Lesson 8: Local Church Support

► Why should a church be locally supported? Before looking at the list below, what reasons can you think of?

1. Jesus showed us that ministry in a place should start the right way. He sent the disciples out with no money so that their ministry would attract people who were interested in the gospel and wanted to help.

2. God gave directions for the New Testament churches to give. They were supposed to send support for the first church in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, 2 Corinthians 9:1-6). They were supposed to take care of widows and other needy people in the church (1 Timothy 5:16; James 1:27, James 2:15-16). They were to support people in full-time ministry (Galatians 6:6).

3. God equips each church to be the body of Christ in its location (1 Corinthians 12:27). That means that a mature church can make decisions and develop vision for its own ministry. That does not happen if it is dependent on outside leaders for support and direction. Local financial support is necessary for church maturity.

4. God blesses the finances of people who tithe. A curse is on the finances of people who do not tithe (Malachi 3:8-10).

5. Dependence on outside support makes the local church vulnerable. National and international economies are uncertain. If distant donors stop giving, the churches that depend on them will suffer.

6. Pastors should be supported by the people they serve (Galatians 6:6). The local congregation knows if the pastor is faithful. They know if he spends time in his ministry. He should not be supported long-term by people far away.

► What problems come from dependence on distant support?

An international mission or denomination should follow certain principles in the ways they help churches. The organization should be careful to help in a way that makes the churches stronger, rather than making them more dependent. Here are some examples of policies a mission or denomination may develop.

1. Emphasize tithe as the foundation of Christian finances. If a congregation is not tithing, God will not bless the finances of the church. If they are not already doing what they can, they have the wrong understanding of ministry finances. Help from the outside may make things worse instead of better.

2. Rather than giving routine support, do projects that give something permanent. The organization should spend money for projects that will help the church be stronger financially, rather than providing salaries that make the church dependent on distant support. Where monthly salaries from the organization already exist, the organization should make the transition to help the church become self-supporting.

3. Do not start ministries that can never become locally supported. Organizations should not start things that will be dependent upon outside support for as long as they operate. The goal is to establish ministries or enterprises that can belong to a local church and be locally maintained. For example, a school should be the ministry of a local church.

Any ministry effort that is unlikely to ever be locally financed should be something short-term that accomplishes a purpose quickly without creating dependence (examples: conventions and seminars).

4. Empower local church leadership rather than bypassing it. When outsiders or higher ranking leaders give help directly to the needy, those in the local ministry look ineffective. Rather than giving directly to the people of a church, the organization should equip the church leadership to meet needs.

► What are some examples of the wrong kind of mission help? What are some examples of the right kind of help?

A church must not be sidetracked from its priorities by the “aid industry.” There are people and organizations that want to give resources to relieve poverty but do not have direct contact with people in need. “Relief organizations” are organizations that collect resources from donors to give to people in need. Sometimes the administrators of the aid earn salaries from the resources they manage. Sometimes there is deception, and both the donors and the needy are defrauded. Even when aid goes to the right people, the aid industry tends to do the things that will please the donor rather than trying to understand the real needs of the people.

The aid industry usually bypasses the local church. It gives in a way that ignores the church’s relationship with the people receiving help. Giving has better effects when it is done through the church, by leaders who know the circumstances of the people, and in a way that shows the importance of the church.

If an organization meets the basic needs of the poor (like food) without changing their situation, it makes the poor more dependent. If they have enough resources, they may create communities of dependent people. If they continue long enough, they raise new generations of dependent people.

A mission should not become part of the aid industry and forget the priorities of the church. To do so ultimately harms both the church and the people with needs.

► What examples have you seen of the aid industry and its effects?

► A student should read Deuteronomy 18:1-5 for the group. What does this passage tell us about financial support for ministry?

Financial support of people in full-time ministry was God’s plan from the time of the Old Testament. The priests were to be supported for their work in the Temple. They did not receive a share of the land, because they were not to be busy with farming.

Sometimes when Israel declined in their faithfulness to worship, support for the priests also declined. It was a sign of Israel’s unfaithfulness when the Temple workers had to leave the Temple and find other ways to support themselves (Nehemiah 13:10).

► A student should read 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 for the group. What does this passage tell us about financial support for ministry?

Paul said that God’s plan is for preachers of the gospel to be supported by their ministry, just as in the Old Testament system (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). Paul used several illustrations of this principle. A farmer is supported by the crops he produces. A shepherd is supported by the production of the flock. A soldier does not make war at his own expense.

The apostle is saying that ministry deserves the pastor’s complete focus. The best situation is for him to be able to leave other employment (verse 6). The apostle says that a ministry should also be able to support the pastor’s wife, which implies children also (verse 5).

► A student should read 1 Timothy 5:17-18 for the group. What does this passage tell us about financial support for ministry?

