Ministry or Money: Considering the Contrast
Dr. J. D. Watson
Pastor-Teacher of Grace Bible Church
Founder of Sola Scriptura Ministries
Meeker, Colorado
Behind
the wheel of his Ford Aerostar mini-van, Bill Stuart turned left into the
parking lot of Contemporary Community Church. Since his move to the new area
about a year before, he had been delinquent about church. He just hadn’t made
finding a new church a priority. He finally realized that that should change
and had decided to visit this church as the start of his search. Seated next to
him was his wife, and in the back seats their three little ones.
“Well,
here we are, gang,” Bill said cheerfully, as he eased the van into a parking
spot and shut off the engine. “Everybody out.”
They all
climbed out of the van, Bibles in hand, and headed for the door of the somewhat
large church, with Bill and his wife in the lead and the children following
like a row of baby ducks.
As they
walked, they smiled at other churchgoers and said “Good morning” to one young couple
as they passed by. Bill also smiled to himself as a saw one man get out of his
car, start to walk away, and then snap his fingers as he went back to his car.
Bill rightly assumed that the man had forgotten something as he saw the man
open the car door and retrieve a brightly colored, two-inch by four inch, piece
of paper. I know the feeling, Bill thought to himself. I get more
absent-minded everyday.
As the
family drew closer to the building, Bill noticed a short line forming at the
large doors and also saw other people there, whom he assumed were greeters,
directing the arriving worshipers. Since he was talking to his wife, he didn’t
take much notice of all that was going on until suddenly his group arrived at
the door.
Bill’s
eyes caught the gaze of the smiling young woman at the door. She had her hand
extended as if she were expecting Bill to give her something. Bill just gave
her a quizzical look.
“Oh, I
see,” she finally said, still smiling, “you don’t have advanced seating.”
“I beg
your pardon,” Bill said.
“If you
don’t already have advanced seating, you can step into the foyer and buy your
tickets there.”
“Our
tickets?” Bill said incredulously, as he now noticed other people who were
holding the same brightly colored paper he’d seen a few moments earlier. “What
do you mean tickets? This is a church isn’t it?”
“Oh, of
course, it is, Sir, but there are many expenses that must be met. If you would
like to step into the foyer, there’s still seating available, and we accept all
major credit cards.”
Have You Got Your Ticket for Church?
What a
ridiculous story, right? After all, how outrageous it is to think that a church
would actually charge people money to enter for worship, fellowship, and Bible
knowledge.
Then
again, perhaps it’s not that uncommon after all.
How
about the $70 registration required to attend the two-day “Philadelphia
Conference on Reformation Theology 2003?” Oh, yes, there are discounts for
students, senior citizens, and groups, but it’s full price for anyone else. I
just couldn’t help wondering how much John Calvin charged the Genevans to hear
him preach twice each Sunday. On the other hand, since every other week he
preached every weeknight, perhaps he gave them a discount.
Or how
about a well-known ministry’s three-day 2003 National Conference titled, “The
Power and the Glory: How Can We Glorify God?” The bargain price—if you
registered between 1/18 and 2/14—was $129. After that, however, you were
rebuked by having to pay $149. At least pastors got a discount of $10 and children
17 or under were free. But the conference title immediately begs two questions:
Why do we have to charge money to learn how to glorify God? And just how
exactly is God glorified by such a mercenary practice?
Or how
about another well-known ministry—this one in the Creation/Evolution
debate—which charges $25 per person ($35 for a family, $10 for students and
senior citizens) for its Friday night and Saturday seminars that are held right
in local churches? This example struck me as not being very far at all from our
story about Bill and his family.
And
these are only three examples of a growing trend.
I
thought it interesting that while many ministries have in the past just begged
for money so they could continue ministering, many today demand
it before they even start ministering. It almost makes one yearn for the
good old days of the TV or radio evangelist, who devoted 10 minutes of the
broadcast to pleading with the viewers to send money. Today the cost of
“ministry” is up front and in your face, just like buying any other product.
