How Much Does Your 'church' Pay?

[The Lemon]

Thank you for sharing Miss Bratt, and Deacon - WOW! I appreciated those posts! And for the record - Deacon - if I lived near you, I would be at your church brother!!

Unless you are called to Pastor, you most likely have no idea what the full duty costs. Having said that, it is hard for me, reading these posts and realizing there are goog men and their families literally scratching out a living preaching, and really are just getting by financially.

My last Pastor owned his own business as well as pastored, he was not rich, but was well off - and was the best pastor I have ever had IMHO. Working a secular job/owning a business did not take away from his annointing, gifts, or ability to pastor the congregation. I realize that the church was probably smaller then some - maybe around 25-50 max - but I enjoyed it much more then the previous church which was pastored by a full time pastor and was twice the size.

The interesting thing about the smaller church was that there were no fund raisers, no mention of money or any issues as far as I could tell - the larger church with the full time pastor was a consistant issue with money, bills, giving, endless fundraisers etc.

I realize demographic plays a huge part in the cash flow of an assembly, but I also know and believe the pastor has a right to take care of his own, if it is only from church income or a combination of secular work and church income...it is his right and honestly his choice.

I believe as Christains mature, they need to help and minister, and not be a burden to a pastor but a source of strength and help...my opinion. And the pastor does not need to be superman or try to be anything but a pastor - forget about organizational politics, or what other ministers think about their ministry practices.

We have more say over our lives...even though there is a call, and a mantle of annointing, there is also a personal responsibility and choice, and I have seen men balance both and be blessed. I do not believe it is Gods will for his called pastors to be poor, broke, and have busted marriages for the sake of the gospel...that does not add up to what I see in scripture.

[seekerman]

Originally Posted by deacon blues

Most pastors have to work a second job to make ends meet. I've worked side jobs throughout my ministry because my pay wasn't sufficient to provide for my family. Many pastors are never able to become a full time pastor. There have been more orphanages, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, missionaries, hospitals, clinics, halfway houses, soup kitchens, clothes closets, disaster relief, church buildings, colleges, schools, utility help, food pantries, nursing homes, youth camps, preschools, pro life ministry, etc that have come to fruition through the so-called Romanist system than were ever birthed out of folks meeting in a living room in opposition to traditional worship facilities and paid ministers.

Question Seekerman (I think I already know the answer): do these house churches that you are familiar with teach/preach/practice tithing?

I can only answer for myself, I do tithe and give above and beyond the tithe. I don't know of anyone who doesn't give though, just not sure if they're tithing or not.

Concerning your having to work side jobs, that's your choice. You're expecting to be paid to minister but that's not scriptural, that's simply you following the romanist system and expecting romanist system benefits. Why not just work, make a living, and minister? Why do you think you have to be paid to minister? Of course folks can be full time pastors and minster, but the romanist system will tell folks that's not how it's supposed to work. How many pastors does a 'church' need? Why would you, or others, believe that there is one pastor per 'church' and that the entire 'church' is dependent on that one person? It's all part of the romanist mindset, it has nothing to do with the New Testament church.

Your condemnation of folks meeting in living rooms is condemning the very system the New Testament church enjoyed. If you wish to believe, in error, that folks who do not follow the romanist system do not give and support charitable causes, that's your choice. The giving in the New Testament church system isn't supporting man, nor building, nor man's religious system, with the leftover funds then dwindled out to charitable causes, but is instead one which maximizes the giving by placing it directly into the Kingdom of God. The romanist system, by it's very nature, cannot do this. The romanist system strips the giving to support the romanist system, which means the pastor and the building in the oneness pentecostal romanist system.

Of course there'll be rejection of the New Testament church by the romanists. Always has been, always will be.