching get paid for what God has him to do? I know what the scriptures says about this, but would you pastor for free?

[Min. Mario C. Jones]

I feel you Bro! whenever did the Bible tell a preacher to quit a job and let the people take care of him,HMMMM! i mean if thats a collective decision of the church then i guess that fine. and for the love of God, why do preachers tax another ministry an arm and a leg to come down the street and minister @ their church? whats up with that!!!!

[Leonard Copeland]

Absolutely not...If the pastor is going to spend time ministering and administering his flock...He must be paid or his/her attension will diverted towards eating.How many member are there in this congregation ? My email is [e-mail]

[Rev. Anthony Luckett]

If you let our folk tell it, the Pastor shouldn't be getting paid. I believe that the Pastor should get paid and it's according to scripture. One has to look at the finances of the church as well. If the church cannot pay the pastor, then he will have to take a job. But they must understand that he won't be available as much as a full-time Pastor would be. So they can't get upset when the Pastor can't visit a sick member at the hospital, because he is at work. Or they won't let him off of work to do a funeral. If God calls one to the Pastorate, I believe he must go. He might not be able to receive a salary right away, (I know of a few Pastors who still work full-time) but there must be something in the plan that should work towards moving him into a salary. The members must learn to give as well. But if God called me into the Pastorate ministry, I would go, even if they couldn't pay me a salary.

[Overseer Juanita Armour]

I can truthfully say yes because it is what i did for the first year or so of Pastoring. I do also believe the size and income level of the church must be considered. While i know our walk is by faith, it was & sometimes still is hard not knowing when or if the church will be able to provide for the leader as should. To this day i only receive an offering from the church once a month and sometimes that doesn't happen. So unless i have out engagements, work is not an option. If God has called you, I don't believe you have an option. If you say this is what/who God called you to, then He must have a plan & purpose for the slow or small beginnings. While it may be discouraging to receive so little financially for all that we put out naturally, spiritually & financially for those among us; it is very rewarding to see the growth in other areas of their lives. Some of these very people have been so hurt & abused by other leaders that you just have to wait for the total breakthroughs in their lives before you see the harvest. If we walk away just because of money, what happens to their souls? Just as the bible says take no thought for tomorrow, we have to believe that the same God who sent us will therefore provide for us.

[Rev. Anthony Luckett]

Amen! It's nothing like seeing a soul be saved!

[Rev. Tyrone Thomas]

Amen I agree to this.

[Pastor Lorenzo Edwards]

Overseer the first year where you did not receive an offering where you working or just believing in God for what you needed?
You had some very good points God Bless

[Overseer Juanita Armour]

No Sir, i was not working. It was a complete walk of faith. A stressful & sometimes frustrating time because it was, and in some ways, still is a new experience for me.

Thanks

[Pastor Rodrick Sweet]

I just notice this discussion and would like to add a few things to it. Yes if a church is able too it should compensate not only the senior pastor but the pastoral staff as well.

Every pastor and church no matter the size would benefit from having ministry job description. The reason is as someone has stated before it aids with the expectation. As to can a pastor be laid off or fired that should be spelled out in the Bylaws of the church or ministry and also can be a part of job descriptions.

The next reason for a ministry job description is as the ministry grows you will not have to go back and look at what should or should not be happening and it is a great tool to use in the evaluation process for pastor and staff compensation. The reason that many churches don’t pay the pastor is that we pastors look like we live high on the hog. While many of the members struggle just to make it. If one is a bi-vocational pastor or tent maker as someone said, and the growth of the church is steady then there needs to be a move (slow a best) to bring the pastor on full time.

[Erwin Scofield]

I used to be real laxed concerning pay for my role as pastor; but I realize now that I was doing more harm than good. Not only is it okay to be paid, but it is a duty for the church to ensure that their pastor is provided for. The problem however is with the term pay as perceived by most. It is not as much pay as it is provision. And, it is God who provides out of the finances the members are obligated to bring to him.

Of course, there is also the matter of tapping into the prophet's reward by sowing into the life of the man/woman of God. In economic crisis similar to ours today, the widow of Zarapeth found a solution in giving to the man of God - not withholding. God was doing a good job providing for Elijah, so he didn't need to retire the ravens and dry up the brook. However, he often creates opportunities for people who would trust him and benefit by sowing their insufficiency into the soil of his sufficiency.

I have been preaching for 21 years, most of them for FREE. And, I am passionate enough to preach even if there was no money to be gained. But, I would not pastor for free and thereby confirm that God will inspire a church he can't support with faithful people who reverence him.

[Chinua]

I believe that a pastor should get paid for the word; however I don't think he should charge. What could a man pay them for saving there life.I believe if your teaching what thus saith the lord; he has no choice but to bless you. Ministry is not a job this is a way of life. If you are walking the walk then god knows what you have need of. Be Blessed.

[Anna]

You pose an interesting question.
Historically, Bible teachers were not paid, they volunteered their services out of love for their Creator and His word..

1 Tim 3:2 gives us this insight for our elders:

Therefore, an elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife,[b] stable, sensible, respectable, hospitable to strangers, and teachable.[c] 3He must not drink excessively or be a violent perklson, but instead be gentle. He must not be argumentative or love money.

Also, since NO congregation was lead by ONE elder, but a plurality of elders, who held jobs to support their families,
the work load of the congregation was split between the different elders, so there was no need to pay one to Pastor
.
The current Protestant church leadership is patterned after that of the Roman Catholic Church, from which they have their spiritual roots. Pastors today are like the Catholic Priest who governs the church with much more authority than was Biblically authorized.

If churches would return to the multiple elder model, then there would be no need for a paid ministry, and each believer would take more responsibility for much of the "work of the ministry" upon themselves, doing more personal evangelism, discipling new members, visiting the sick, helping those in need etc. The tithe they spend to support a pastor, could be used as the scripture details for the widows, fatherless and stranger.

Where are the Biblical texts that indicate that a church should only have one Pastor who can expect to be fully supported by the membership's tithes. Remember the tithe, according to the Word, is not for New Testament Pastors, but from men who are blood line descendants of Aaron, who have no other inheritance on which to live. You won't find Jesus or any of the apostles asking for or collecting Tithes, since they were not of the seed of Aaron. Pastors have found that if they misinterpret scriptures and coerce people to tithe, that they are more likely to get the salaries that they want.

Check out my Group on tithing and you will see that the tithe, the way it is taught today is a false teaching from which those promoting it should repent.

If you disagree, please share with us the texts that indicate that a pastor who is not of the Aaronic bloodline should recieve a tithe. Also share with us where the tithe is from a person's wages.