Oh, how times change.
And
speaking of TV, have you heard about the Church
Communication Network (CCN)? It’s a satellite network much like
HBO or other premium cable or satellite channel. The big draw here is the
seminars that you can watch exclusively on CCN, in the comfort of your living
room or all-purpose facility at your church. With a one-year subscription,
you’ll receive a Dish Network satellite dish and receiver with free
installation and have access to view 24-30 CCN seminar programs. Cost? 30
seminars by satellite for $1,100 per year (or $99 per month), plus a $250 one-time
activation fee (at the time of this writing, this was actually a bargain since
the regular price is $2,195).
What about the content of those CCN
seminars? A couple of them actually sound good—Principles
for Growing a Healthy Church and Spiritual Growth for Real People—but,
of course, I can’t vouch for the content since I didn’t pay to get it.
Tragically, I guess I’ll never know how to have a healthy church or how to have
spiritual growth. What a pity, since I’ve been a pastor for over 20 years.
As a sidebar, the
content of several other seminars, however, reveals the root philosophies of
modern Evangelical “ministry.” Postmodern Ministry, for example, teaches
the viewer how to “discover exciting new ways to reach the next
generation for Christ.” Odd, I thought God had already given us the ways to
reach the world in Scripture. The description of another seminar, Beyond
the Box, is very instructive: “In
church leadership, thinking outside the box is good, but beyond the box is
better! A seminar to help you move outside—and beyond.” Forgive my ignorance,
but what box would that be? Is it perhaps the Scriptures? I for one like that
particular box. Still another seminar, Innovation and
Risk-Taking, instructs the viewer how to “develop
bold leadership to build the church and change the world!” Pity my simplicity once
again, but I wasn’t aware that Biblical ministry had anything to do with
risk-taking.
All
those seminars, and others we could note, merely underscore the approaches to
ministry that have now been adopted by 90% of the Church today—Pragmatism and
Relativism. Pragmatism, of course, is the philosophy that the worth of
something is dictated by how successful it is, by whether or not it gets
results. Therefore, if a course of action (including a method of ministry) gets
results, it’s right, but if it doesn’t get results, it’s wrong. Pragmatism is,
in turn, rooted in Relativism, which simply says that there is no
absolute right or wrong, good or bad, truth or error. Everything is relative;
it just depends upon the circumstances or perspective.
The
danger in all this should be so obvious to Christians that it shouldn’t even be
an issue; the destructive nature of these philosophies should be glaringly
apparent—they totally destroy Biblical authority and sufficiency. But such is
not the case. Evangelicalism as a whole has been sucked into both Pragmatism
and Relativism despite the fact that Scripture is neither pragmatic nor
relativistic. It gives absolute Truth on all issues, including
methods of ministry.
Just one
graphic example is that preaching, which is God’s mandated method of
proclaiming His Truth, has been replaced by entertainment and other “more
relevant” methods. Shorter sermons, comedy, drama, and other “more relevant”
methods have replaced doctrinal exactness and Truth and the bold proclamation
of both from church pulpits.
Which
brings us back to the main thesis. Another direct result of today’s Pragmatism
and Relativism is the idea of charging money for ministry. Let’s face the fact
that there is not one single Biblical precedent for this kind of approach. Not
once do we ever see God’s people being charged for hearing Truth. The whole
idea is appalling.
So how
has this happened? There is only one explanation: Scripture alone is no
longer our sole and sufficient authority. Instead of following the mandated
methods of Scripture, we do things the way we want to. In so doing, we are
telling God that His ways are not good enough, not “relevant” for our age. And
there can be only one word for this attitude—a word that most fear to use in
our tolerant and politically correct day—heresy.
Now, I
am fully aware of the arguments for charging admission to conferences and
seminars: “We have to pay the electric bill, the speakers, the cost of printing
the brochures, and so much more.” But we are still left with a problem: no
Biblical precedent. Whatever happened to the love offerings of God’s people? If
a ministry is really important, won’t God provide the finances to do it?
