In 1 Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul found it necessary to defend his right, as well as that of his preaching companion Barnabas, to receive material support in the pursuit of preaching the gospel.
This was in response to an “examination” by others, who apparently objected to his taking money and support from congregations. (It is interesting how possessive some brethren can be about money that belongs to the Lord!). His defense begins in verse 4.
“Do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?” (9:4-7).
There are a number of truths that can be derived from this text. First, apostles were supported in their work of apostleship. Second, others who preached the gospel (“the brothers of the Lord”) were supported as well. From this Paul argued for the support of Barnabas in his work of preaching, though Barnabas was not an apostle. As Paul stated in verse 14, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”
Next question, how much should he get paid? The answer to that is, it depends. And, some principles should be understood in the beginning. First, no man should preach for the money. The conflict is obvious. A man who preaches must always preach the truth. He must be “instant in season and out of season” (cf. 2 Timothy 4:2), reproving, and rebuking when necessary. A man whose concern is his paycheck will limit his words if his support is threatened. There will always be men willing to scratch the ears of Christians (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3). Such men are not worthy to fill a pulpit. Second, his support should be adequate for his family, and to enable him to give himself totally to the work of preaching. Paul had the right to “eat and drink”, and to “take along a believing wife.”
These two principles should take care of both a man getting too much support, or too little. If you hear any Christian complaining about “how much the preacher makes”, or stating that he shouldn’t make any more than the poorest member of the congregation, you will know that they are speaking from an uninformed place, and may be showing covetousness. As Paul wrote, “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we shall reap your material things?” (vs. 11).
The final question, where does the support come from? First, Paul was writing to the church in Rome. The Philippian congregation, on another occasion, was commended for the support Paul received (cf. Philippians 4:10-20). Congregations are to offer support to men who preach the gospel. How do congregations obtain their funds? Through the free will offering of their members. “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside…” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Note that this passage contextually deals with money collected for benevolent work. We don’t go to this text for authority to pay a preacher (we got that from chapter 9), we go to this passage to establish the pattern for collecting money as a congregation.
One final point, regardless of our secular concept of employment, the preacher is not an employee of the church — not scripturally. He is more properly understood as the Lord’s employee, or more accurately, a steward (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:2), a minister of the gospel. As such, the support of the preacher is described as an act of fellowship — joint participation in the Lord’s work (cf. Philippians 1:5). A church doesn’t tell the preacher what to preach, the Lord does (cf. Acts 20:27). A church doesn’t tell the preacher what to do, the Lord does (2 Timothy 4:5). A church simply decides whether they will fellowship him in that work.
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