Celebrity Preachers

[Felicity]

Oh for heavens sake. I'm all for paying a preacher well and treating him like royalty.

I'm just asking for justification of paying a man $1200 for preaching a message?

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

I have slept in Sunday Schools rooms and paid less than $100 a night AND I have stayed in Paris, Venitian, Mirage, Luxor and paid WAY more than I was worth. I have done both and enjoyed myself. I have ate at the best and White Castle and enjoyed it. Ate at meager tables at a peasant preacher's home in Mexico and the elegant tables of some wealthy folks. It balances out.
When you are happy at what you are doing the rest is small stuff. A tamale or a marianated steak at the Commander's Palace. Just be thankful and preach what God has given you and rejoice in whatever is given you by the saints.

Not too often, but once in a blue moon you touch my heart. This did it.

[tamor]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

I have slept in Sunday Schools rooms and paid less than $100 a night AND I have stayed in Paris, Venitian, Mirage, Luxor and paid WAY more than I was worth. I have done both and enjoyed myself. I have ate at the best and White Castle and enjoyed it. Ate at meager tables at a peasant preacher's home in Mexico and the elegant tables of some wealthy folks. It balances out.
When you are happy at what you are doing the rest is small stuff. A tamale or a marianated steak at the Commander's Palace. Just be thankful and preach what God has given you and rejoice in whatever is given you by the saints.

You've learned to be content in all things......

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by tamor

You've learned to be content in all things......

I certainly get paid way more than I am worth. I have no complaints.

[stmatthew]

Originally Posted by stmatthew

This is pretty pitiful. It shows how much we value the preacher that brings the word. To me, a large campmeeting should pay its preachers at least $2500 per night, plus lodge them in the best hotel available, and feed them the best food available.

I can understand that a small church may not be able to do as much, but churches need to start thinking "excellence" when inviting ministers.

I was going to quote others, but did not want to put anyone in the hot seat.


It amazes me that Apostolics are so cheap when it comes to offering time. We show just how "Oneness" we really are every service at offering time when we drop our dollar in. Folks we are missing out on a lot of the financial blessings that many charismatics are getting because we are stingy with our money. For me to hear "For What!" when I state that a preacher at a camp should receive a $2500 gift lets me know that for most of you, the preaching of the word is not that valued in your life.

Lets look at this reasonably. IF a large camp is roughly 1000 in attendance, and a special offering is taken up for the speakers on the biggest night with the one taking the offering asking each family represented to give at least a $20 offering, then conceivably the offering could be $10,000, given that all 1000 are married couples. Folks this easily would give at least $2500 to 4 speakers. And that is only is everyone gave a minimum $20 gift. Some will give more. Most will waste $20 over the coarse of a week.


My whole point in my above quoted post was not to necessarily set a price, but to get folks to understand that the mindset of blessing the men that give you the spiritual things with excellence. I understand that a small church may not be able to give as much, unless they PLAN in advance. But all of Apostolics need to be taught to give generously and be a blessing to the ministry.

And lastly, for those of you that want to hold the minister down to the "going wages", I would say that you probably do not know how much time is given into pastoring a church. My dad pastored a small church for over 18 years. He was a nobody. But it was normal for him to get calls all hours of the night for folks he did not know in the hospital dying, and he would get up and go. He, and his family sacrificed much for the church. He was in the Union prior to pastoring, and could have went back and made 16+ per hour at any time, and that was good wages in the early 70's. But he did not feel that he could really "pastor" the folks God had gave him to feed, and work an outside job to. There was times we lived on $400 for the month, just so the church could keep its doors open. I said all that to say that a true Pastor is on the clock 24 hours a day. He is caring for the most valued possession there is, and some of you want to limit his income to what a secular job would be. BAH- HUMBUG!!!

[stmatthew]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

I certainly get paid way more than I am worth. I have no complaints.

Elder,

I appreciate your humility, but from the standpoint of one that is hearing you preach what will save my soul, I would say you are as underpaid as a man can be. The value of the ministry is what some don't seem to see.


What price would be too much to pay the man that preaches the word of God and watches out for your soul?? What price tag is too much for salvation, which the bible correlates to your hearing this man preach?

Matthew....

As you already know even before I say it....

I agree with both of your post above, including the post to which you stated that a camp preacher should be paid AT LEAST (my words) $2500. I also agree that Oneness people are probably the least taught concerning the blessings involved in learning to cheerfully give from the heart, not that God is a bank that pays dividends (though he does) but from the joy...the blessed opportunity to give out of gladness.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by stmatthew

I was going to quote others, but did not want to put anyone in the hot seat.


