Some Christians may be tempted to conclude from this passage that a minister should never take a salary from his church, but should support himself only by tentmaking
work. The term tentmaking
has come to refer to work (other than ministry work) that a pastor or missionary may undertake in order to support himself and his family. This enables him to pursue the work of the gospel without requiring a salary—at least not a full salary—from those whom he serves in ministry. Some years ago a brother from Zimbabwe shared with me that his denomination had a general policy that all pastors should support themselves by tentmaking work.
On the other hand, some Christians might want to insist that all pastors and ministers should be supported directly through the work of ministry, and should not engage in tentmaking work.
Although having a rigid policy saves us from the challenge of having to think about what to do every time we encounter a new situation, that is not the biblical approach; such an approach might also prove to be harmful in practice. In the case of the Zimbabwean denomination mentioned above, the churches failed to grow properly because their pastors were too busy trying to support their families. We need, rather, to take full account of all relevant biblical teaching, and wisely apply the biblical principles in each situation.
There is no space to develop a comprehensive theology of ministerial support here, but I will, nevertheless, highlight a few principles. These need to be applied with wisdom.
Both Jesus and Paul taught that it is right for a minister to be supported by the people to whom he ministers. The laborer deserves his food
(Matthew 10:10, see also Luke 10:7); and the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel
(1 Corinthians 9:14). The purpose of such support is to free the minister from the burden of doing other (tentmaking) work to support his family so that he can devote himself to the needs and demands of ministry (see Acts 6:1–4; Acts 18:5).
Nevertheless, Paul did not consider himself obliged to accept such support, as we see from his practice in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:9; see also 1 Corinthians 9:12, 1 Corinthians 9:15). When accepting support would have placed an undue burden on his converts, he chose rather to support himself through his own labour. From Paul’s example we may conclude that a pastor should not allow his salary/stipend to become a financial burden for his church members. We also learn from Paul that a pastor must guard against greed, especially with respect to his salary/stipend (1 Thessalonians 2:5).
A little thought about the large variety of circumstances in which the gospel is proclaimed makes it impossible to specify any kind of rigid policy about whether a minister should receive a salary/stipend, and whether a minister should engage in tentmaking work. Each situation must be judged on its own merits, with due regard for all the biblical principles and above all for the necessity of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. The practice to be followed should be the one which is most advantageous to the ministry of the Word when all the factors are considered. It is ideal when a congregation can fully support its pastor so that he can fully devote himself to the ministry of the Word.
Those who receive the ministry of the Word should have a joy and delight in supporting the ministry by their giving. Doing so demonstrates an appreciation for the gospel and a desire to support its proclamation to the ends of the earth. Unwillingness to support the ministry may even result in God taking away the privilege of hearing his word (Matthew 10:14–15).
8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.