Rule of thumb:
“Business as ministry,” as a general principle, is honorable and good. “Ministry as business,” as a general principle, however, is neither honorable nor good.
Necessary points of explanation and nuance:
* God created man to be industrious and to work. Work has intrinsic value in and of itself.
* God expects us to earn a living and to provide for our families from our work.
* As followers of Jesus, we are all called to be on kingdom business 24/7, and we should use opportunities our everyday work provides for us as opportunities to advance the agenda of the kingdom of God.
* God has also ordained that those who preach the gospel should make their living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). I believe this includes local church pastors as well as others who are engaged in other forms of full-time and part-time Christian ministry.
* For those who engage in “secular” business, within the bounds of general principles of ethics and Christian morality, it is not wrong, in and of itself, to be guided in business decisions by profit margin.
* Even those who engage in “secular” business, however, should guard against greed and should remember the poor and underprivileged and be generous with the proceeds of their business in order to help them.
* Those who engage in Christian ministry, however, should not generally be guided in ministry decisions by profit margin.
* This does NOT mean that it is not valid to seek by legitimate means associated with these ministries to provide for expenses involved in carrying out these ministries, including basic living costs for those individuals engaged in these ministries.
* Neither does it mean that it is wrong for Christian ministries to seek to expand the scope of their ministry in the interest of good stewardship and making a bigger impact for the advance of the kingdom of God. This will often imply the need for fund-raising and encouraging fellow Christians to financially support these ministries.
* Taking all the previous points into account, though, it is generally wrong and harmful for the advance of the gospel, whenever those engaged in Christian ministry find themselves guided by personal gain, or even the prosperity of their particular ministry, rather than the advance of the kingdom of God in general.
* Those engaging in some endeavors find themselves, by their very nature, with one foot in the world of business as ministry, and another in the world of ministry as business. Christian publishing houses come to mind. Also the careers of Christian recording artists. Some Christian recording artists, for example, see their music primarily as their business, through which they seek to glorify God just like any other businessperson. Others, however, see their music primarily as their ministry. But they still need to make a living in order to keep on doing what they do and to provide for the needs of their families. All this calls for grace, balance, and discernment.
* It is crucial that we all, as Christians, are painstakingly honest and aboveboard in the way we handle these issues, and not portray what we do as primarily a ministry when deep down it is really primarily a business enterprise.
Anyone else have other points to add? Points of agreement? Disagreement?
Good word on the distinctions. It’s a great illustration of how motive is often more important than behavior.
Ministry as Business is where your motive is personal gain and you lay the veneer of ministry over it in order to appeal to your primary market. Business as ministry is when your goal is to do honorable business such that people see that you have a personal commitment beyond the business to exemplify Christ.
We can see business without ministry where people might recognize the value of a practical ethic for a prosperous business or career. The part where it would seem to me to get tricky for many people is to see how a ministry that wasn’t run as a business could determine appropriate compensation for ministers. The perception of many critics of the church is that ministers are only in it for the money and their message is tailored to achieve that end. Unfortunately they have perfectly valid examples where that is the case. On the other end of the spectrum you have ministers that are poorly compensated if compensated at all. They may have other jobs where they make ends meet or they live in poor conditions. I’m thinking here of ministers in many third-world countries who cannot be compensated or non-pastoral ministers like street evangelists, or ministers to the homeless who don’t have a means of support from their ministry.
Regarding pastors, I’m sure there are a number of factors at play in compensating them. First is the budget of the church. Then perhaps you might look at the income levels of the people in the church. How much more do you pay the pastor than the poorest members of the church as you require them to give 10% in part to pay the pastor. I daresay if you have a large enough to church to give the pastor more than the wealthiest in the church then you would certainly be pushing the business model there. Surely Joel Osteen, for example, has people in his church who are wealthier than he is and even he is unquestionably overpaid. Or how about those uber-church celebrity pastors who have boards of other pastors outside the church to tell the church how much to pay the pastor? I have yet to discern the logic behind that. It’s like the Jerusalem council telling Ephesus what to pay Timothy.
Anyway, good article, David.
Great comments, Jim. Thanks for the input.
David – I have heard from several sources and even from Joel O himself in an interview, he does not take a salary from the church.
