Three years ago, I was at the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I was walking across to be met by our director and a few board members for a visit of two to three days.
As we were filling out the requisite forms, I looked out at the parking lot into the unoccupied zone between the borders—and it looked like a high-end SUV convention! Except for the stickers on the sides of the vehicles—that was a key difference.
Most of the messages proclaimed by the SUVs started with the word save—Save the World, Save the Children, Save the Sick, Save the… Without exception, every vehicle was an NGO vehicle of some kind.
(NGO stands for nongovernmental organization, and the acronym is an international equivalent to what we call a nonprofit in the United States.)
Many had European or American passengers, but many of them were African workers. I did some quick math and realized that I was looking at—based on an average price of about $50,000—about $2 million in vehicles.
I walked over to the other side where our little team was waiting, and we got into a ten-year-old Toyota mini-station wagon. I felt like a failure as a couple of those SUVs dusted us.
We drove to my quarters, and if you have ever traveled to the DRC, you know that it’s one of the most economically challenged countries in the world. Among the evidence of the hurting infrastructure are the numerous bumps, ditches, and holes in the road, literally and figuratively.
As we bumped and bounced along, I noticed a couple of those SUVs driving into gated compounds complete with security personnel. I caught a glimpse of one building through the gate, and it looked like a villa in northern Italy.
I gently inquired of my hosts, and they replied, “In the DRC, relief work and ministry is an industry for many. The wealthy and upper class are working high up in government or in the NGO world. All on the back of others’ poverty and foreign money.”
I know this is a complicated issue, but Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 9 should be a guiding principle as we sort it out.
One truth, however, is clear: individuals whom God calls out of a Christian community and into vocational ministry should be supported materially by that community.
However, Paul is also clear that his ministry work was not for the purpose of personal financial gain (I Corinthians 9:15-17).
We have seen in Scripture that God calls churches and Christians to materially support those leaders serving in vocational ministry—and that remains true today.
The bulk of your local church’s budget, for instance, goes to pastor salaries. In other words, supporting church leaders is the principal purpose of your tithes and offerings.
In addition to meeting a pastor’s practical needs, though, providing support for the workers in your own church can also be a source of real joy—and I will vouch for that!
Over the years, providing support for other missionaries and for the workers in our own church has given Marla and me immense joy, and it continues to do so today.
Paul, being an effective leader, recruited financial resources for his own missionary work, including his personal support.
Not only did Paul raise personal material support he also was a fundraiser among churches across Asia Minor.
The Jerusalem Church
In the initial stages of the Christian movement, some issues developed that caused the Jerusalem church to suffer financially.
It is not clear what caused the church in Jerusalem to experience economic hardship, but events transpired early on that led to monetary difficulties in the “mother” church.
Whether this was the result of famine, persecution, or another factor is not mentioned in the Bible. However, the financial difficulties galvanized Paul to action.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, Paul gives instructions about the offering that is being collected for the Church in Jerusalem (vs.3). The directions he gives the Corinthians are the same as those he gave the Galatians (vs. 1).
In 2 Corinthians 8, we read that Titus had been sent by Paul for the purpose of organizing the Corinthian offering and assuring that they followed through on their initial giving commitments (2 Corinthians 8:6).
We know that Paul and his ministry team were recruiting resources from the churches in Corinth.
Earlier in that chapter, Paul cites the generous giving of the Macedonian churches (@ Corinthians 8:1 ff). Paul’s fund-raising efforts for the Jerusalem church also included the churches in Macedonia.
In fact, Paul had expectations regarding the Macedonian giving which they exceeded (2 Corinthians 8:5). The Macedonian churches were the recipients of Paul’s letter (Philippians) where he cites their generosity in supporting Paul’s ministry from the very beginning (Philippians 4:14-19). Paul was recruiting material resources from the Macedonian churches for the Jerusalem church needs.
Finally, the same message Paul had shared with the Corinthian and Macedonian churches had been communicated to the Galatian churches.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1, when Paul writes about the Jerusalem church offering, he asks them to do the same “as I told the Galatian churches to do.” Paul had also been recruiting material resources for the Jerusalem church in Galatia.
Paul understood that effective leadership means giving and recruiting material resources.
We could cite other examples such as Moses and the Tabernacle or Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem.
These leaders understood that leadership encompasses caring for the spiritual well-being of God’s people. They understood that giving is more than meeting the financial needs of a given ministry but is an act of worship expressing our love for God.
I was sipping coffee and finishing my morning Bible reading when my three grandchildren got up and came out to be with Papa in front of the fire. It was a chilly morning and the fire had nearly died out.
The kids wanted a bigger fire and Grandpa was only too happy to oblige. Everyone got a stick of wood, which was no problem for the first grader and three-year-old but a challenge for the one-year-old barely walking.
I pulled back the grate and set my log in and the fire responded. They each added theirs and soon we had a blazing warm fire. So, it is with giving.
Giving feeds the flame of love for God and therefore is a crucial personal leadership discipline as well as a key to effective leadership of others.
Effective leaders give and recruit material resources.
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