If Someone Would Offer me $200,000, I'd Leave the Ministry Right Away.

If Someone Would Offer me $200,000, I’d Leave the Ministry Right Away.

Posted on May 03, 2010
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(53) comments

Hmmm... That's an interesting quote. Take a moment to read this: a recent study by Tufts University is telling stories about pastors who do NOT believe what they preach. In fact, some are true atheists...

Baptist Press recently did a story on this. Check out this quote:

"Ambiguity regarding who is a believer in Jesus and who is a nonbeliever, the report said, is a result of the pluralism that has been fostered by many religious leaders for at least a century."

Here's a bit more from the article:

One pastor, a Methodist, said he no longer believes that God exists, but his church members do not know that he is an atheist. Most of them, he said, don't even believe Jesus literally rose from the dead or literally was born of a virgin.

Another pastor, from the United Church of Christ, said he didn't even believe in the doctrinal content of the Christian faith at the beginning of his ministry, but he continues to preach as if he believes because it's the way of life he knows.

A Presbyterian pastor in the study said he remains in ministry largely for financial reasons and acknowledged that if he were to make known that he rejects most tenets of the Christian faith he would obliterate his "ability to earn a living this way."

A Church of Christ pastor explained how he continues to lead his church despite losing all theological confidence.

"Here's how I'm handling my job on Sunday mornings: I see it as play acting. I see myself as taking on the role of a believer in a worship service, and performing," the pastor said.

He describes himself as an atheistic agnostic and said he still needs the ministerial job and no longer believes hypocrisy is wrong.

A Southern Baptist pastor included in the study said he was attracted to Christianity as a religion of love and now has become an atheist. If someone would offer him $200,000, he said, he'd leave the ministry right away.

You can read the whole article here.

As I was reading this article, I thought... sure... there are always finge people... even pastors who leave the faith.

But the quote from the guy who said if someone would offer him enough money, he'd leave the ministry made me stop dead in my tracks.

Why?

Because I think a lot of pastors, while they haven't lost their faith (entirely), would leave the ministry in a heartbeat if they had the chance. But they feel trapped.

They'd leave the ministry for a number of reasons: the stress; the toll on the family; the 24 hour work clock; the low pay; church politics... you name it. But they don't leave because they don't know what else in the world they are skilled to do.

They say 'every man has his price'. What's yours?

$200,000?

Church work is an admirable vocation. But if you're not called to it... can I say this nicely?... get out.

If you're at the point that you don't believe what you preach anymore... get out.

If you're at a point where you'd take another position because it pays more money, has better hours, or has better, nicer people... get out.

And if you're convinced that you have no other marketable skills and the church gig is the only thing you know how to do... quick... take some online classes and learn a new skill.

And if you HATE what you're doing... please, by all means, quit today.

Am I wrong? Let me know.

Todd

Comments

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Greg on Mon, May 03, 2010

Todd,

Thanks for being straightforward. I’ve served in the United Methodist Church for more than 30 years. Our ordination vows require belief in the scriptures and the historic Christian faith. Yet we have many pastors, bishops, and ordained seminary professors who openly deny this faith. Either they lied at their ordination or they lost their faith later on. Either way, I’ve long said that if they don’t believe the essentials of the faith, then they should get an honest job. Otherwise, they’re ripping off the very people who are faithfully giving each week to pay their salary, the very people who are looking to them each week for a word of truth and hope. If they don’t believe what they’re saying, it’s time to get an honest job.
Casey Sabella on Mon, May 03, 2010

Hmmmm. I have met men of great character who most closely meet the qualifications of I Timothy 3, yet are not “called” or gifted to minister. Like it or not, there is more to being called than meeting character requirements, though in no way do I suggest these be minimized. A careful reading of Ephesians 4:10-16 indicates that the risen Christ GAVE gifts to men in the function of apostles…pastors…etc. to build up the church. As such, our sovereign reserves the right to choose whom He will for His purposes. Therefore, while the qualifications stand as markers, they nonetheless do no determine if someone is “called” to minister.
Jason Poling on Mon, May 03, 2010

The good discussion on this got me fired up to do another post on this, this time for the Baltimore Sun’s religion blog:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/faith/2010/05/guest_post_the_oriole_way_chur.html
Fred on Mon, May 03, 2010

Maybe they could get a job at McDonalds or start as an apprentice on a construction crew. lol!
Mark on Tue, May 04, 2010

If we offered every pastor a $200,000 salary to leave the church we would quickly find out which pastors are only doing it for the money. Since offering every pastor that much money will be impossible, I propose a different test.

STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY TO THE CHURCH.

Give your tithes directly to the poor as Jesus commanded.

In Matthew 19:21 God himself said “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Read that again. God said to give ALL your money to the poor. He didn’t say give some to the poor and some to the Church. The Bible is clear. You don’t need to give any money to the church in order to be PERFECT in God’s eyes.

Also check out Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:18

When the flow of cash stops, we will quickly find out which pastors are only doing it for the money.

Surely a pastor who is only using church and Jesus to make money for himself is going straight to hell for his crimes so you will be saving the souls of those pastors by getting them out of their evil life of profit making and fraud upon innocent church members.

Peter, I’m thinking of you as a write that!

You should repent before its too late!
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 04, 2010

I believe I smell a troll.
Leonard on Tue, May 04, 2010

Yeah Peter! And while your at it clean up that oil spill and fix the tension in the middle east. Oh yeah and my back itches too…
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 04, 2010

There, Leonard, is that the spot?
Allen on Tue, May 04, 2010

As a pastor, I’ll say that the ministry can test your faith. Sometimes there are days that it does feel like a job; others a call. I wish this weren’t so, but I’ll be honest—there are days I love my call; others I don’t like my job.

But as for my faith, it’s stronger being a pastor then it ever has been. Seeing what I get to see, even hard as it may be sometime, it reaffirms my faith again and again.

The $200,000 though? That’d be nice. Would it make me leave the ministry? Absolutely not. It would free me to the ministry, to not ever have to worry about the paycheck I receive—to never have to even consider it a job. I don’t complain about what I make as a pastor because Presbyterians take care of their pastors both in salary and benefits. But still, a paycheck’s a paycheck, and these days we all live from one to the next.

Yet, if someone gave me $200,000 I’d minister for free, and I have a feeling it would never feel like work at all!
Casey Sabella on Tue, May 04, 2010

Mark: I can only assume that you do not allow any income into your home, choosing instead to feed the poor. Good for you. Meantime, I will continue to recieve a salary as Paul said that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel…whoops! Didn’t see that one did you?
A. Amos Love on Tue, May 04, 2010

CS

You write…
�My pastors meet the qualifications, and I submit to them.�

What do you mean? �I submit to them.�

Can you explain; How do you do that today?
And, can you explain; According to the Bible?

I can find in my antiquated KJV…

�Submitting� yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:21

�Submit� yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:7

Likewise, ye younger, (Age?)
�submit� yourselves unto the elder. (Age? Sage?)
Yea, ***all of you*** be �subject� one to another,
(subject = same Greek word as submit)
and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace to the humble.
1Pet 5:5

Obey them that have the rule over you,
and �submit� yourselves:
for they watch for your souls…
Heb 13:17

I recommend - submitting �one to another.�
Many blessings…. esteeming others better then yourself…
Learn a lot when you least expect it.

I recommend - submitting to those who �watch for your souls.�
Found a few who actually watch and care for my soul.
Very valuable in this challenging walk of faith.

I never found a �pastor� who was watching for my soul.

AND…
Can�t find anyone, in the Bible, �submitting� to a pastor.
Can�t find a pastor in the Bible, asking anyone to �submit� to them.

Would be interested - How do you submit to your pastors.

What does that mean…

Thank you Jesus.
A. Amos Love on Tue, May 04, 2010

Peter

You write…
�I�m thankful that I don�t subscribe to your brand of legalism.�

Not sure what you really mean by that.

Can you explain what you�re seeing when you say…
�I don�t subscribe to your brand of legalism?�

This is from the computer - dictionary.

legalism |ˈlēgəˌlizəm|
noun
excessive adherence to law or formula.
� Theology - dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith.

Thanks
CS on Tue, May 04, 2010

A Amos:

Sorry, I’ve had enough, and I’m going to have to employ the wisdom of Proverbs 26:4 here.

—
CS
A. Amos Love on Tue, May 04, 2010

CS

Here�s what I found in the dictionary for �submit.�
Thought this might help.

submit |səbˈmit|
verb ( -mitted , -mitting )
1- accept or yield to a superior force
or to the authority or will of another person:
the original settlers were forced to submit to Bulgarian rule.

Thesaurses

submit
verb
1 she submitted under duress
give in/way, yield, back down, cave in, capitulate;
surrender, knuckle under.

2 he refused to submit to their authority
be governed by, abide by, be regulated by, comply with,
accept, adhere to, be subject to, agree to, consent to, conform to.
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 04, 2010

Amos writes “Not sure what you really mean by that.” Yeah, I’m not surprised. And I’m not even going there with you any further.