Paid Ministry

Why is the LDS clergy not paid for their service?
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Ray Farmer
Jealous of and Zealous for the Book of Mormon3m

I have always taken a mental note that this unpaid ministry was unbiblical and set the Church at a severe disadvantage. It is clear from in the writings of Paul that "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" and "the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel".

1 Corinthians 9

4. Have we not power to eat and to drink?
5. Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
6. Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
7. Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
8. Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
9. For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
10. Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
12. If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the alter are partakers with the alter?
14. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
15. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

Receiving payment from the congregation is not "Priestcraft". Those who read the Book of Mormon will have seen and understood what priestcraft is, for it is clearly defined.

2 Nephi 26:29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

One may care for the welfare of Zion, refrain from setting themselves up for a light unto the world and yet be paid by an appreciative congregation. The divine definition says nothing of paychecks.

Granted, Paul and many others refused such recompense. He had his reasons. But he acknowledges this power exists if he wanted to partake of it. "If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power".

Andrew Hart broke my heart. "My ex-wife was a Mormon whose dad was a Bishop and then a Stake President and she rarely saw her dad, whilst her mother was basically left to bring up give children on her own". This should not be.

Qualifications

I think this is only one of the ways this "unpaid clergy" misconception is damaging. Another is the qualifications of the leadership. A paid minister has had and has time to study, pray, prepare great sermons, counsel, visit the sick, naked, thirsty, hungry, imprisoned and serve by chopping wood, painting homes of the needy, helping the ill farmer plow his fields. His time is freed from the necessity of scraping together money to sustain the family which is among the top priorities of a dad. He can now “freely give”.

The Levites, the type and shadow of service in the church, were fed from the sacrifices brought to the temple by tithes. That is what tithes are for!

Malachi 3:10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house...

Who do you think that meat was for? The Levites, along with feeding the widows, fatherless and strangers. Certainly not for bailing out financial institutions or building shopping malls!

Deuteronomy 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

Whenever I have heard all of this boasting about unpaid ministry, I have always bowed and shook my head. It is a prominent point made in that abominable collection of "17 Points of the True Church" which makes the skin crawl. Point #6 states "The true church must have no paid ministry (Acts 20:33-34; John 10:11-13)"

Lets look at the two passages that are cited in promoting this Point #6.

Acts 20:33. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
34. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

This was Paul's general practice. This was not the doctrine, though. That is why he was always pointing out that he was breaking the rule! And what about "them that were with me". They were living off of what Paul earned and so were being paid for their ministry!

All through Paul's epistles he is thanking the various churches for the gifts they sent that met the necessities he had and those who were working with him in his missionary efforts. He was receiving monetary assistance so that he could minister.

John 10

10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

To claim that anyone who accepts pecuniary reward is a hireling is just ridiculous. Whoever does this is wresting the Word to their own destruction. They have no light in them and are misusing the Word of God.

If the LDSaints valued the teachings of the Book of Mormon, they will have read this and understood:

2 Nephi 26

29. He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
30. Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing;
wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31. But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.

What does this say? "if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish". This means that if a congregation has the Pure Love of Chirst they would support those that labor in Zion! The laborers are the priests and teachers, or the ministers, that were appointed over the various churches.

What about laboring for money? One can work for Zion but, although he is paid money, that is not the reason he is laboring. But he has to eat and raise a family and so the congregation makes that happen if the laborer has that need. But one can receive such recompense and yet labor "to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in the joy of our brethren".

Because of this adherence to the false doctrine of "unpaid ministers" the church (except the top guys) have suffered grievously. The members are led by leaders unprepared and less than effective. From the Preface of that classic book by A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, we read with my [edit].

"There is today no lack of [Priesthood Leaders] to set forth correctly the principles of the doctrines of Christ, but too many of these seem satisfied to teach the fundamentals of the faith year after year, strangely unaware that there is in their ministry no manifest Presence, nor anything unusual in their personal lives. They minister constantly to believers who feel within their breasts a longing which their teaching simply does not satisfy.

"I trust I speak in charity, but the lack in our pulpits is real. Milton's terrible sentence applies to our day as accurately as it did to his: ‘The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed.’ It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table".