Shortly after I entered pastoral ministry, one of our members took me to lunch simply to encourage me. He had pastored before, he knew some of the challenges that lay ahead of me now, and he wanted to share some insights and wisdom. During this lunch, he said something that was probably just a passing thought to him but it made a lasting impression on me: “Matt, your time is purchased.”
I knew that was true in my previous career. But does it work the same in the church? Not quite.
NOT TAXATION, BUT REPRESENTATION
In Philippians 4, Paul encourages the church in their generosity. He thanks them for sharing in his trouble by giving to his ministry; this generosity, he says, is fruit that increases to their credit (vv.14–17). The money wasn’t forcibly taken from them, but they gave out of their love for him and their desire for his ministry to continue. They gave so much that he had to tell them to stop (v.18)! And this is what makes the church fundamentally different from my previous career in the non-profit public health industry: people give out of desire, not compulsion.
People offer their money freely to what
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