The Worker’s Wages Part 1: Framing the Discussion
(This is the first in a five six-part series exploring some of the dynamics of clergy pay in missional churches.)
I began last weekend by asking the question, “Should missional church leaders be paid?” As I pointed out then, this topic has been broached recently by David Fitch and JR Rozko (who are part of the same church community, Life on the Vine), who both touched on reasons for declining full-time payment as missional leaders. At Life on the Vine, leaders intentionally practice bi-vocationalism. In tune with those posts, Michael Carpenter reflected on how the professionalization of ministry can rob non-professionals from a sense of calling to the vocation of ministry. Todd Heistand then contributed a very helpful peek into the life of a bi(tri)-vocational church leader. Finally, at the Missional Commons Non-Conference in Fort Wayne, this questions was addressed by a panel including Matt Tebe, JR Woodward, and Bob Havenor. You can listen to the audio of that panel discussion by clicking here.
So, what could possibly be left to discuss?
Well, I’m hoping to advance the conversation by taking the slightly different approach of digging a little into some of our cultural perceptions, re-thinking some familiar scriptures, and borrowing from some anthropological observations about gift-giving (you had to know I was going to sneak that in!).
I’m also hoping this is more of a dialogue than a diatribe (since I have plenty of those here already). So along the way I’m going to be asking some questions that I hope you’ll interact with so we can learn together, even if it’s in disagreement.
So let me frame the discussion: There’s obviously a great deal of energy and frustration out there regarding this topic and most of it seems to center around three main issue:
- The sense that receiving payment as a minister changes the posture of the church toward a more passive, receptive mode,
- The sense that post-Christian generations are less tolerant of professional ministers, and therefore are less willing to give financially toward that end, and
- The very real challenge of figuring out how to make ends meet if you are bi-vocational or volunteer leader.
In my observation these tend to manifest as a kind of tug-of-war between two strikingly similar, but competing values: the sustainability of the holistic body on the one hand (which appears to be threatened by professional leadership) and the sustainability of the leadership on the other (which is threatened by pragmatic challenges). I’d like to suggest that resolving this tension involves the integration of these values through a redefinition of the nature of our work as ministers. In fact, I think the problem itself stems from a distortion of the nature of ministerial work.
I might as well tell you now: I’m doing this for myself. As a missional church planter I am right in the midst of a huge struggle with these issues and some of that will probably bleed out. I know where I’m planning to go with this, so let me warn you: as many of you have rightly pointed out, this is a cultural problem, and since our culture is here to stay, I don’t think the resolution offers an easy fix. But I do think a different perspective can help some of us move forward with confidence.
On to the questions:
- What has been your experience with the “3 main issues” or the “tug-of-war” I described. Did I get that right? What did I miss?
- Who have been your most influential mentors (including authors, business leaders, etc.) and why?
- What is the essence of your work as a minster? In other words (to echo an often heard refrain) what exactly is it you do?
