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?

[Abad A. Perez]

Currently I am pastoring for free. God has given me so much taht I want to sacrifice for His Gospel. However, this does not mean pastors have to serve for free. There is nothing wrong with getting paid. What I do not like is those who are in the ministry for the money and collect huge salaries from congregations.

[Andy C Wuhraizer]

Yes I will pastor a church for free if the Lord has enabled me to earn living income in another setting. There is nothing wrong with a pastor being sustained by the church. There is everything wrong with the pastor taking advantage of the church to amass wealth that he cannot even spend in a lifetime under the guise of prosperity. when a pastor takes the tithes and offerings of his sheepfold to buy himself a jetplane, a rolls royce and all that pertain to the pathetic world of consumerism, that pastor has crossed a spiritual line. No good for the puipit.

[Reginald Lee Johnson]

i really dont know! however one thing i can say is that not many pastors would!
i think if a man of God would pastor without pay God would provide for him.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

And who would GOD use to provide? That STILL brings us back to a Pastor being paid!

[Evg Tan]

In my opinion there is no price that you can but on the gospel, it should not be considered a job but instead a priviledge with benefits as in Psalm 103. A pastor as well as co-laborers in the gospel are worthy of his hire and should be blessed, not paid. Most churches set aside a Sunday where that offering goes to the pastor and I agree with that. Pastor and Wife Anniversaries are another way pastor's are blessed by God through people. But there are some who take advantage of pastorage. I was under a very selfish greedy pastor. He did not believe in blessing speakers even ordained or licensed officials in his congregation. He took the bible study offering every week for his gas, he and his wife received the offerings and tithes every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday. Their 2 day anniversary offering, family and friends offering, district fellowship offering which was left for the church. The church paid for his official obligations to the national church, jurisdiction and district, also whenever they visited another church the congregation paid te pastors way and when they came back the pastor received that offering back and never even considered putting it back into the church treasure where his met obligation came from. If I tell you that this was a display of greed that has left the paid for church in debt because they only received the offerings every 2nd and 4th Sunday and the bills outweighed the offerings. So ask me again should a pastor get paid for preaching the gospel of Christ.

[Bishop D.L. Bryant-Kemp, Sr.]

Each member of our Church is asked to bring $20.00 for me each Weds. But that is only because I really do not have a set salary.

[Rev. Eric Culberson Jr.]

Well that obviously was not a pastor but a hireling!

[Yehochanan Ben-Yisrael]

Greetings Family,

The reason for the “abuse” of this privilege in the Church is because the Bible is not consulted to dictate how much the pastor is to receive and what he is supposed to do with the money. SO, the Church is literally at the mercy of the pastor who tells them that EVERYTHING goes to the pastor and the church building alone with no thought of the needy. That is not right and it is not in the Bible.

The so-called pastors reject the instructions that govern payments to the Levitical priests. This is because God instructed the Levitical priest to only take what they need to live with no excess. The Levitical priests ALSO do not receive any more or less than the homeless, widows and orphans. Priests do not have or need “savings accounts” since “the Lord is their portion”. They are completely dependant on the Creator and the donations of the people. So, in Old Testament times, the preists, orphans, homeless, widows and all the needy received tithes while in the while under the New Covenant, the needy ARE NOT supported by the Church?

Since the so-called pastors do not have any faith in the congregation or in Christ to take care of their needs, they amass EXCESS “just to make sure”. Then, they defend their comfortable lifestyles (which is always well above the average person in the congregation) by saying they are of the Order of Melchisedec! HUH?

The reason they say that is because there is no description in the Bible on what the priests in the order of Melchisedec are to do with the money. All we know is that we to pay 10%. But what is the priest to do with the money? That is not written in the Bible. SO, again, you are at their MERCY since you cannot check them with the Bible. And, naturally, they interpret that as meaning they are to get a big house, get a perm in his head, get fancy suits, by a Cadillac and eat high on the hog! That is not biblical and is a doctrine of the demons that is being exposed.

In every case that "preachers" such as the Apostles deal with money, they always used it for the sole purpose of providing for the needy. I sited Acts 4 where it says that that the Apostles received EVERYTHING and distributed to the people “according to need”. I also sited that Paul—the prime example of a pastor—did not take ANYTHING AT ALL even though he had to right to take WHAT HE NEEDED—not excess. We also know that the Messiah did not live off of the people.

The so-called pastors disregard the example of the Messiah and the Apostles and live lives FAR BEYOND what the Messiah and the Apostles lived. Instead, they MAKE SURE their own needs and wants are met and disregard the poor of the congregation WHO DO NOT RECEIVE A DIME! (Well, MAYBE a dime--LOL). So, we go from the Levitical law of the “Old Testament” where the poor and needy RECEIVE TITHES to the new covenant law where the poor do not see a penny of the tithes? Does that make sense people? Did Christ come to take food out of the mouth of the needy, who were being taken care of in Old Testament times with tithes and offering, to the institute the present practice of designating ALL OF THE MONEY for the pastors and the building made by hands, EXCLUSIVELY? It is an abomination!

And there is nothing in the Bible where the congregation is told to “take care of the pastor”. The Bible says that God is “no respecter of persons”. Everyone is to be treated equally from the unemployed janitor to the doctor to the pastor himself. The Congregation is COMMANDED to take care of the NEEDY—not just the pastor.

