For the last few years, my wife and I have been considering many of the aspects of the "institutional" church, beginning with the topic of tithing. Of course, when I was teaching Sunday School on this very topic, it became the "straw that broke the camels back" for the church leadership. Eventually we were asked to step down from teaching and cell group leadership. A bit of a shock to our systems, since we had been very active in "church life" for close to 25 years. But the Lord Jesus Christ takes care of His own and teaches us as were struggle with issues, and for that I am very thankful.
Over the last few years as I have sought to take off the denominational/institutional church "glasses", I have come to some shocking conclusions about professional ministers, and just recently noticed this particular article.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/200 ... ot_yo.html
How does that fit in with -
Acts 20:33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye (ELDERS) ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. 37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, (KJV)
1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
But alas - I fear it is as the Lord Himself said in Matthew 15
13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
One other instance that I found recently in the area of believers becoming property is a denomination that supplies it's member churches with a spreadsheet to determine the salary of professional preachers for each church. Some of the variables in determining the salary would be the length of time in the church, and the number of members in the church. This last variable was very interesting, for you see, for each member, the professional preacher received $52 per year. Imagine knowing this as you attend that church, that as you sit there on any given Sunday, you are worth 100 pennies to that professional preacher-man.
$600,000 Preacher
Re: $600,000 Preacher
blackheart,
I am a non-paid pastor and I just want to affirm many of your concerns about what money does to the pastoral office. I don't think it's absolutely wrong for a pastor to be compensated (the worker is worth his wages, etc..) but what most people don't think about is the incredible list of strings attached to salaried staff in a local church body- most of which serve to separate the church from it's foundation family metaphor and encourage the alien idea that a church is more like a business.
I am a non-paid pastor and I just want to affirm many of your concerns about what money does to the pastoral office. I don't think it's absolutely wrong for a pastor to be compensated (the worker is worth his wages, etc..) but what most people don't think about is the incredible list of strings attached to salaried staff in a local church body- most of which serve to separate the church from it's foundation family metaphor and encourage the alien idea that a church is more like a business.
Pastor Josh Coles, Aletheia Christian Fellowship
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Re: $600,000 Preacher
karenprtlnd wrote:I do not think that I am being stupid for paying my tithing.
I have been a believer for close to 30 years and the LORD Jesus has been faithful! As I was growing up in the institutional church, I received various levels of teaching concerning tithing, to the point where I thought it was a major NT doctrine.
One day, as I was contemplating the next Sunday School lessons for my adult class, I was struck with the idea of doing a study on Tithing. I will not tell you what I found, since it was my own study that was the important aspect of this story.
Nevertheless, - You are not being stupid for paying your tithe! May God bless you and keep you, and may you see greater truths as you study the written Word!
Blackheart Magillicutty
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.