Work Funds???
Bible Authority & Working Funds
By Jeff Fry
Do working funds for preachers and Bible authority go together? It is beginning to appear as though more and more churches teach and practice that it is scriptural to send "monies" to preachers to finance their Work Funds. Am I missing something? Does the Bible show that preachers have authority for spending special funds supplied for them by the church? Is it a scriptural practice for one or more local churches to send the Lord's money to these Work Funds? Can a man preach the gospel without these special "Funds"?
I do not believe I am missing anything. What I believe is that preachers and churches who condone and practice this type of an arrangement are missing BIBLE AUTHORITY (Col. 3:17) for it. I respect any man who chooses to dedicate his life to the preaching of the gospel. His job is of much more value than my secular job. The church has a responsibility to support him as a wage earner. He is not working as a charity case. However, where is the Bible authority for preachers to oversee special Work Funds? What does the Bible term of "wages" entitle him to?
But you may say: "That's restricting him quite a bit!" If God chooses to restrict him to "wages", then that is where we must stop. Or you may say: "The preacher wouldn't ever spend his Fund unwisely." That's not the point. Where did God give him oversight of this Fund? Or, you may say: "The preacher cannot preach without a 'Fund'. The preacher cannot go overseas to preach without a Fund because they're poor over there." Some say, "You are building a wall around the preacher if you don't allow him to use the working fund arrangement." NO amount of human reasoning can change God's arrangement. If there is not Bible authority for a practice, we cannot do it and be pleasing to God. Was Paul able to preach without a "Work Fund"?
There are several points I'd like to make to show this arrangement of "Working Funds" for preachers is not found in the New Testament.
1) Ability + Opportunity = Responsibility. This is a Bible Principle taught in the pages of inspired word (Mat. 25:15, 2 Cor. 8:12 and Gal. 6:10). God DOES NOT and WILL NOT hold a man or local church accountable for something they cannot afford to do. Where is the Bible authority for pleading for a created need? How much is enough for the created need? "PLEASE SEND ME YOUR MONEY FOR MY WORK FUND. I NEED MORE MONEY FOR MY PROJECTS." are denominational ideas that should disgust any Christian. Some are never satisfied with what they have. They always want more. "Why, I can't preach without a 'Work Fund' ", is like saying, "A Christian can't teach without a 'Work Fund'."
2) Congregations are autonomous. Congregational treasuries are controlled by elders, not preachers, and cannot be given away to any others with Bible authority (Acts 14:23, 20:28, Phil. 1:1 and 1 Pet. 5:1-4). A work must be lawful before there can be an expedient for it. Congregations that are dependent on Funds from other congregations, or preachers who are dependent on Work Funds (not wages) from other congregations fail to realize that they are doomed to failure for not just doing the work they have the financial ability to do. OVERSIGHT cannot be OUT OF SIGHT.The work of a local congregation should be the work of a local congregation. It cannot be called the work of an individual or another congregation's work. Bible Authority prohibits sponsoring church or cooperative adventures in these areas of evangelistic Work Funds. The work of the "Work Fund" is the work of that "Work Fund".
Local church autonomy is perverted when arrangements other than the local church are formed to oversee special Funds. Churches cannot scripturally do evangelistic works with other churches thru joint ventures. Church autonomy is violated when more than one church is sending money to common Working Funds overseen by preachers. The failure to believe this may lead to the formation of Work Funds overseen by preachers overseas. Soliciting help in these ventures may put the church before the world as a denomination. Elders cannot give up their oversight (1 Pet. 5:2) of local church treasuries (all or in part) to anyone else to use as THEY see fit.
3) The Bible definition of a preacher's wages does not even remotely include a "Working Fund" type arrangement. In simply looking up the definition of wages we find it means: the rations for a soldier, i.e. (by extens.) his stipend or pay:--wages. They are for his personal needs (Acts 20:34).When some get into the practice of using terms like "general support", "working funds", "designated funds" and "earmarked funds" something is missing. A pattern from God's word. What Paul lacked was in his needs. He didn't want to burden churches with non "necessities" (2 Cor. 11:8-9, Phil. 4:14-16). Paul didn't solicit funds for a "Tank Fund" or a "Ship Fund"or a "Working Fund.".
How much of a Fund does it take for a man to get out and preach the gospel? Wages are not shown in the pattern of these unscriptural terms, but a "one man missionary society" is. One man is set up to receive and distribute the LORD's MONEY (not his) in a way HE deems to be effective. He just can't take the Fund and spend it on dinners for aliens, softball shirts, his own business adventures, etc. Would he be allowed to advertise his car for sale on the radio program paid for by the Work Fund? I simply bring up these points to show that THE FUND IS NOT HIS "WAGES", because you know it would not be right to do these things out of the LORD'S MONEY. You know it is all right for any man to buy HIS OWN RADIO TIME and advertise anything he wishes to out of his own pocket (Acts 5:4). There isn't any Bible authority to take money out of church(s) treasuries and fund individual expediencies.
4) Doing something on a small scale is as wrong as doing it on a large scale. It is either right or wrong. It is either authorized or not authorized. "As long as we don't let preachers have too large of Funds it's OK." for some. "As long as he doesn't incorporate HIS radio program" it is OK (E.G. "The Gospel Hour", "The Preacher's Corner of the U.S.", etc.) for others. "As long as more than one church doesn't contribute to the PROGRAM." others are comfortable with this arrangement. Further, others just call it "general support." and feel it is OK. You can call a dog a cat, but that doesn't make it one. Many false practices have started on the basis of this human reasoning: "IT SEEMS TO ME." This is in violation of Jer. 10:23, Eccl. 7:29 and Mat. 7:22-23. "It's a good work." "Look at the results we're getting." "We are allowed to send money to preachers, aren't we?" If we're doing it in a way that seems right, but has no authority, THE PRACTICE IS WRONG. One hundred dollars a month is wrong like one thousand dollars a month. There are no loopholes in God's word. One church sending money to another church for that church to build a building, put on a radio program, feed saints, or entertain alien sinners by calling it "PREACHER WAGES" and doing it through him is wrong, whether it is small or large.[EDITOR's NOTE: Thanks to Jeff Fry for this thought provoking article! Many saints have never studied this matter in depth; others have never studied it at all! It is sad that many preachers are using this arrangement today! Please study with an open mind and Bible. Encourage preachers to NOT use this unscriptural arrangement! If you would like to write Jeff, he can be reached at 2019 Homesite Drive, Dayton, OH 45414, or Email him at JEFRY56@aol.com.]
Email the Editor at markjward@yahoo.com
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