FWIW – I am not a JO fan, in any form or fashion.
Jon, thanks for the correction. There is plenty to criticize Joel Osteen on legitimately without leveling false charges at him like I did offhandedly.
Also, I am sure the proceeds JO makes from other ministry sources (e.g. book sales, public appearances, etc.) more than make up for what he does not receive as salary from his church. And, to a certain degree, his church serves as the platform that allows him to bring in income from these other sources—or at least, greatly enhances it. So, there is that.
At least he can’t be accused of becoming wealthy off the gospel if his fortune comes from his books.
David – I meant to address my previous comment to JIm. My apologies.
In regards to your comment, I agree. The following is not creating a debate but simply asking questions for any to respond too.
Many high profile pastors generate wealth off of their books and speaking gigs. Some of them do very well. I imagine that the high profile pastors fit the “do well” scenerio.
At what point do we say, this minister is doing it for a business (personal profit) rather than the perks (my term) being generated for ministry (Lord’s work)?
I’d love to write a book that would generate some income so retirement can be financially possible, without working at Walmart. At what point does my drive to do such become the negative, instead of the positive? A business instead of ministry?
David, ….very practical statements to ponder.
“Ministry as a business” soon becomes a Judas endeavor in some form or fashion. The intent in ministry should always be evaluated lest it be under the control of business; as such, the ministry is lost.
One of the core concerns we have always had, outside of the immediate work of our church, is when any of us work or support additional “ministries”, i.e. local food distributing businesses or non-profit educational endeavors as an example. While these groups do require business process, and without them would most likely implode,… it is always important to critically investigate the intent and purposes on an ongoing basis. Ease, novelty, photo-ops, time of year-ness, and other factors can feed the “business” aspirations over what forms a real ministry.
Thanks for reminding us of this important matter!
Thanks, Chris.
Quality stuff, David
Thoughtful and insightful. The more difficult issues are with churches and related enterprises. On secular businesses you noted that,..
“For those who engage in “secular” business, within the bounds of general principles of ethics and Christian morality, it is not wrong, in and of itself, to be guided in business decisions by profit margin.
* Even those who engage in “secular” business, however, should guard against greed and should remember the poor and underprivileged and be generous with the proceeds of their business in order to help them.
My comment is that the first point is a matter of business survival. Wouldn’t the second point vary in the sense that for a single proprietor business the business and the individual are essentially the same and your point is applicable. In larger corporation, however, managers should act morally and ethically but it’s the shareholders to whom the responsibility falls to remember the poor and be generous with profits. Walmart, for example, should be a responsible corporate citizen in each community where they operate but should seek primarily to maximize shareholder value. I put this very simplistically, there’s much more to be said.
William, The entire list is one of general principles. The devil is, no doubt, in the details. On a surface level, I would say that even in every large corporation there are individuals who profit from the business undertaken, and these individuals still have the responsibility—especially if they are Christians—to guard against greed and remember the poor and underprivileged and be generous with whatever proceeds they personally make as a result of their involvement in the business. I also think there are ways of carrying out business, even on a corporate scale, that work toward the economic enfranchisement of the poor and others that work against it. I would think that, as Christians, we would want to be more kindly disposed to those that work in more just and equitable manners than to those that do not, and this may well be a factor—among others—in certain business decisions we make.
We probably agree on this on more than we disagree. It’s an interesting, and prickly subject. The terminology (poor, underprivileged, generous, equitable,economic enfranchisement, greed) is soft enough to prevent any meaningful conversation. Christians in secular corporate contexts are certainly personally responsible for what is done with their income but that responsibility becomes problematic if he or she attempts to apply it to the corporation.
We could, however, find interesting discussions of “Christian” businesses in regard to profits, wage rates, etc.
I think the largest – at least most largely known- “Christian businesses” – Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A – both pay their employees well – offer great benefits to those employees – and are very charitable with their profits – whole st the same time – execs and owners still enjoy high levels of personal income themselves.
I point out that to say – making a good profit, treating your employees well/being charitable, and conducting your business with high levels of Christian integrity are not necessarily mutually exclusive ideas.
