What's new
By:
Filters
Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

I feel so bad about most pastors

Classik

Classik

Member
It seems to me that majority of pastors are not rich or wealthy enough :sad What is really wrong? Did God make it that way?

This is not about prosperity. But I feel pastors should look good enough.
 
Pastors I know earn enough to get by, often just shy or on par of the national average wage.

Being a pastor pays in lots of other ways. Often a house is provided, but at the end of the day people don't do it for the money, it's a heart and spirit thing.
 
PK here !

Dad had the church and a job... That is a lot of work.... In later years , no kids living at home, it was smoother but never money rich... God provided in everyday ways and via miracles .... Nick is right it is a heart thing...

Seems man has a hard time when he becomes wealthy
 
Let look at the example. 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Paul did a bit of preaching, and how did he fare?

Tent maker
Beaten
Shipwrecked
Imprisoned
Even needed an old cloke,
but especially the parchments
Strength in weakness

Prosperous?
 
If being a Christian is determined by the physical appearance of pastors today...many may not listen to preachers. I'm not saying pastors should have private jets and have mansions everywhere, wear diamond rings, have buildings made of gold etc. (and nothing's wrong with that).

It's just that I don't really like the look. Majority of Christians are of the notion that a Christian should have a kind of physical apprearance or material possession. I don't think it's right. :shrug


If Jesus is a pastor and is still living with us today...would He...[you know what am trying to ask)
 
I say why shouldnt a pastor have as much as anyone else? After all he is doing something even more important than many- watching over us spiritually. And pastors don't have insurance. They have families to take care of too. What if there was an accident or one of them got real sick? We should take care of our pastors.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]1 Tim. 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain, and, The laborer is worthy of his reward.
[/FONT]
 
Classik said:
If Jesus is a pastor and is still living with us today...would He...[you know what am trying to ask)
Click to expand...
Jesus' robe was so nice they gambled for it. He wasn't dressed like John the Baptist wearing camel skin. But who knows, that may have been a nice coat in those days. Jesus was a Rabbi so His was good.
 
Blev said:
Jesus' robe was so nice they gambled for it. He wasn't dressed like John the Baptist wearing camel skin. But who knows, that may have been a nice coat in those days. Jesus was a Rabbi so His was good.
Click to expand...

Very good....because I know some would conclude: He'd appear poor.
 
JimJib said:
It would seem to me that if someone is expecting to see pastor in fine clothes and fine outward appearance that they are looking for the wrong things in life. The Bible has a lot to say about outward appearances and nothing like those expectations.

I think that we should be looking past the man and to what he has to bring us from God. Anything which draws attention to him rather than who he is representing is a distraction and abomination.
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome to CF.net :wave

Actually, the OP kind of encourages us to take care of our pastors. I think people don't do enough for them these days.
 
I have been very surprised that so few people on this forum speak of giving This is one of the first areas of my life that I surrendered to God. At first I gave 10% of our net and later over 10% of our gross, and with my husband's blessings. Often God also told each of us to gifts beyond that and we would confer. We have never been wealthy. We gave out of our love for God. We gave without telling others. The only reason I mention this is because this is annonomous and It is something that astonishes me.
Our pastor never asks for money for our church or its building projects. He just asks God in private. Visitors are asked NOT to put money in the offering plate. Now that our church is fairly large he no longer works outside of church.

But none of us dress "well" We wear blue jeans or walking shorts during the summer. Few wear stylish shoes. I own one dress for funerals and weddings. Appearances are not our priority. Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. As we put on the mind of Christ, fine clothes just don't seam important. Nor do cosmetics. Few people wear fragrences at our church. And the whole subject is rarely discussed. Once it was mentioned that we should try not to draw attention to ourselves but that we should focus our attention on Christ.

So the people who don't give really puzzle me. How can a person who has given his life to Christ have not also given his wealth? How can a person claim that Jesus is his Lord and not have surrendered his life to God? How can some Christians urge other Christians to save money for themselves instead of giving to the poor? I would divide the amount between them. There is great joy in giving secretly. Whereas greed and selfishness keep our relationship with God dwarfed. 1 Timothy 6:8-10 Matt. 6:19-21, 24
 
only slightly off topic

If anyone is looking place to give a bit extra, think of the time you spend here!

back to topic :p
 
Classik said:
Very good....because I know some would conclude: He'd appear poor.
Click to expand...

