As a bible student with just 1 year left to go to graduate with a degree, I look back at the past three years when I tried (and probably am still failing miserably) to balance a business with studies and other responsibilities in life, I often think about the notion whereby Christian ministry seems to be unique in that many things we do in lay capacity are not remunerable. Many a service is done "unto the Lord" which is all good and nice, but when the realities of school fees, bills and textbooks (and commentaries and other books) come into the equation, it really eats into you. When two of your classmates have all their school fees and textbooks paid for by their church, even having a monthly allowance, but most importantly, are given the blessing by their leadership to attempt to apply whatever they have studied, one cannot but think about why do I make so many sacrifices just to complete a theological degree.
I personally have been the recipient of the grace and love of many lay leaders in church, most significant of a full time staff member of another church, who mentored and journeyed with me through the days I was anti-Christian, until today when I am about to venture into ministry for my beloved Jesus Christ. If the tithes and offerings of his church did not allow him to provide for his family, I do not know if I still would be still not too different from the angry and bitter teenager I was.
I guess that if God has truly called a minister, then he would be gracious to provide the means necessary to carry out the call, be it in family blessing, finances or opportunity for ministry. It is the working out toward the end goal (in my case, a church plant) that requires faith from on high to keep the workman going.
As I reflect on Tripp's short discourse, I would like to add that some churches have large full time staff because their members somehow do not minister to one another, so they pay others to take care of them. But if a person has truly been taught and captured the heart of the gospel, all followers of Jesus by nature would minister informally, whether or not they are paid by the church.
I often point out the dilemma why the sunday school teacher or the cell group leader is not paid, whereas the air con or the elevator repair man is. If we want to use a ministry of helps as a basis of comparison, we can consider whether the sound, light, money counters, security volunteers should be paid. I do recognise that when a church starts paying her congregation for certain tasks, like for editing an announcement video, that would be precedent for every other ministry volunteer to receive pay. That would not be an issue for a church which has a culture of giving generously (in terms of tithes/offering and to one another), but for a church that is barely balancing the accounts, that would not be possible.
So to go back on topic, in reflection to Tripp's stance, a church possibly should ask itself whether is its paid staff equipping its lay leaders to minister informally to one another or if they spend most of their time ministering to its congregation.
From Pages 19-20 of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands
"The only metaphor that captures God's plan for the church is the metaphor of a body. Christ has given his church leaders, not to bear the full ministry load of the body of Christ, but to equip each member to join in God's work of personal transformation. Remember: no local church could hire enough staff to meet all the ministry needs of a given week! In the biblical model, much more informal, personal ministry goes on than formal ministry. The times of formal, public ministry are meant to train God's people for the personal ministry that is the lifestyle of the body of Christ. Reflect on your own life. Isn't it true that change has not come only through the formal ministry of the Word? Hasn't God also used ordinary people to change your heart and transform your life?"
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