Elders who lead well deserve double honor. Verse 18 shows that the honor is financial support.

► A student should read Galatians 6:6 for the group.

The person benefiting from the ministry should help to support the ministry.

[1]Since the first century of the church, most churches have started as small groups meeting in homes. Church buildings did not exist for the first 200 years, yet Christianity spread rapidly. In some large cities, thousands of people were in the church fellowship, yet they met in groups in homes.

As Paul traveled and evangelized, his priority was to establish a church in every place. That method included appointing pastors (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). The pastor in each place was a person who already lived there and was part of the fellowship.

A pastor usually starts his ministry without financial support. He helps the missionary or begins preaching the gospel without a missionary because he has a desire to help. He begins to show gifts and abilities for the ministry. He does it not for pay, but because of spiritual zeal.

As a group of believers is formed, the responsibilities of the pastor increase and take more time. The group should help support the pastor so he can give his time to ministry. The support may not be complete at first, but can grow gradually.

► What would you say to a person who says he wants to be a pastor but is waiting for financial support?

Paul explained that God’s plan is for the pastor to be supported. However, his own ministry was sometimes an exception. In several places he worked to support himself (1 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:8).

A new church may not be able to support a pastor completely. When a missionary goes to a new area to preach the gospel, there may not be much support for him. Therefore, a preacher must be a person who preaches because he desires to follow the call of God. He will do ministry because it is in his heart, even if he is not paid.

If a pastor is not willing to work to support himself and preach without pay when necessary, he does not have the love for God that he should have. Some people will do for money what they will not do for God. We should be willing to do anything for God. If a pastor thinks he is too important to work to support himself, he should remember the example of Paul. There has never been a greater missionary than Paul, but he was willing to do whatever was necessary to accomplish the ministry.

Paul said that he preached the gospel because of the call of God. He preached because otherwise he would not please God. The preacher has a special responsibility, and will be judged by God if he does not obey (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).

► What should be a pastor’s motivation for his ministry?

The Apostle Peter said that the elder is a shepherd who should care for the flock, with desire to feed and guard them. His motive should not be money (1 Peter 5:1-2).

Demas was a man who helped the Apostle Paul, but left him because of loving the things of the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Imagine what a privilege Demas had to work with Paul in the first generation of the church, yet he left the ministry because of materialism. Some pastors love the things of the world more than they love God. Some of them leave the ministry, but others use the ministry as a way to get the things of the world.

A characteristic of the teachers of false doctrine is that they do it for money (Titus 1:11, 2 Peter 2:3).

► A student should read 2 Corinthians 12:17-18 for the group. What do we learn about Paul and Titus from this passage?

► A student should read Philippians 2:19-22 for the group. What do we learn about Timothy from this passage?

Paul set an example of serving because of love for God. Timothy and Titus followed his example (Philippians 2:19-22, 2 Corinthians 12:17-18).

It is important to have financial accountability in the local church. The Apostle Paul set an example for us. When he was collecting money from one church to take to another, he had witnesses and made sure that nothing was done secretly (2 Corinthians 8:20-21).

People of the world distrust people who manage money. They assume that many people steal from the money they manage. They believe that many pastors serve only for money. It is important for the local church to have a system for financial accountability that proves that their pastor can be trusted.

► What are some practices that help a church show that the offerings are being used honestly?

For financial accountability, offerings should be collected and counted by several people, not just one. Someone besides the pastor should keep a record of how the money is spent.

Some pastors teach that all the tithe belongs to them. The Bible does not teach that all tithe should go to the pastor. Tithe was used for several purposes (Deuteronomy 26:12).

The pastor should help administrate the use of the tithes and offerings to take care of the ministry of the church. The congregation will be willing to give more if they see faithful use of the offerings.

1. Ministry in a new place should emphasize the gospel and attract the right people.

2. A mature church is not dependent on outside support or leadership.

3. Organizations should help churches in a way that does not weaken the local support.

4. Organizations that give aid often hinder the ministry of the church and cause dependency.

5. A church should support their pastor so that he can give his time to ministry.

6. The church should have a system of accountability that proves their honesty.

7. The pastor should be motivated by his love for God and desire to serve.

1. Memorize the Seven Summary Statements for Lesson 8. Write one paragraph explaining the meaning and importance of each of the Seven Summary Statements (seven paragraphs) to someone who is not in this class. Turn this in to the class leader before the next class. Be ready to share a paragraph with the group if the class leader asks you to during discussion time. Write the statements from memory at the beginning of the next class session.

2. Remember to schedule your own outside-of-class teaching opportunities and report to the class leader when you have taught.

3. Test: At the beginning of the next class session, you will need to write from memory at least five of the six reasons for local church support and the four mission financial policies.