The Right To Get Paid
Today I’m going to speak on topic that I’ve dreaded preaching about for over fifteen years. The topic is controversial and the preacher delivering the sermon is immediately judged unfavorably. My topic is clergy compensation. Here’s the controversy. First, clergy who preach on their compensation appear arrogant, self-serving, and greedy. Yet, by avoiding the topic they are not educating the faithful and are diminishing their calling. Second, some parishioners are uncomfortable speaking about their pastor’s compensation because they feel that money can corrupt their ministry. They perceive that if they compensate their minister, he will no longer be working for the Kingdom of God, but will be trying to line his pockets with money. People perceive that clergy should have faith and “trust” that God will provide for their material needs. Jesus, some of the Apostles, and other pious saints are used as examples of ministers who succeeded in bringing people to God without relying on the local church for support. However, what does the bible say? Sure, faith and trust are important for any minister, but does the congregation have a financial responsibility for their support?
Our scheduled reading from 1 Corinthians 9:2-12 speaks about this topic and St. Paul makes the argument why the local congregation should support its pastors. So without further ado, here are the four reasons why pastors have a right to be financially supported by their congregations.
Pastors Have Right to be Supported Because They Are Continuing the Work of the Apostles
The original Apostles were well known in the ancient Church. They traveled throughout the world and were true missionaries. Local congregations supported the Apostles materially so they could devote their full energies to mission work. Eusebius, a Christian historian writes that some of the Apostles were even married and the Church supported their families while they spread the Gospel. St. Paul’s argues that since the early Church supported the Apostles and their families, he too has every right to be supported because he is an Apostle. St. Paul’s apostleship is further affirmed by the very existence of the Corinthian Church. His argument is rather interesting – let me explain.
Today, Notary Publics serve our society by validating signatures in legal documents. Once they establish a person’s identity, they witness the signature on a legal document, and then place their seal on the document. Their seal is “proof” that the signature was not a forgery. In ancient times, there was a similar system to validate documents. The mark stamped on clay or wax was important to people who were illiterate. The seal signified ownership and was then a means of authentication. St. Paul claims in his letter that the Corinthian Church is living proof that he is an Apostle. The Church bears his mark and was affected by his ministry as he led them to Christ.
I, and my brother priests are not Apostles. We, however, are entitled to be financially supported by the Church because our ministry is continuing the work of the Apostles and it can be traced to the Apostles. Our Orthodox Church claims the Apostolic Succession of its clergy. This is one of the unique aspects of our faith. According to our tradition, Apostolic Succession is “the direct, continuous, and unbroken line of succession transmitted to the bishops of the Church by the Apostles. The bishops, (who are the leadership of the Church) are considered to be successors of the Apostles; and, consequently, the duties and powers given to the Apostles by Christ are transmitted through "the laying-on-of-hands" to the bishops and priests who succeeded them by ordination (cheirotonia) to priesthood.” By virtue of our ordinations and service, you are our “seal” or confirmation that we are continuing the work of the Apostles. Pastors should have their basic needs provided so they can be unburdened by mundane, worldly cares and focus on winning souls for Christ.
Pastors Have Right to be Supported Because Workers Should Be Paid
Most people work for a living and they work so they can be paid. This is a simple fact of life. If you don’t believe me, just try cutting employees’ paychecks twenty-five percent and see how much everyone loves their job. Granted, I understand that there are many volunteers that work long days and receive no compensation, however, this is not the norm. People do not volunteer to help others unless their basic needs are covered. This is the very point that St. Paul is arguing to the Corinthians; people that serve the Lord need to have their basic needs provided. St. Paul uses three vocations in his example: the soldier, the farmer, and the shepherd. Soldiers risk their lives to protect and to serve their government. They are not expected to serve at their own expense. They are given basic food, shelter, and clothing so that they can be effective in their military objectives. Soldiers are not expected to have a day job to support them financially, and then serve as soldiers when they are called to duty. They expect basic provisions from the state. Farmers do not work for free either. They put in long hours to plant and harvest their fruit. They eat the fruits from their labor and sell excess produce for a profit so they can survive. Shepherds also expect to gain financially from their labor. They expect at a minimum some milk from their flock as payment. Soldiers, farmers, and shepherds all work to be paid and they reap the fruits from their work. Shouldn’t pastors who serve as front-line soldiers for Christ against the devil be provided with their basic needs? Shouldn’t pastors who help sow the seeds of salvation be allowed to harvest rewards from their vineyards? Shouldn’t pastors who shepherd their congregations be allowed to reap something for their labor? Pastors need to be compensated because they are God’s workers and all workers need to have life’s necessities provided.