No He wouldn't. That doesnt make sense. He looked like everyone else, not someone unusual. If someone were poorly dressed and had the look of poverty, who is going to listen to those preachers? They would think what does he know he doesnt even have a decent set of clothes. They are old and ragged and don't fit. I know we don't depend on our clothes to impress people, but if we or preachers don't look decent they are not going to listen, that would be the very thing that distracts them from what is being are said. We don't even go out in public looking like we worked in the garden or something do we, so why would preachers?

Well maybe some do :lol
 
Blev said:
No He wouldn't. That doesnt make sense. He looked like everyone else, not someone unusual. If someone were poorly dressed and had the look of poverty, who is going to listen to those preachers? They would think what does he know he doesnt even have a decent set of clothes. They are old and ragged and don't fit. I know we don't depend on our clothes to impress people, but if we or preachers don't look decent they are not going to listen, that would be the very thing that distracts them from what is being are said. We don't even go out in public looking like we worked in the garden or something do we, so why would preachers?

Well maybe some do :lol
Click to expand...
Beautifully put :)
 
Carolyn said:
I have been very surprised that so few people on this forum speak of giving This is one of the first areas of my life that I surrendered to God. At first I gave 10% of our net and later over 10% of our gross, and with my husband's blessings. Often God also told each of us to gifts beyond that and we would confer. We have never been wealthy. We gave out of our love for God. We gave without telling others. The only reason I mention this is because this is annonomous and It is something that astonishes me.
Click to expand...

I was also wondering if anyone would mentioned giving. Its a major principle in the Bible.

Luke 6:38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again.

Even if a person does not believe in tithing, when you care about a person, or a group of people, you want to give to help and to be a part of it. If the world can do this concerning clubs and other organizations why not the church?
 
Classik said:
It seems to me that majority of pastors are not rich or wealthy enough :sad What is really wrong? Did God make it that way?

This is not about prosperity. But I feel pastors should look good enough.
Click to expand...
Pastors worth their salt don't care one whit about the money. It isn't about money. It's about Christ.
 
JimJib said:
. Carolyn, I do hope that you didn't think that I was advocating not giving to the church. Boy, if you did you really added a LOT into what I said..:sad
Click to expand...
No--I was responding to what other people said there and in other posts in general.
I didn't think the subject of giving was too far off topic because we pay our pastors salary, and our giving bears on the way they are able to dress. Some has a lot to do with the pressure their wives put on them to dress better, also. (Honey, Please don't wear those red plaid polyester pants from the 70s.)

People respected John the Baptist because he was Godly. They did not respect Sampson because he was not Godly. Both men had taken the vows of the Nazarite, did not shave or cut their hair and wore rough burlap.
 
I feel this is a pretty tough subject. I feel a pastor should not want and we should all look after our pastors the best we can. I'm not talking about giving them loads of money either but practical
Gifts can help. As a Christian I try not to look at the outward appearance of a pastor but try to listen to his teaching. Non Christians however may look to a pastor that doesn't have much and think well what kind of God is this that lets his servant suffer financially. As we know as Christians it's not about the money.

I think a pastor should be provided for that he and his family can live comfortably and he's should have enough money to buy anything necessary to carry out his work. That said I think pastors can benefit greatly when their church maybe sends them to residential conferences and the like. At these places they mix with other pastors where they can encourage one another and come back refreshed spiritually to lead their congregation.
 
andymac1981 said:
I feel this is a pretty tough subject. I feel a pastor should not want and we should all look after our pastors the best we can. I'm not talking about giving them loads of money either but practical
Gifts can help. As a Christian I try not to look at the outward appearance of a pastor but try to listen to his teaching. Non Christians however may look to a pastor that doesn't have much and think well what kind of God is this that lets his servant suffer financially. As we know as Christians it's not about the money.

I think a pastor should be provided for that he and his family can live comfortably and he's should have enough money to buy anything necessary to carry out his work. That said I think pastors can benefit greatly when their church maybe sends them to residential conferences and the like. At these places they mix with other pastors where they can encourage one another and come back refreshed spiritually to lead their congregation.
Click to expand...

Good post
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top