Dear Pastor Whoever
Dear Pastor Whoever….
In catholicism, the priest’s odd attire separates him from all others in the congregation. He is like the uniformed policeman whose attire elevates him from all other citizenry. I suppose Lord Jesus approves of the policeman’s uniform but strongly opposes the priest’s black ‘uniform’.
Lord Jesus said (NLT), “All of you are equal as brothers and sisters.” While the priest’s attire makes him more than equal, YOUR SALARY has the same affect. “But” you protest, “Jesus also said, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’ ” Yes, that is true, but….
Nonetheless our Lord never endorsed a salary. You cannot find the word ‘salary’ in the Bible. Unlike a salary, a contribution does not divide the congregation into the ministerial and the ‘laity’, the special and the not-so-special. Your salary raises you, in the people’s estimation, higher than the rest. You are not their parallel. Your salary makes you exclusive.
There is a huge difference between a contribution, which is Biblical, and your salary, which is not Biblical. A contribution does not elevate you; you are still just one of the guys. Also, everybody in the church would equally qualify for contributions…. including sunday school teachers, evangelists, music people, etcetera. The people would have to be prayerful to discern to whom to contribute and how much; this would have the affect of making them less institutionalized and more Spirit-led.
“Women who followed Jesus from Galilee” contributed to Jesus’ needs and that of his disciples. The twelve and the seventy lived by contribution while being about the Lord’s business of preaching and healing. The Philippians (and other christians) contributed to Paul as he ministered.
Get it?…. contributions, not salaries.
Your salary is not Biblical. There is no Bible precedent. Evangelicalism makes no sense to the person assuming your religion and New Testament writings have something in common.
I wish you well.
Larry Jones