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MentorNet #30 Self-Support Issues in ©Galen
Currah and George Patterson, April 2005 In
March of 2005, the MentorNet editors were invited to train and consult with workers
in a church planting movement in Background: Six
Christian Indian professional men, medical doctors and military officers from
different states, plan and direct a cooperative church planting endeavour. In
the past four years, together they have seen more than fifty thousand
verifiable house churches planted in the northern states called the “Hindi
belt”. They have established and
maintained five intentional levels of church-planting trainers: 1. International,
interstate directors who train and supervise… 2. Regional (states of 70
to 170 million) co-ordinators who train and supervise… 3. Full-time district
(2½–3 million) church-planters who train and supervise… 4. Block co-ordinators who
train and supervise five to ten … 5. Congregational
shepherds who lead ten families and mentor novice shepherds. Last year, the Directors informed
all trainers that they have until the end of 2006 to become self-supported.
Their reasons for the move to self-support include these: · Depleting resources. · Slowing of the
endeavour. · Theology of ‘resources in the harvest’. · Sorting out those with
only financial motives. · To set a strong example
for self-supported novice workers. Observations The
trainers’ have begun to make adjustments to the move to self-support: · Most were
self-supporting before being hired as trainers, and they were already
planting churches or evangelizing non-believers when hired. · They were put on
partial salary to allow them to travel and train more freely. · The Partnership does
not pay a living wage, so all have had to find additional funding. · Funds for paying
trainers come from both · Some already earn
sufficient by leading seminars, others receive income from their churches and
missions. Real or perceived self-support
issues and objections raised by the trainers: · Other organizations are
poised to pay salaries to those who defect to them. · Could currently
supported trainers keep their support while allowing trainees to remain self-supported? · Directors have access
to foreign money while asking trainers to become self-supported. · It is unusual to find
part-time work in · Those who have already moved
back to self-support are able to witness on the job, but so doing is less
effective than was full-time training. · Indian cultural
tradition disapproves of holy men’s seeking of non-religious income. · Normally only one
spouse earns; perhaps both could earn? Scriptural objections to
self-support, made by some trainers, included these: · The Apostle Paul was a
bachelor who could live on self-support, whereas the Apostle Peter had a
family and received support. · Jesus chose the Twelve
from among self-supported workers and professionals. · Old Testament Levites
received tithes, so should be supported, too. · Since one cannot serve
“two masters” one should not be expected to do ministry work while doing
business or earning their income. · Those who earn their
own support may become greedy for money. · Paul sometimes worked
with his hands and other times received gifts. Means of self-support reported by
the trainers included: · Teaching in government
schools. · Government agricultural
extension work. · Horticulture. · Sewing new clothing for
the wholesale market. · Keeping poultry and
milk cows. · Fish ponds. · Tutoring students. · Resale of sundry items
in the streets and from door to door. · Hire out as day
labourer or rickshaw puller. · Doing laundry for
hotels. · Building contractor. Breakdown
of mentoring Although the movement’s trainers have done a
superb job of dedicated, spiritually-powerful and self-giving evangelism and
church planting, they report that the first generation of novice shepherds of
new churches has mostly not proven reproductive. The MentorNet authors made
two observations which were confirmed by the Directors: · Where there is a
socio-economic difference between trainers and shepherds, the latter tend to become
passive listeners, taking little of no initiative to emulate their trainers. · The trainers often fail
to listen to shepherds report on the activities and needs of their new flocks
and so do not make plans with them about what they will do in their flocks
until the next training session. Thus, training consists mostly in dispensing
lessons and good but untimely advice. Thus, the move to self-support will prove a
partial solution, reducing the economic divide between trainers and
shepherds. The authors recommend that, where shepherds do
take initiative to reproduce themselves and their churches, low-level
trainers be recruited from the shepherds rather than from outside. So doing
would virtually eliminate the socio-economic differences that hinder progress
at the grass-root level. Scriptures
text cited by trainers: Deuteronomy Notes: The tithe was distributed to the poor as well as to the Levites.
Most Christian workers today are neither Israelite nor Levites, nor are they
found among the poorest. Nehemiah 12:44
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for
the offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them
out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and
Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. Notes: The tithe
was imposed by Law, a kind of government tax, and it was administered
by appointed officials. Matthew 6: 24 No man can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one, and love mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto
you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than
meat, and the body than raiment? Notes: It is those who refuse to
serve God if not supported, that try to serve two masters. 1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present
hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no
certain dwelling place; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being
reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Notes: The most effective,
scriptural church planters often supported themselves. Peter 5:1 The elders
which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God
which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint,
but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as
being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. Notes: First century church elders were not to lead their flocks from a
financial motive. To find
mentoring tools and
sites, visit <http://www.MentorAndMultiply.com>. To obtain information on Train &
Multiply® (pastoral training combined with church planting) To obtain information on how to obtain T&M®, visit
<http://www.TrainAndMultiply.com>. To obtain free, reproducible training
materials for new leaders & missionaries, To download or purchase “Come, Let Us
Disciple the Nations” (CD-ROM), To order Church Multiplication Guide
visit <http://www.WCLbooks.com> or a book shop. To subscribe to MentorNet and to download
earlier MentorNet messages, visit <http://www.MentorNet.ws>. |