The preacher – “a well-known name in circles in which his name is well-known” (phrase © Alan Bright) – was winding up his sermon on Hebrews 11 and ended with a challenge to people who were gifted in teaching the Bible. He suggested that they consider what it was that was stopping them pursuing it full-time, “since there is nothing more important”.
When I was 22 another Bible teacher (“well known in circles in which, etc, etc…”) said that I should consider teaching the Bible full-time – I can’t remember my exact response, but I certainly did not take it any further, I wonder why not? I don’t remember.
Perhaps this whole site is my response – pulling together as it does thoughts that have been germinating for 20 years or more. I was re-reading ‘The Fight’ by John White – a classic from a generation ago and even there I found words that have no doubt affected me:
Nowhere, in any part of the New Testament, is there any word of general exhortation urging Christians to consider leaving their everyday tasks for “full-time” work. To face sacrifice? Yes. To count all things but loss? Yes. But if the Divine Commission was primarily a call that Christians should leave inferior occupations and become professional evangelists, the idea occurred to none of the New Testament writers.
also
It will not be long before you discover that certain “full-time” Christian workers, while hesitating modestly to come out and say so, emit verbal and non-verbal signal which tell us they believe that only “full-time Christian service” is in the centre of God’s will. Only the ‘professionals’ (those who gain their living by the gospel) are really in, the rest of us being second-class citizens. Sometimes we even see ourselves as such…
…in favour of this view is the clear fact that many Christian professionals have truly faced the question of treasure on earth versus treasure in heaven and have chosen a pathyway of sacrifice and faith, something which cannot be said so frequently of the rest of us. But the dichotomoy is artificial. If any distinction should be made among Christians, it should be on the basis of the degree of commitment and faith to Christ, not on “full-time” or “part-time” status.
Yet more pure gold from this wise cousellor.
But can I summarise? Perhaps I can.
22 is too young – too young to even start considering being paid to teach the Bible full-time. After all, the Bible word for elder is, er, elder – and the Greek word that is translated ‘elder’, presbuteros, is also translated as simply an older man. I read applications from people hoping to go into paid Bible-teaching work and often they involve lines such as “as a student I felt called to ministry”.
Let’s unpack that: who called you and did they offer you a paid job? If so, then perhaps I will take it a little more seriously. Otherwise it is a young man saying, “I feel called to be an older man”. In that case, wait 20 years and you will be.
So, how old to be an elder? How about your forties? People have observed your life and conduct; how you manage your household; how you love your wife; how you are regarded by outsiders; how you have sought to earn your own living and not be dependent on others; how you bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. At that point an older man might approach you and say, “People already look to you for counsel and instruction – perhaps you should be looking to teach the Bible more and more”.
To go back to the well-known preacher who prompted this: there was the implication that being paid to teach the Bible is the most important job there can be. Really? I just don’t buy that and 1 Corinthians 12 and the New Testament as a whole would seem to back me up.
I am now an older man and people have suggested that I consider being a vicar or similar. I have spoken to the local Anglican powers-that-be and have concluded that the Chruch of England is too inflexible. I have been (in effect) a curate for 20 years; I am married to the vicar’s wife – do I really need the standard training and then get posted to one place as a curate and then another place as a vicar after six years? Why can’t C of E churches appoint from inside? The process – and the end result – of becoming a full-time Bible teacher in the C of E once one is an ’elder’ is not good.
Also, perhaps we don’t pay Bible teachers enough; they should not have to scrimp around feeling dependent on others’ ‘charity’. Paying more would free men with significant family responsibilities to teach and pastor more.
So: the end of the matter; all has been heard. Have fewer, older, better-paid Bible teachers.
January 29, 2010 at 12:45 pm |
I like this very much. I can’t think of anything to disagree with – just a lot to be scared about. That is following this through consistently puts one at odds with the thinking that has dominated our churches for … (how long??)
January 29, 2010 at 3:25 pm |
Alan
Once again, you have hit the nail on the head. As Roger Forster so elegantly puts it, those of us in full-time work are the ones that others PAY to be professional Christians.
Until I was 38, I thought that my leadership experience at work was good training for being a leader in church. Then I became an elder in my church congregation, even if I did not satisfy your “forties” suggested condition.
After just one year, promotion at work meant moving, and we found ourselves in a different area, with no church responsibilities whatsoever. It was then that I realised that my whole viewpoint on this was backwards: my church leadership was actually the training and preparation for leadership in the workplace.
In my experience, most professional Christians are well meaning, but very misguided in terms of weighing up the relative merits of both. I am nowhere near any position of church leadership, and would have to think long and hard before even entertaining the possibility of going there again.
January 29, 2010 at 6:10 pm |
Bravo Alan!
You should be a full-time Christian writer…that’s what it’s all about.
