FLOURISHING MINISTERS, FLOURISHING MINISTRY: PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME MINISTERS

Church Growth teachings always seek to bring needed balance to issues that have divided the church and render the work moribund in our hands. It also seeks to examine many of our church practises in the light of the Scripture and health of the church. One of such issues is that of part-time and full-time ministers. 40 or 50 years ago, full-time ministry was the order of the day. Nobody dare do the work on part-time basis. In actual fact, there was a distinction made between secular and spiritual work then.

But 20 years ago, the trend of part-time or bivocational ministers started and today, it is the order of the day. And many are teaching that this should be the case due to obvious reasons.

A. Ministerial Purpose Eph. 4:11; Acts. 20:28; Prov. 27:23; 1 Pet. 5:2-3.

The purpose, ministry and calling of a minister is to feed, nurture, care, develop, protect and lead the people in the way and things of the Lord, either part-time or full-time.

Ministers are directly responsible for the spiritual life of the people.
Ministers are to stay with the people and disciple them for God.
Ministers are to see to the discovery and development of the gifts of the people.

These job descriptions of ministering make it much more demanding than any other ministry gift. Either on part-time or full-time basis, ministers must still fulfill these job descriptions. Ministering job requires lots of time; time with God and time with people. (Acts 6:4).

B. Part-Time Ministers Acts. 20:24; 18:3; 1 Cor. 12; 1 Thess. B. 2:9.

There are thousands of bi-vocational ministers around the world who are doing tremendous job for the Lord. They combine their daily job with ministering in a church because of the following reasons:

Small and struggling church of less than 100 adult members.
Low financial income from the Church.
Difficult terrain of ministry life.
Large family and dependants.
Pioneering stage of the work.

Part-time ministering is praise worthy, welcomed, allowed and acceptable under these conditions. In fact, Church Growth teachings emphasize that ministers must have another source of income when the church is in these stages and levels.

Demerits of Part-time Ministers

Many large denominations today practice the policy of part-time ministers, not because of those reasons, but because they want low overhead cost, much more money and giving ministerial positions to men of power, wealth and education in the church. Therefore, you still have part-time ministers over 500, 1000, 2000, 5,000 member churches. In many cases, those bi-vocational ministers’ rule over full-time, dedicated ministers. What are the demerits?

1. Empty, pressurized and spiritually dry minister.

2. Shallow, fickle and unscriptural people.

3. Unspirituality of the work.

4. Lack of proper nurturing of the church.

5. Withdrawal of God’s presence and power.

6. Powerless pulpit and letter that killeth.

7. Eventual stagnation and downward spiral of the church.

8. Scandals, crisis, break away and bad image for the church.

Many of such churches are already on the throes of stagnation. Things were okay for sometime, but now the evidences are clear and glaring for all to see. When a church moves past 150-200 adult membership and the minister is too busy to stay and nurture the people through intensive prayers, indepth study and teaching of the word, training and empowering them for service, then the church will soon begin to die from inside. Remember, building a spiritually strong church requires lots of time with God and with people. (Acts 6:4; 1 Sam 12:32).

C. Full-Time Ministers -John 9:4

Full-time ministers are considered to be the ideal in ministry and many full time ministers are around. However, many ministers, both denominational and independent, become full- time ministers too soon and too quickly. Ministers become full-time because of:

Denominational policy.
Ignorance of God’s leading.
Rushing ahead of God.
Resigning into poverty.
Pressure of vision and call.

It is the emphasis of Church Growth that ministers should not become full-time when the work is just starting; the work is still struggling; you are still in preparatory stage, there is little or no source of income and there is no clear leading of the Lord. Many who have made this mistake experience unnecessary suffering, poverty and crisis starring them in the face. These are the demerits of becoming full-time ministers too quickly.

Merits of Full-time Ministry – 1 Sam. 12:32; Acts 6:4.

Full-time ministry gives you ample time to concentrate on the work.
It allows you to stay in God’s presence in prayer and receiving from Him.
It allows you to be spiritually loaded and full of scriptural insight.
The people will be properly fed with spiritual meat.
It brings spirituality and spiritual dynamism to the work.
God’s Spirit will flow mightily in the church due to ministerial intercession.
The minister is always available to nurture, counsel and equip the people.
The church becomes spiritually, financially and physically healthy.
The church will move to the next level of impact.

Though there are full-time ministers who are lazy, indolent, prayerless and fruitless, yet the truth is that becoming a full-time minister after your church has crossed the 100 150 members barrier will bring marked spiritual and numerical progress to the church.

D. Striking the Needed Balance for Healthy Church.

Blessed are the balanced, for they shall outlast everybody else. Here are the summary of this issue:

Ministers can and should be part-time ministers when their churches are small under 100 members.
Ministers must have some other sources of income when the work is too small to support them financially.
Ministry job requires lots of time – with God and with the people.
Ministers must become full-time when the church is getting to 150, 200 and above.
Ministers who lead middle-size and large churches but who give most of their time to business and chasing money will surely destroy the spirituality of the work.
Growing and healthy churches require ministers that are available to pray, teach, train and counsel the people.
Ministers that have the ability but lack the availability will only bring spiritual setback to the work.

I sincerely hope that denominational and independent church leaders will take a cue from these truths and lead their churches accordingly.