What Do You Think Would Happen If...?

Some actually buy the sermons they plagiarize.

 

I must have missed this one. (Poor translation in the Bible I use, maybe?) Where is this found? I saw nothing about churches, or "leaders of the churches" in anything Paul said, at Miletus.

However, strangely, I did notice that there are multiple bishops/elders on one local church - namely the church of Ephesus. The word church is singular, here.

Ed

 

I believe you are correct.

I had a seminary professor who would use Dr. Ironside to show that one could get a great education without going to college and or seminary with just the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

His body was was placed in the ground there as well. Many say lack of money to get him home, I don't know.

Now back on subject, When I was a child in the 40's and 50's most of the Baptist churches around me had bi- vocational pastors and many had seminary and or Bible college education. Some of the jobs that many a pastor had; milk delivery, bread delivery, truck driver, auto repair and sales to name a few. They were jobs with big turn over, so they were rather easy jobs to get. I believe bread and milk delivery was number one , started work around 3 or 4 AM and finished by 2 or 3 PM and that left a good amount of time for pastoral work.

There were many a church in the county with 10 to 25 folks on a Sunday morning and even service. They couldn't pay much. Many of these churches would grow to 75 to a 100 and then the young pastor was off to a larger church. Had a lot of pastors that went to Stetson preparing to go to seminary.

I would say in those type of churches and a pastor working less say at milk or bread delivery, the pastor had a better understanding of what the members went through. When a man works 10 to 12 hours a day or more there is only so many hours he has to help around the church. Most of the work on the building and grounds was done by the pastor and members. And I would say members spend more time together because of the physical work done around the building.

I know of a church west of me that is without a pastor (for about a year now) now and one of the members of the church was telling me about it. He said they are much closer than at anytime over the past 15 years because they spend time painting and other work of the church building and of other members and less time playing golf. They have one of their members filling the pulpit till they get a pastor. Many feel called till they see what the church can pay.

So I think there would be a lot of good on one hand and a lot of not so good on the other. If any church will try and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and be a place of teaching, care and worship all would be well. I think we forget that God's appeal is for us to live the Christian life on the basis of His provision. If we try and live the Christian life by operation bootstraps, we will fail.

 

Preaching the Gospel may not pay much, but the retirement benefits are out of this World!!

 

Nothing would happen.

It would only mean that no church in America loved its pastor or understood the office and its demands.

 

It appears that many Baptist Churches practice that famous admonition: "Lord, you keep him humble, and we'll keep him poor."

Let's drop the name Baptist and add the name Plymouth Brethren. No fear of paying wages there.

Cheers,

Jim

 

The question was, "What do you think would happen if all of the churches in America were without paid pastors?." I formed my answer from Scriptural principles, not the least of which is do not muzzle the ox that treads the corn. Ministers have the liberty to work without compensation if they so desire, but denying pastors their right to receive material compensation for their spiritual labors is not the answer to the problem of covetousness. There are many who simply covet the preeminence no matter the size or economic affluence of the group.

Still, how a church compensates it's ministers is a direct reflection of their love for them and their work.