January 30, 2010 at 11:05 am |
Very good Alan. The CofE certainly needs to sort out its “accreditation of prior learning and experience”, but is not alone amongst denominations in needing to do this nor in its unbiblical clergy/laity divide (some others just call clergy pastors). I’m still not convinced of the justification of anyone having a “salaried position” in the church: I can’t see it in the NT, and it does tend to reinforce the divide and encourage some to make the church a source of a conventional career. End of rant!
February 8, 2010 at 5:45 pm |
Thanks for another thought provoking article.
I thought a bit about age and remuneration of full-time bible teachers, but I was mostly struck by your blog main theme which seems to concentrate on the misconception that non-fulltime Christians are somehow second class.
Although I agree that the proponents of such a view are in error I found a slightly different argument going hand in hand that I disagreed with.
Quoted from above:
“To go back to the well-known preacher who prompted this: there was the implication that being paid to teach the Bible is the most important job there can be. Really? I just don’t buy that and 1 Corinthians 12 and the New Testament as a whole would seem to back me up.”
I believe that there is a difference in the importance of the roles that we perform in life. Not more important as individuals, God’s precious children, but some perfom more, and some perform less, important roles.
1 Corinthians 12 does indeed show that we cannot all be in the same roles, and that all are needed and valuable, but I don’t think it argues that all the gifts/roles are of equal importance. On the contrary I think that Paul was indicating the relative importance of gifts/roles in verse 28.
And I think that the twelve in Acts 6v2-4 saw their role being more important than those who were chosen to wait table.
If one sees it as you do then I can well understand your reluctance to go to bible college, let alone endure the tortuous proceedure that the CofE would put you through. Why do all that for meagre recompense if it is just as important to work in finance or PR?
But if you do see it as more important, and you are recognised by ‘the church’ as having the required gifts and character, then you may decide to put up with the CofE asault course and poor salary to do that oh so
important job.
Maybe those Christian folk in banking, software and local government need gifted bible teachers to help and encourage them in their role of being lights in their workplace.
February 14, 2010 at 2:45 pm |
Hi there Another Bob,
I agree that there are different roles and giftings in the Church and it is possible that Paul is hinting that some are greater than others in I Cor 12:31, although some read it read as a correction the answer to which is in the following verse (‘”you eagerly desire the greater gifts; now I will show you the most excellent way”). Interestingly , in 14:1, he seems to hint that prophecy is the gift most to be desired (although this may be a situational instruction, given the seeming pre-occupation of the Corinthians with ecstatic utterances).
However, my main point is that I don’t agree that the the twelve, in Acts 6, were implying that what they were doing (prayer and teaching) was in itself more important that looking after the practical needs of the Church, just that it was more important for them becasue that was their gifting/role. An additional consideration is that, as the twelve, they were unique and if there is any correlation with roles in today’s church it is with church planting roles not with local ongoing pastoral-teaching-elder roles.
March 12, 2010 at 8:11 am |
‘Another Bob’ said
“But if you do see it as more important, and you are recognised by ‘the church’ as having the required gifts and character, then you may decide to put up with the CofE asault course and poor salary to do that oh so important job.”
I note your gracious and gentle sarcasm, Bob, about the ‘oh-so important job’ of PR. Yup – I was certainly sitting at my desk sometimes just wondering about the significance and usefulness of being just another arm of marketing.
“But at least I was earning money and giving (some of) it to proper work”. Discuss.
March 12, 2010 at 3:16 pm
‘Alan’ said
“I note your gracious and gentle sarcasm, Bob, about the ‘oh-so important job’ of PR.”
You have read into my comment something I never intended, but if the cap fits
“But at least I was earning money and giving (some of) it to proper work”
I never claimed that doing work that is not directly related to building the Kingdom of God is not ‘proper’ work.
I have no problem with Christians who work in jobs not directly related to the building of the Kingdom of God.
Supporting one’s family is important. Giving generously to those in need is important. Supporting those who whose jobs are directly related to the building of the Kingdom is important.
Providing employment is important. Being good news to those around us is important. Being lights in dark places is important.
I do feel that building up others to do all that stuff well is important, and if one gifted person can build up 50 others to do that stuff well, then I claim that that job is more important. More important in the sense that done well its benefits will be multiplied, and done badly its negative influence will be multiplied.
You may feel that you do not need such help, and that is great. But to what extent have you been formed by those who have spent their lives working to build up Christians to the maturity you now have? Elsewhere on this blog you seem to acknowledge as much from John Stott and and I am sure that there are others.
That said, I do agree with Bob’s point. What is most important for each of us to do is what we are meant to do.
I was thinking of going for one of the jobs that I see as more important, but I believe that God has had me shelve that idea, possibly for ever.
So now it is important for me to keep doing my current job, even though I see it as less important than some of the jobs others are doing. And I don’t have a problem with that.