Pastors Have Right to be Supported Because It Is Written In God’s Law
The concept of being rewarded for one’s labor is not limited to just human nature; it is also according to God’s Law. God’s Law refers to the “Law of Moses” and it consists of the first five books of the Old Testament. Today St. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4 and he uses the example of the oxen to illustrate his point. The verse states, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” In ancient times oxen trampled on the corn harvest to shake loose the grain from the husk. Once the husks were trampled, the mixture was thrown into the air. The wind would carry the lighter chaff away while the heavier grain would fall to the floor. The oxen were allowed to eat the grain as they worked according to God’s Law. This was their payment. St. Paul makes the connection that if God cares for the oxen, shouldn’t He care even more for His ministers that serve Him.
Pastors should be well compensated for their efforts and there should be no double standard between those who work for other people and those who work for God. The secular world compensates its workers based on their economic benefit to society. For example, let’s look at an automotive company. The assembly line worker, the marketing person, the salesperson, the accountant, and the president of the company all receive wages from the company even though they have different job responsibilities. They deserve to be paid because each contributed to the economic benefit of the company. St. Paul points out that both the plowman and the thresher should receive their share of the crop. The plowman planted and cared for the seed, and the thresher harvested the crop; each are entitled to material benefits even though they performed different job functions. Both efforts were needed for the harvest.
Why then do people feel that clergy should not be compensated for their work in sowing the seeds of the Spirit, nurturing the faithful, and growing souls? Our society rewards people who work in the material world with material benefits. Naturally we expect that those who carry out God’s work to receive spiritual rewards from God, however, some people have a problem understanding that God’s ministers cannot “eat” spiritual food forever. They eventually need material food so they won’t starve, and they need shelter on earth before they reside in God’s Kingdom of Heaven. Pastors need to be supported materially because they have material expenses.
Personally, I believe that when people and congregations are less than generous to their pastors it is because they do not understand the hard work that goes into ministry. In many respects, when a person associates with a church on limited basis they cannot feel or see a community’s spirituality unless they are connected intimately to the community. These non-giving people don’t believe that their money is well spent compensating the pastor because they cannot see “hard” evidence of his work. Actually, according to an article in Christianity Today, active parishioners are the most generous donors to all charitable organizations. They give generously because through their service they see lives being changed and the great things being done to further God’s Kingdom. They are aware of the pastor’s hard work and know that their parish is best served when the pastor’s basic needs are covered. God’s Law understands that people work the best when they are able to share in the rewards from the material fruits from their labor.
Pastors Have Right to be Supported Because Religious Leaders Were Always Paid
Our Orthodox faith has a long history for compensating its deacons, priests, and bishops. The Church follows St. Paul’s recommendation that clergy have a right to be compensated and recognizes that pastors were compensated throughout the New Testament. Levite priests under the Old Testament were supported by the entire nation of ancient Israel through various taxes and offerings. Today, growing communities understand that they need to have dedicated pastors to nurture, grow, and strengthen the faithful.
St. Paul’s experience with the Corinthians was different. Although he was the Corinthian Church’s founding pastor, St. Paul waived his right for support and worked as tentmaker to pay his expenses. He did not want to burden the Corinthians financially and did not want newcomers to the faith to think that he was motivated to preach the Gospel for financial gain. St. Paul argues that although he was not compensated, he had the right to be supported. As the community matured it later supported other religious leaders such as Peter and Apollos who came after him. St. Paul did not resent them for this because he understood that it is not easy to support oneself along with spreading the Gospel of Christ.
Historically, there is a strong precedent that religious leaders should be compensated so they can devote their entire efforts to furthering the Apostolic mission. What happens, however, if a community is too small to afford a full-time pastor? What allowances can be made? Is this contrary to todays teaching? The most important goal of any parish is to spread the Gospel of Salvation and grow the family of believers. Growing a church takes time and even St. Paul recognized that placing a heavy financial burden on a new community could hinder the spreading of the Gospel. Therefore, it is often necessary that young communities such as yours make allowances by utilizing clergy that earn a living in the secular world. Eventually, when this parish has grown, it too will reach the status of the Corinthian Church and be able to support full-time ministries. Until that time, my prayers are with you.
As I close my sermon I want to point out that this community is similar to the Corinthian Church because you are a relatively new parish and were considered a “mission church” just a few years ago. Through your dedication, service and devotion to the Lord the Holy Spirit has blessed you with a beautiful new facility and a dedicated, spiritual pastor. In future years this parish will continue to grow and be more blessed. Eventually, your spiritual needs will dictate that this community requires a full-time pastor to minister to you. It is my prayer that you compensate this person well so that they can serve you without having other worldly concerns. This is God’s intention. Amen.
