More on Paid Church Staff

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Teasing out the theme in my 2nd last blog Paid Church Workers: Worthy of Double Honour, in which I quoted Bonhoeffer saying that “..clergy must live solely on the free-will offerings of their congregations, or possibly engage in some secular calling..” I’d like to quote Chris Wright (who incidentally hails from N.Ireland) from NIV Biblical Commentary on Deuteronomy, commenting on Chapter 18:1-8:

…Churches or others Christian groups that fail to pay their workers adequate living wages are not “living by faith,” but are simply living in disobedience. (Wright p.216)

Strong, sure. But in the lead up to this statement Wright concurs with Bonhoffer in stating that God’s spiritual leaders, or Priests in Deut 18 – the Levites, would depend solely on material provision from an obedient people – Israel (in the promised land that they were soon to enter):

…the landlessness of Israel’s priestly tribe was not intended to impoverish them. They would be dependent, indeed. But dependence on an obedient people should have meant perfectly adequate provision for their material needs, just as Israel’s dependence on their faithful God would include full provision. (Wright, p.215)

Wright stresses that the Apostle Paul emphasises this point many times in the NT by quoting Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 stating that those who preach and teach deserve “Double Honour“. Although Paul voluntarily opted out of taking his own advice and took the even higher ground of providing for himself. Wright adds others verses to support his point from scripture such as 1 Corinthians 9:13:

You know, don’t you, that it’s always been taken for granted that those who work in the Temple live off the proceeds of the Temple, and that those who offer sacrifices at the altar eat their meals from what has been sacrificed? Along the same lines, the Master directed that those who spread the Message be supported by those who believe the Message. ~ Paul (Message)

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So here’s to all the FT voluntary and inadequately paid church workers who, maybe secretly, feel undervalued and frankly unpaid for their labours (my wife and I have been there): You ARE worth it! God wills and instructs His Church to pay you adequately for your efforts!

The argument seems clear – church workers are to be paid adequately.

Define adequate?