I'm sorry that I haven't updated my blog in a very long time but I have finally gotten to it. I wrote this paper for my Timothy and Titus class and my professor was specifically asking the question, "Can a minister in good conscience be weatlhy?" That is the focus of the paper but I want every Christian to understand that there is no distincion between "clergy" and "laity." All Christians are ministers. Yes there are leaders in the church but all Christians are called to holiness and the standard of holiness doesn't change because it is essentially God's unchanging nature. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15-16). Therefore what is written in this paper applies to all Christians.
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“That disgusts me!” shouted my oldest sister Amelia as she told me about a preacher of a mega church who owned a brand new red Corvette and lived in a lavish multimillion dollar mansion. Why was that so repulsive to her? Is there a limit on what a minister can and cannot have? The root of all this is the question, “Can a minister in good conscience be wealthy?” Another question results from the first, “Would wealth likely help or hurt a person’s ministry?” The best place to look in order to find the answers to these questions is in the Scriptures; especially the Pastoral Epistles which Paul wrote to the young ministers Timothy and Titus.
It is important to establish whether or not church leaders should even receive pay in the first place. Paul clearly explains that Elders were to be paid. 1 Timothy 5:17 says that Elders who lead the church well are worthy of double honor. The word “honor” originally meant “to set a price on” indicating that honoring somebody involved pay (BDAG). It also meant showing respect for someone. In this context it is clear though that Paul specifically has in mind paying Elders, for he quotes Scripture to back up his point. He refers to the Old Covenant command that people weren’t to muzzle their ox while it was in the process of threshing grain; meaning it was to receive “pay” for its work. Jesus also explicitly says that a worker is worthy of his wage. The same is true for worker of the church; they are to receive pay for their labor.
The question now becomes, “Is there a limit as to how much the minister should be paid?” Scripture does not answer this question, but it does give qualifications on what kind of a person should be in church leadership to receive that pay. Elders and Deacons are to be men that do not love money or pursue dishonest gain (1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7). In this passage is does not say that they are to be without money, but to be without the love of money (Getz 268). This is in stark contrast to the false teachers who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Instead of being greedy for money true ministers are to be content with life’s basic necessities as adequate pay for doing their work (1 Tim. 6:8). Paul tells Titus that the very motivation of the false teachers for their teaching is to gain financially (Tit. 1:11). The heart of a godly leader does not desire to be a leader in the church for the purpose of gaining financially but to take care of God’s flock.
Can a minister in good conscience be wealthy? Yes and no. Scripture doesn’t limit how much pay a person receives but it directs his heart as to how he is to use it! The only way a wealthy minister can have a clear conscience is if he is using his wealth the way God desires him to. There are clear examples of this in Timothy and Titus. Believers in Jesus Christ are to take care of their relatives financially when they are in need; God is pleased when his people learn to put their religion into practice and care for their own family that is in need (1 Timothy 5:4). “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever!” (1 Tim. 5:8). Thus if you are a wealthy minister making far more than you need and you turn a deaf ear to the genuine needs of others then you cannot have a clear conscience. Paul instructed Titus, “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives” (Tit. 3:14). The rich of this world who are disciples of Jesus are not to put their hope in wealth but they are “to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:18). “God’s people may at times be enormously wealthy, but a major purpose of God granting them wealth is to share it with the needy” (Blomberg 59).
