In The Master's Service

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Stop the Swinging Pendulum

Elder Wayne Crocker

Probably during the past 200 years there has not been a great er swinging from one extreme to another than in the matter of financing activities relating to the kingdom of God. The Bible is not silent on this matter. A careful study of God's word and the use of God-given wisdom should bring us to an understanding that is within the center of truth in this area.

The excesses of the Roman Catholic church is enough to make Christians take a close look at efforts to raise money within the church. Money seemed to be of chief concern as the Roman church laid great burdens upon the poor and even sold indulgences (a license to commit certain sins) to raise money to build and maintain magnificent buildings and carry on their other activities.

We also have the example of the moneychangers within the house of God during the ministry of Jesus. He cast out the crooked moneychangers saying, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matthew 21:13).
Among the Baptists, when the modern mission movement began, money again became an ininordinate concern. In order to raise money for the mission effort, people were told how many dollars it would take to save a soul from hell in a particular land. Great sums of money were raised and are still being raised by making people think that their money can be used to help populate heaven and rescue many from the horrors of hell.

In addition to this, millions of dollars are being raised today among many religious orders to build huge buildings, recreation facilities, and carry on many nonchurch functions. No doubt, much good is accomplished through various humanitarian works of various religious groups. Most of us or our families have used hospitals started and partially maintained by various church organizations. However, when we or our insurance company pay our bills we are not taking charity from these institutions, but are helping them stay in business. For the purpose of the present discussion, I am simply pointing out there are many extravagant abuses in the obtaining and using of money being done in the name of religion.

Some so-called ministers are found living extravagant lives at the expense of those they have misled. These no doubt would fit into the same category as the moneychangers during the ministry of Jesus on earth. There is little wonder that the Old Baptists would want to get and stay as far away from these type activities as possible.

Very few, if any, Primitive Baptists have fallen into the excesses of raising and using large sums of money in non-Biblical ways. I have been told by trustworthy brethren of isolated cases where deacons or others have been dishonest in dispersing funds. Although I think this is a very rare occurrence, we must realize that Primitive Baptists are not immune to dishonest and unbiblical practices in regard to finances. However, our greatest fault is on the other side of the center of truth.

In our disgust over the sinful abuses of finances by others, we should be careful not to swing to the opposite extreme. We should not embrace the error that money has little or no importance in carrying out the activities of the church. The New Testament has much to say in regard to the giving of material things to assist the poor, and the gospel ministry.

Most denominations teach that a Christian is required to give a ten percent tithe to support the church and its activities. Since there is no commandment in the New Testament requiring a fixed percentage to be given, the Primitive Baptists have not taught tithing in the past. We have taught and most still teach that the New Testament method of giving does not involve a certain percentage, but a method that is superior to it. However, how this is generally practiced is another story.

Paul writes that the Corinthians should, "Upon the first day of the week (Sunday) let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him..." (I Corinthians 16:1). In II Corinthians 9:7 Paul further instructs: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Throughout II Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, Paul gives details in regard to how one should give according to what he has. He gives the example of the Macedonians who gave more than Paul felt they should as they were in deep poverty. I believe the Macedonian saints gave much more than ten percent!

In his final words as he bade the brethren at Ephesus farewell, Paul said: "I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give then to receive" (Acts 20:35). In I Corinthians 9:1-15, Paul teaches the ministry should be supported in a material way by the flock they feed. This would most surely involve generous giving by the members of the flock.

Support of the ministry must be taught and practiced to the extent practical if we are to be in the center of truth. This is the New Testament pattern. However, there are many situations where the pastor can not be fully supported financially by the church he pastors. In most cases, churches with only a few modest wage earners would be hardpressed to do so. They are required to give according to what they have, not according to what they have not (II Corinthians 8:12).

Although Paul often worked with his hands and was not chargeable to the church, he taught most strongly, as previously stated, the financial support of the ministry. He states plainly that the Lord has "ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (I Corinthians 9:14). Some try to spiritualize that verse and pervert its meaning, but that does not work when you look at the context.

Churches that have pastors who have good-paying jobs that they are not willing to give up to live on the means the church could provide, are not required to provide the same level of support as would be the case should the pastor depend upon the congregation for his living. However, this does not alleviate the duty of the members to give to the cause of Christ as the Lord has prospered them.

Most of the giving examples in the New Testament deal with providing forthose who arein special need among the Christian community. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). That's not just a social visit, but it means to give them what they need.

"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28). Paul's instructions on giving as recorded in I Corinthians, chapter 16 and II Corinthians, chapters 8 and 9 deal with a collection to help the poor saints. Some of the identifying marks of the sheep given by Christ in Matthew 25 is that they fed the hungry and clothed the naked.

I believe the Primitive Baptists are among the most generous people on earth, when they understand there is a need. Since we believe we are the militant church of Christ on earth it seems we should excel all others in carrying out works of mercy. But I am persuaded that many of our people have been untaught and misstaught for so long that today we fail to do as well as we should in this area. There is such an inordinate fear that the wrong method may be used in gathering and dispensing funds, that it seems safer to do nothing.

If it had been necessary for the Lord to provide great details in how to go about setting up bank accounts or tax deductible funds, He would have provided it in His word. An individual church can and has been used to provide aid to those in special need. Apparently many churches were involved in gathering and helping administer the relief Paul wrote about. The question is, must works of charity always be carried out through church bodies? Or can individual ministers and others carry on such activities using other vehicles? The answer to the first question is "No", and the second "Yes."

If individual ministers or members of the church can carry on radio programs, publish religious papers, and maintain libraries under the name "Primitive Baptist", individuals should never be censored for setting up a non-profit entity called by whatever name he or she thinks appropriate to provide for afflicted and poor people. Those who are honestly involved in carrying out these good works are in the very center of Biblical Christianity!

Would it be wrong to help support ministers and churches that are in great poverty through such means as mentioned above? I have heard some say that it is wrong and try to use the Bible to prove it to be so. I have heard one use Paul's admission that he had wronged the Corinthians by not being burdensome to them to prove that it is wrong for a pastor to be supported by those other than the church he pastors.

It is desirable that the pastor be fed by the flock he feeds. This is the normal pattern and should be the goal of each congregation. However, it is never wrong to do good by helping a church or pastor that is in poverty. Paul commended the church at Philippi for aiding him while he was in Macedonia (Philippians 4:10-18).

Before closing, let's get back to the issue of tithing. Anyone who teaches tithing as a law for the gospel church has swung the pendulum a small distance away from the center of Biblical truth. All taxpayers under our current welfare/social security system are paying funds to provide many of the things that tithes were once used to provide. No doubt, most of us should give much more than we do, but there are some who are hardly able to provide their families with basic necessities with their incomes. Making them feel guilty for not giving ten percent of their income is wrong in my opinion.

On the other hand, I believe some of those who seem the most concerned about the tithing error are further from the center of truth than those who may advocate something close to tithing. Personally, I have not heard an Old Baptist advocate tithing, but I have heard several condemn those who reportedly have preached some form of it.

The greater error is to teach that giving of funds to help the cause of Christ, provide for the needy, support Biblical evangelism, and support the ministry is not too important. We ministers who are making a good living or who have a good retirement, should not be throwing stones at ministers and churches who have a mutually acceptable arrangement where the minister is fully supported by the church. If we do so, we have swung on the pendulum to a position that is far from the center of Biblical truth. Let's try to keep the pendulum on center rather than swinging to the left or right.