Version History
Current published version
Today's Business, Issue 1. pp. 124-125. Original floor committee resolution.
No later published versions have been added.
Official Resolution Source Text
Resolution: 6-13
Canonical number: 6-13
Committee: Pastoral Ministry and Seminaries
Source: Today's Business, Issue 1
Printed pages: pp. 124-125
PDF pages: 124-125
Version: original, current-published-proposal
Source reference: Issue 1, pp. 124-125
Line numbers follow Today's Business, Issue 1, with numbering reset on each printed page, so delegates can compare this page with the official PDF.
Page 124
- To Affirm that the Lord has Ordained that Those Who Preach the Gospel
- Should Make their Living from the Gospel
- RESOLUTION 6-13
- Overtures 6-79–80 (CW, 411–12)
- Rationale
- When our Lord Jesus Christ called Peter, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee to be His apostles, “they left their nets and
- followed Him” (Matt. 4:20). When Matthew was called, he likewise left the tax booth and followed the Lord as His apostle
- (Matt. 9:9). Thus, St. Paul states that “The Lord has ordained that those who preach the Gospel should make their living
- from the Gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14 KJV).
- This passage from 1 Corinthians is quoted in the Small Catechism’s Table of Duties under the heading “What Hearers
- Owe Their Pastors.” During the Rite for the Installation of a Pastor the people of God affirm that they will “support him
- by [our] gifts and pray for him always that in his labors he may retain a cheerful spirit and that his ministry among [us]
- may be abundantly blessed.” (LSB Agenda, 180) This can only happen by generous, first-fruits, sacrificial giving.
- The past half-century has seen a rapid secularization of our society. Church attendance has fallen with each passing
- generation. This creates real challenges and raises a question for the Synod today: do we still believe that 1 Cor. 9:14 is
- true and that we should do what it says?
- In the face of these very real financial stresses and strains, some point to the example of St. Paul who famously worked as
- a tent-maker to support his apostleship rather than taking a wage from his service in the Church: “I have made no use of
- any of [this]” (1 Cor. 9:15). Given the situation of the church today (declining membership, financial stress, rising costs
- of insurance, etc.) why not imitate St. Paul and intentionally seek to create more bi-vocational (or co-vocational) “tent-
- maker pastors?”
- St. Paul was exceptional in many ways. He willingly refused to receive payment for his service as a preacher of the Word
- (1 Corinthians 9); he was an itinerant apostle, moving from place to place (Acts 10); he was called directly by Jesus on the
- road to Damascus (Acts 9); he received dreams from God telling him where to travel (Acts 16); and he remained celibate,
- forgoing his right to marry so as to better dedicate his life to the Church (1 Corinthians 7). None of these exceptions in the
- life of St. Paul establish a pattern meant for widespread emulation: they are part and parcel of Paul’s unique call as an
- apostle. When St. Paul himself speaks to the Corinthians about how they should treat their parish pastor, he makes it clear
- that they should provide him a living wage.
- The Church of the first century was smaller, more isolated, and poorer than the Church in America today—by orders of
- magnitude. It is this poor, small, isolated first-century Church that received the Lord’s mandate: “those who preach the
- Gospel should make their living from the Gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:14 KJV) It is one thing for Paul to willingly decide that his
- unique apostolic ministry would benefit from being financially independent from his hearers; it is quite another thing for
- the hearers (or their Synodical leaders) to decide that today’s finances and demographics mean that the Lord’s mandate
- can be set aside for a significant portion of the church.
- That said, exceptional circumstances do exist and the financial and demographic challenges faced by congregations today
- are real. Congregations in communities that are losing jobs and population will also find it hard to maintain their own
- attendance and financial support. It’s worse in areas that have lost key employers or entire industries. These congregations
- are not willingly looking to dock their pastor’s pay. And the pastor who finds himself in need of income that his shrinking
- congregation just can’t give him is not trying to abandon the ministry by taking on additional secular employment: he is
- just trying to fulfill his other God-given vocations as a husband and father.
- Nor should we be tempted to pretend that necessity makes a virtue. This is not a St. Paul tent-maker situation: these pastors
- are not willingly seeking employment because they think it will make their ministries better. The pastor who must punch
- a clock at a nine-to-five job is not available for a funeral on Friday morning or a visit to the emergency room on a Tuesday
- afternoon. The pastor who puts time, energy, and focus into 20 hours (or 30 hours or 40 hours) in an office, a factory, or a
- retail shop cannot recoup those expenditures for ministry.
- The challenges we face are real. Solutions to those challenges will not be easy. They will require sacrifice, creativity, and
- joint efforts. Yet, the mandate of the Church always remains: faithfully apply the clear Word of God to the real world in
- which we live.
- Therefore be it
Page 125
- Resolved, That all pastors of the Synod be encouraged to catechize their congregations regarding biblical stewardship
- and first-fruits giving; and be it further
- Resolved, That all pastors be encouraged to utilize the stewardship resources produced by the Office of National
- Mission (ONM) to further this catechization (lcms.org/stewardship); and be it further
- Resolved, That all congregations of the Synod be encouraged to follow their district salary guidelines for their pastors;
- and be it further
- Resolved, That where a congregation is too small to provide a full-time living wage for a pastor, the district assist that
- congregation in finding a partner congregation or congregations to form a multi-point parish, which can provide a pastor
- with a full-time living wage; and be it further
- Resolved, That districts make ample use of resources from the ONM (Exploring God’s Mission Here, re:Vitality) and
- the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (Ministry Clarity, Seasons of Ministry) to help congregations assess their current
- situation and find the best model for ministry (multi-point parish, cathedral model, circuit rider, etc.) in their midst that
- will give them good pastoral care provided by a pastor who is compensated in such a manner than he can dedicate his full
- working life to the ministry; and be it further
- Resolved, That in areas where congregations are so small and isolated that forming a traditional dual or triple-point
- parish is not possible, the districts, circuits, or nearby thriving congregations consider the funding of cathedral models and
- circuit rider models of ministry as a mission-oriented opportunity for revitalization; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Synod express its love, understanding, and support for pastors and congregations where financial
- and demographic realities and other local circumstances make all of these preferred solutions impossible; and be it further
- Resolved, That in these situations, congregations be encouraged to demonstrate understanding for, reduce the
- expectations of, and allot time for their pastors to seek ways to subsidize their salaries to alleviate any financial strain and
- stress upon their families; and be it finally
- Resolved, That districts be encouraged to support and encourage lay leadership in such situations as they experience
- challenges related to their pastor having additional employment.