But, Christians reject God’s laws and rely on false teachers who take money from old ladies on fixed incomes and people who can barely feed their children. They promise them they will be paid seven-fold while they can barely eat. I have no part with such doctrines.

The Bible is clear. The leader of the congregation is merely the steward of the money. He is supposed to receive money from those who have excess and give it to those who lack. He is not to amass any wealth for himself since “the Lord is his portion”. He is to receive only what he needs and distribute to rest to the needy. If his congregation is not being “blessed” so that the pastor AND THE NEEDY are easily taken care of, it is likely that they are followers of false doctrine and a minister of the evil one.

SO, I do not even feel sorry for Christians. They refuse to read the whole Bible and complain when they get abused. They reject the words of the Creator Himself that are found in the WHOLE Bible concerning payments to ministers. Nothing changed since God does not change. All of the teachings that God gave concerning money are lost to those in the church who are told to no listen to what God Himself says since, they say, “that is the Old Testament”. No, it and the whole Bible is God’s Word and will endure forever for our benefit. The Old Testament—in particular—gives provisions for the priests, the church upkeep, the poor and needy and everything else. The average Christian has not even HEARD of such a thing. All they know is that the pastor takes ten percent (and then some) and the poor do not have a right to get a dime in return. That is a fact.

When the Messiah comes, it is written that we will deal squarely with the false shepherds who rob God of HIS TITHES and offering to do not feed His flock.

If you are a pastor and are reading this, you are now being made aware of the truth. If you are receiving tithes and ARE NOT GIVING it to the needy in the congregation, you are robbing the Creator of His tithes and are minister of the Evil One. Unless you repent, you will be allowed to prosper and live in the spirit of error until Christ returns and reclaims His flock. At the time, you will see person how Christ will deal with the false shepherds.

If you are a member of a congregation with a pastor who IS NOT GIVING AN “EQUAL” PART OF TITHES to the needy, it is your responsibility to stand up for Christ! If not, you are a co-conspirator to evil. Those who are ignorant are excused. But, as Christ reappearance nears, the truth is being heralded. All false apostles will be exposed. May Christ give us the strength to stand up to evil!

Best Wishes,
Yehochanan

[Ebony moore]

Sis...I feel your pain, bit that's another matter.

You stated Psalm 103. A pastor as well as co-laborers in the gospel are worthy of his hire and should be blessed, not paid.

Blessings come in many forms including "payment"

In your case the congregation should have been more intelligent and not be led like "lamb to the slaughter" obviously this pastor you speak of... was other than.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Evangelist Tandra Foster:

You're speaking "double talk" here, Evangelist. in the same line you say a Pastor is worthy of his "hire" and should be blessed, not paid. But hire literally means "wages" or PAY. The blessing IS being compensated for your work! You then said "Most churches set aside a Sunday where that offering goes to the pastor and I agree with that." Thats the same thing as all jobs setting aside a day to take the funds it brings in to write out paychecks to its workers. The ONLY difference is length of time between payments. The truth behind your feelings about a Minister getting paid is not rooted in biblical argument, but in this statement which is your experience: "I was under a very selfish greedy pastor." Them being thieves have absolutely nothing to do with the truth of GOD's Word. Now you have taken on a mindset that says "kill em' all and let GOD sort em out."

[Yehochanan Ben-Yisrael]

Everything you just said is a tradition of men. We are not free to "decide" how to "bless" a pastor or co-laborer in the Faith. The Bible is complete. It gives sufficient instruction on how to run the Congregation. Setting aside Sundays for paying a pastor and others such practices are NOT in the book and not commanded by the Most High. If that floats a person boat, then so be it. Just do not say it is from the "Word of God". It is not. The Bible has "specific" instruction on how to pay those in the Congregation. No need to invent anything.

Paul only taught "freewill offerings". They are designated to go to all of the needy of the Congregation--not just ONE PERSON! God is not a respector of persons. If the pastor is unable to work because he has too many duties in the church, then he is counted among the needy. But, he is not the ONLY ONE. He is not the ONLY ONE (according to the Bible) to receive the offerings. God says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house...Mal 3:10" The meat is not just for the pastor but for anyone in need in the Congregation in need. THAT is not a tradition of men. It is all over the Bible.

That practice is practically unheard of in the church. The needy get scraps (if anything at all). Tithe-paying members are put out of their homes and the church does not even BLINK! The tithe is for the storehouse to prevent Christians from suffering in times of distress. Too bad, huh?

Yet, it is ALL TOO COMMON for the pastor eat "high on the hog" and drive a Cadillac. Sustaining a pastor is one thing. But, there is NO PRECEDENT anywhere in the Bible where the Congregation is told to give any preacher that kind of lifestyle. Paul did not do it. Jesus did not it. The Apostles did not do it. Yet, ol' Reverend lives even better than the Messiah and the Apostles? I know the Bible too well to fall for that.

[Bishop D.L. Bryant-Kemp, Sr.]

The bible states that they who sow unto you spiritual things you are to sow unto them your carnal. I as a pastor do not refer to my salary as getting paid. each week it as looked as being loved. If a Pastor only Pastor's for money they will always be broke. A Pastor only lives by the benevolance of the people. However if the Pastor is not doing his/her job the people will not give.