"I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge"
Read an interesting statement from the apostle Paul today. It stuck with me, it captivated me, and it stopped me up. It froze me in time for a few minutes.
Considering I have opted to serve the kingdom as a self supported servant, this resonated with me. What many people view as a sad state of affairs in my life, Paul viewed as a bragging right to wear proudly. There probably are people who think I have abandoned ministry... By ministry they mean being a traditional Minister who leads a church and does what preacher types do as leader of a congregation. I no longer serve in that kind of community each week.
As a Commercial fishing Captain with my own boat, and a Humanitarian NGO in Africa, I work for a living, and my "preaching" is done free of charge now, and I am liking the change. Frankly, I would never wish to go back to that structure again. It's too stifling, too small, too restrictive and controlling for my taste, even though I had a great experience in all my churches, Loved the people, they loved me (For the most part), and moved on in good terms too. So don't assume bitterness or bad feelings got me to where I am.
I have heard sermons on verse 14, justifying why we need to give money to the church to support ministries and ministers. I have also heard sermons on Verse 16, justifying why we need to preach the gospel, and how some just have that calling, and if they are silent... how bad it is to fall down on that calling.
I have never head a sermon on Verse 15 about how good it is to preach free of charge, and how beneficial it is to rob some people of the ability of saying "I'm paying you for this".
Right now I'm living it, and liking it. We are seeing more and more 'Clergy" stepping out of the stifling box that is killing their souls freedom, and learning to serve in a whole new way, freely, as they learn new skills to earn a living. We are liking it. Don't let ministry as a job, or income, keep you for doing what you know is right. The pay check is not worth the trade off on your soul, or the tension it creates in your family. God can move you to the place where you can serve free of charge. It's not easy, it calls for radical changes in our life. But I think they are worth it. Understand this, you don't need that structure to be a servant, nor need it to be a fruitful servant. There are lots of church planters out there self supporting now. I think It's a positive trend. You can do things you feel lead to do without some groups prior approval or permission. You can place yourself and serve in some dark places, with the kind of people, that most churches have a hard time absorbing and rubbing shoulders with. And you free up kingdom resources to invest in more critical things.
I am not suggesting all ministers need to step down from their churches. Not at all, we need people serving there too.
However, if that is not working for you, if that is sucking the life out of your soul, and this concept sparks your interest, there is biblical support that this can work, and it can be very healthy for all involved too.
Go while you can still serve. Don't wait until you are so crushed, that when you leave, you can't pick your head to serve anyone much.
"In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. 15 Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge." (1 Corinthians 9:14-15)
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