The
Apostle Paul never demanded a single denarius in his three decades of ministry
(Acts 20:33-35; I Cor. 9:1-15; I Thess. 2:5, 9; 2 Cor. 11:9). On the contrary,
he warned that doing so was an earmark of false teachers (Acts 8:18–23; 1 Tim.
3:3; 6:3-5, 6–10). From Balaam, who sold himself to the highest bidder, through
the greedy false prophets of Israel, to Judas and Demas in the New Testament,
the hallmark of false teachers is greed. As Peter likewise declares, “And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not” (II Pet. 2:3).
Personal
illustrations are not Truth, but I would share something my wife and I learned
long ago—God will provide when we are faithful. We saw this provision
first hand when we were in a traveling ministry. As we traveled all over
America, we followed Paul’s example by never making a demand on how much money
we had to have before we could come for meetings. We trusted God and he
supplied our needs for four years, as we pulled our “home” (a 21-foot travel
trailer) behind us. One week is still vivid. After a six-day meeting at one
church, the pastor handed us $150, which didn’t even cover expenses. Thanking
him, we went to our next destination, where after a three-day meeting, the
pastor handed us $500.
Evangelicals
need to wake up and realize what we have allowed to happen. This practice of
charging for meetings is, if I may be so bold, despicable and worldly, and it
makes us look like cultists and false teachers.
Does That Include Shipping and Handling?
Another
practice that continues to grieve my spirit is “Christian publishing,” where
the publishing of most Christian literature has very little to do with ministry,
rather has everything to do with money. Let’s face it, most (not all,
but most) publishers are commercial enterprises; they are in the business of
publishing books to make a profit.
Now,
before I am accused of being a Socialist—and believe me, I am the farthest
thing from that—let me say that there is nothing wrong with making money, or
even with being rich. There were numerous Old and New Testament saints who were
wealthy. But, as we would all agree, the main danger, of course, is making
money our God or getting it wrongfully.
Another
danger, however, is not so universally recognized, namely, sacrificing Truth
for the sake of profit. All one need do is simply look at the majority of
what is published today. Most of the books on the market are shallow,
experiential, and devoid of doctrine and are not worth the price of the ink it
took to print them. Usually, anything deep, authoritative, or doctrinal is denied
publication because “it doesn’t sell.” There are exceptions to that norm, but
often the only reason is that the author has a big name that could sell the New
York phone book if his name was on the cover.
Now, I
want to make it clear that I am not talking about all publishers. There are
exceptions. There are those whose motives are pure and whose goals are the
propagation of Truth, such as some that are run by a trust, for example (such
as Banner of Truth Tust), and other small publishers that operate on a
shoestring budget (such as The Trinity Foundation).
But
again, why can’t we trust the Lord for our publishing needs? Why can’t we make
our publications available on a love-offering basis? I can hear the laughter of
the skeptic and “the realist” who think this naïve. Well, they both can think
what they want. The fact is that the amount that is charged by most publishers
(not to mention the horrendous shipping and “handling” fees) could never be
called “ministry.”
We have
tried desperately to do this in the tiny publishing endeavors that we carry on
at our own church, which I have had the joy of pastoring for 17 years. Our book
and tape ministries are just that—ministries. God’s people are encouraged to
give as God lays it on their hearts. Just the other day, for example, a check
for $50 appeared in our donation box, and I know for a fact that the one who
left the check took books from the rack that totaled only $10.
This
development in publishing is even more vivid in the area of Bible translations.
Now, I am not going to enter the textual debate here; I just want to deal a
moment with one of the obvious driving forces in this fracas—money.
Consider
this. In an interview published in the April 7, 1996 edition of The Denver Post newspaper, a Christian bookstore
salesman said to the reporter, “There’s a Bible for every person and
background.” He then estimated that their store stocked 300 versions, including
a range of “niche” Bibles for targeted audiences. The article goes on to cite
several examples. In Path to Victory: A
Sports New Testament, “baseball pitchers Orel Hershiser and Dave Dravecky
reveal how the Lord helped them through the middle part of the batting order.”