Agreed Tarheel! Capitalism, innovation, improvement of product resulting in profit is a Godly pursuit. “making a good profit and treating employees well”…well said.
Chris,
I’m beginning to wonder if people like me and you – who do not think capitalism is a dirty word or the wealth is inherently a bad thing – are becoming more and more the minority.
I agree that Christians ought to be the most kind, charitable, and good to work for bosses in the market – if they’re walking in the Spirit – they will be – but wealth through honest means is not sinful or wrong and no one should guilted, shamed, or forced by other men to give it away.
It’s not just wealthy people who claim the name of Christ – and don’t exemplify the fruits of the spirit when dealing with other people – there are lots of employees who treat their bosses dishonorably and are greedy and act only in their own interest, etc …it’s a two way street.
Tarheel,
I think you are right. Capitalism is a very misunderstood concept by a lot of Christians. Our Junior and Senior High folks get a great little book from us that is written by Wayne Grudem called “Business for the Glory of God”…the Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business. It is a great 100 pages on how to Glorify God through:
Ownership
Productivity
Employment
Commercial Transactions
Profit
Money
Inequality of Possessions
Competition
Borrowing and Lending
Attitudes of the Heart
and Effect on World Poverty
Well worth the buy…. I buy them by the box and hand them out.
Youth need to learn the importance of how God designed His economy on earth to Glorify Him!
Blessings,
Very insightful. I think of preachers like Joel Olsteen, and even Rick Warren, who trademark and patent everything they create. Then I think of Greg Groeschel (I think that’s the correct spelling). He gives away all the stuff he creates for free. Wikipedia has him designated as the “largest church in the U.S.”
I have benefitted from his church’s creativity. He is a passionate gospel preacher and tremendously creative thinker.
I will leave God to judge the Olsteen’s and Warren’s of the world. It is no great sacrifice to go without a salary if the income from your ministry is in the millions.
Joel Olsteen and many like him might have really genuine motives, but their methods certainly need to be open to scrutiny.
Am thinking that you must not know much about Rick Warren to lump him in with Olsteen.
I like David Rogers and I like what he writes. We’ve eaten barbecue together in Memphis on two occasions; perhaps that affects my judgment. 🙂 Hopefully, David will write another post on Business as Mission, which is a big trend in modern missions.
Mark, I, too, have greatly enjoyed our interaction and admire you and your contribution toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission on various fronts.
The truth is, when I put my thoughts down for this article, the concept of Business as Mission and how it relates to the IMB and other missionary organizations was in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have enough first-hand experience with this growing trend to give a fair analysis/critique. I do think, however, some of the underlying principles in what I have written here may well be applicable in such a discussion. I would love to see someone with more actual experience in this area take up the task to write about it, interacting with the points I bring up here.
It’s dispiriting to see how little interest there is here in business as ministry. The overwhelming number of Christians in America are in business. Increasingly the church offers them nearly nothing but a few platitudes about not being greedy. There is so much to say about purpose, meaning, value, service and context. There is so much opportunity for our churches to endow secular work with the honor it deserves. It rarely happens. It is left to folks in the pew to figure out the connection between our church life and our faith and the rest of our life. The professionals are not really interested or qualified to help.
BTW, in my experience church people are about as greedy and envious as everyone else. No more and no less.
JohnR,
>>>”BTW, in my experience church people are about as greedy and envious as everyone else. No more and no less.”<<<<
First, How sad a report.
Many of those people, the greedy, envious ones, have not learned that being in a relationship with God includes the whole of a person. So those people compartmentalize their lives: God here, work there, family in another spot, sports still another, and so on. That rather than giving God every part or at least working towards that maturity.
I think this happens even more today as the country slips farther and further away from being taught Christian values in the church, in the schools, and at home. It may not be a new phenomenon because in early America, they would often make a person wait months before baptism after confession in order so that evidence of a changed life was to be shown. Many churches simply accept as saved anyone who makes a confession, most led in it phrase by phrase by the minister or another.
I suspect many of these new 'converts' haven't a clue on how to live as a Christian or even how a Christian is no longer a mere person.
If we encourage easy believism and baptize those who are ignorant of the demands of God on their life, we encourage compartmentalization and fill our churches with many who are not even saved.