It amazes me that Apostolics are so cheap when it comes to offering time. We show just how "Oneness" we really are every service at offering time when we drop our dollar in. Folks we are missing out on a lot of the financial blessings that many charismatics are getting because we are stingy with our money. For me to hear "For What!" when I state that a preacher at a camp should receive a $2500 gift lets me know that for most of you, the preaching of the word is not that valued in your life.

Lets look at this reasonably. IF a large camp is roughly 1000 in attendance, and a special offering is taken up for the speakers on the biggest night with the one taking the offering asking each family represented to give at least a $20 offering, then conceivably the offering could be $10,000, given that all 1000 are married couples. Folks this easily would give at least $2500 to 4 speakers. And that is only is everyone gave a minimum $20 gift. Some will give more. Most will waste $20 over the coarse of a week.


My whole point in my above quoted post was not to necessarily set a price, but to get folks to understand that the mindset of blessing the men that give you the spiritual things with excellence. I understand that a small church may not be able to give as much, unless they PLAN in advance. But all of Apostolics need to be taught to give generously and be a blessing to the ministry.

And lastly, for those of you that want to hold the minister down to the "going wages", I would say that you probably do not know how much time is given into pastoring a church. My dad pastored a small church for over 18 years. He was a nobody. But it was normal for him to get calls all hours of the night for folks he did not know in the hospital dying, and he would get up and go. He, and his family sacrificed much for the church. He was in the Union prior to pastoring, and could have went back and made 16+ per hour at any time, and that was good wages in the early 70's. But he did not feel that he could really "pastor" the folks God had gave him to feed, and work an outside job to. There was times we lived on $400 for the month, just so the church could keep its doors open. I said all that to say that a true Pastor is on the clock 24 hours a day. He is caring for the most valued possession there is, and some of you want to limit his income to what a secular job would be. BAH- HUMBUG!!!

I would think that campmeeting offerings would need to cover a lot more than just the speakers. I don't disagree with the idea of giving the speakers a decent amount of money but just wanted to point this out.

I think perhaps the speakers should be all paid the same but that what a speaker does with that money should depend on his own financial situation.

For example if the speaker is an evangelist with no tithe from a church to support him then this generous pay might help balance out the many weeks he gets nothing or very little.

Or in the case of a big name successful pastor you would hope that the money would either be given back to the campmeeting in an offering by him or at least given to some other work going on for God rather than lining his already lined pocket. That is not our problem to worry about though. That is between those ministers and God.

Originally Posted by CC1

I would think that campmeeting offerings would need to cover a lot more than just the speakers. I don't disagree with the idea of giving the speakers a decent amount of money but just wanted to point this out.

I think perhaps the speakers should be all paid the same but that what a speaker does with that money should depend on his own financial situation.

For example if the speaker is an evangelist with no tithe from a church to support him then this generous pay might help balance out the many weeks he gets nothing or very little.

Or in the case of a big name successful pastor you would hope that the money would either be given back to the campmeeting in an offering by him or at least given to some other work going on for God rather than lining his already lined pocket. That is not our problem to worry about though. That is between those ministers and God.

CC!,

I agree that the offerings are for more than just paying the preacher. That said, what about $2500 a night in LA District Campmeeting? We have as many as 10,000 in attendance on family night. At just a $1 a head we could pay 4 nights at $2500 and have the other nights to cover the camp expenses. Certainly the take is significantly higher than $1 a head. In fact many nights I have seen 6 figures collected/pledged in an offering. There is nothing wrong in being a blessing! That is just how i feel. If I can bless you or anyone else that is what I want to do and I want to bless you marvelously not minimally!

Originally Posted by philjones

CC!,

I agree that the offerings are for more than just paying the preacher. That said, what about $2500 a night in LA District Campmeeting? We have as many as 10,000 in attendance on family night. At just a $1 a head we could pay 4 nights at $2500 and have the other nights to cover the camp expenses. Certainly the take is significantly higher than $1 a head. In fact many nights I have seen 6 figures collected/pledged in an offering. There is nothing wrong in being a blessing! That is just how i feel. If I can bless you or anyone else that is what I want to do and I want to bless you marvelously not minimally!

That's the attitude that I like. Thank you, brother Phil.

I want to bless you as much as I possibly can. Not because I know that it will come back to me somewhere...sooner or later, but because of the joy of blessing you. I want to heap it upon you until you are humbled and broken by it. Then, the love of God is perceived when we are broken like the alabaster box, filling the whole room with the fragrace of God. It is so true that it is more blessed to give than to receive.