Not only are there Bibles for sports fans, but Bibles for families,
environmentalists, intellectuals, couples, singles, students, and countless
others.
By far
the most appalling, however, are the Bibles that “employ earthy, conversational
language to reach their readers.” One example is the Black Bible Chronicles, an Old Testament published for street kids
by African American Family Press. It’s written in familiar language that is
“reminiscent of rap music.” It describes Cain getting “bent out of shape” and
killing his brother and how God “busts” him. In Leviticus 19:20, where God speaks
of fornication, this “Bible” says, “It’s bad to do the wild thing without a
blessing from the Almighty. You have to be hitched.”
The
article goes on to cite Glenn Paauw, product development manager for the
International Bible Society in Colorado Springs, whose specialty is these
“niche” Bibles. One of his next projects is a comic book Bible for teenagers in
jail, not to mention a New Testament for truckers.
Perhaps
the most enlightening comment in the article comes when Paauw states, “How do
you get someone who already has a family Bible to buy another Bible? You do it
by addressing some life situation that they’re in.” What, then, is at least an
underlying motive, if not the primary motive, for all the new Bibles? Money!
The Bible is just another product! And I am convinced that this is the real
driving force behind most modern translations. From the lethal Dynamic
Equivalency approach of the NIV (not to mention its “Inclusive Language,” i.e.,
“gender neutral,” edition) to the blasphemous Black Bible Chronicles,
God’s Word is just another commodity. It is no longer in the hands of
God’s people; rather It is now in the hands of the corporate boardroom. It is
controlled not by those who are committed to ministry and Truth, but by those
who primarily are concerned with the bottom-line.
What IS Ministry?
The
problem here lies, at least partly, in the fact that we have forgotten what ministry
is. Briefly, as most know, ministry (which occurs in the KJV, for
example, 18 times) translates the Greek diakonia (e.g. Acts 6:4). It
(along with other forms—diakonos and diakoneo) appear
approximately 100 times in the New Testament and are variously translated
“administration,” “cared for,” “minister,” “servant,” “serve,” “service,”
“preparations,” “relief,” “support,” and “deacon,” among others. The root idea
was “one who serves at table,” but probably included other menial tasks. That
concept gradually broadened until it came to include any kind of service in the
church.
So, what
is ministry? It is service, and there is no monetary return
implied in the word since it was originally rooted in the menial tasks
performed by slaves. Christians today, even Christian speakers and leaders,
have forgotten (if they ever knew) that Christian ministry is service, whether
you get paid or not. “But these servants need to be supported by God’s people,”
it is argued. That is absolutely true, as Paul makes very clear in I Tim.
5:17-18. But that does not mean that a servant demands anything.
As if
this principle were not clear enough, Paul uses several other words to make
sure we get it. One of the most common is doulos, which speaks of one
who is a bondman, one who is in servitude to another and gives himself totally
to another’s will (Col. 4:12; II Tim. 2:24; etc.). Does such a servant demand
from the master?
Even
more graphic is Paul’s use of huperetes, which literally means “under
rower” and originally referred to the lowest galley slaves, the ones chained to
their oar on the bottom tier of a ship. As he wrote to the Corinthians, “Let a
man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the
mysteries of God” (I Cor. 4:1). Just as the puffed up Christians in Corinth
needed to be reminded of what a true minister is, we need reminding today. How
many in “ministry” today consider themselves to be a galley slave?
Is there
any doubt that we need a radical rethinking of ministry today? What methods are
we using that simply do not have Biblical basis? What are our real desires?
What are our real motives? What are our real goals? Who are we really serving,
God or mammon (Matt. 6:24).
Fine, if
we want to continue charging for meetings and demanding high prices for empty
books, could we at least stop using the term “ministry?” Let’s call it what it
really is—merchandising.