A minister who rightfully uses his wealth can have a perfectly clear conscience. Craig Blomberg clarifies the rightful uses of wealth magnificently. “The key to evaluating any individual, church, or nation in terms of its use of material possessions is how well it takes care of the poor and powerless in its midst” (84). He sets forth the principle that “People always take priority over prosperity.” God is the one who entrusts wealth to people and he expects his people to be good stewards of his resources. The “golden mean” with regard to our attitude toward wealth is seen in Proverbs 30:8, “…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” At the heart of this passage is that God wants his people to be content, not greedy for worldly wealth. If God does bless someone with an amazing amount of material prosperity it only means that there is increased responsibility to wisely use that privilege (84). Under the Old Covenant wealth was never the goal but it was the means to an end which was sharing with the needy (84). He states forthrightly that it cannot be said that the rich cannot be disciples of Jesus (145). The principle of giving under the New Covenant is not simply ten percent! Paul urged the Corinthians to excel in the grace of giving for the destitute believers in Jerusalem. Paul told them to give according to their means for the goal of equality. “…the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” (2 Cor. 8:7, 12). Therefore it is up to the minister to decide in his own heart how he will use the wealth that God has blessed him with, either in a godly way or in an ungodly way.
Would wealth likely help or hurt a person’s ministry? The answer to this question ties directly in to how the minister will use his wealth. There are numerous bad examples that have both local and national impact. The wealthy pastor my sister described is hurting his ministry by his selfish use of his wealth. Benny Hin has hurt his ministry by his use of wealth. The infamous televangelists have turned many people away from the Gospel by begging people to give to the cause of Christ as they sit in golden chairs. There are also excellent and admirable examples of Christian leaders who have used their wealth to greatly help their ministry. It is hard to discredit the motives of a man who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and splits his income: giving some to his church, some to Indians on a reservation and receiving for himself only what was necessary to live on; such was the integrity of Rich Mullins.
Wealth will help the ministry of a minister who is a person of integrity. There are some examples of this in the New Testament. When the 12 apostles were starting the church in Jerusalem they chose 7 other men to serve the widows who were being neglected so that they could devote themselves fully to the ministry of the word and prayer (Acts 6). It is right to assume that the basic necessities of the Apostles were being taken care of. Paul explicitly explains that the apostles had the right to receive food and drink (basic necessities) from those they minister to (1 Cor. 9:4). This helped their ministry because they didn’t have to work outside of the church to support themselves which meant that they had more time to edify the body of Christ. Paul’s ministry was made possible when he was under house arrest in Rome by the financial gift that the Philippian church had given him (Phil 4:15). Wealth allows the minister to give himself fully to the work God has called him to.
Wealth also helps a minister’s ministry because when it is used properly it brings pleasure and praise to God, even from those who do not obey the Gospel! The opposite is true of a person who does not use his wealth properly; it displeases God and brings shame to the name of Jesus. A wealthy minister is expected to take care of his parents when they are in need. Paul says that this brings pleasure to God (1 Tim 5:4). Paul commands the rich to be rich in good deeds. What he means is that the rich need to use their wealth in a positive way, “…be generous and willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:18). Jesus taught his disciples to let their light shine before others, so that they may see their good deeds and praise their Father in Heaven (Matt. 5:16)! God’s will for his people is that they take care of each other in tangible ways, this includes providing financially for those who don’t have their basic needs met (James 2:14-16). Jesus said that all people will know who his disciples are by their love for each other (John 13:34). One way that the world can see the tangible love of Christians for each other is in the area of financial care! When people literally see our good deeds then they will praise God! This is not only the right thing but it is actually evangelistic! Wealth properly used can draw people to Christ. A minister can model integrity for others and then they will know that there is something real about being a Christian.
In summation, the amount of wealth a minister has does not matter. What does matter is his stewardship and honesty in the sight of God with it. If my sister had seen a minister who properly modeled the Gospel in his entire life, specifically his financial life, she could very well have said, “What an awesome man of God he is!” instead of “That disgust me!”
Bibliography:
Bauer, Walter, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick William Danker, Eds. A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Blomberg, Craig L. Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions.
Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1999.
Blomberg, Craig L. Heart, Soul, and Money. Joplin: College Press Publishing Company, 2000.
Getz, Gene. Rich in Every Way: Everything Gods says about money and possessions. West
Monroe: Howard Publishing Co., 2004.
Hurley, Virgil. Avoiding the Judas Complex. San Diego: Black Forest Press, 2001.
