In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:14)
The Apostle Paul had many important issues to write about in his letter to the church in Corinth. They were apparently struggling with some pretty big issues of division, morality, and theology. In the middle of the letter Paul reinforced through scripture the idea that those in full-time ministry should be able to receive a living from this labor. It may surprise you to hear that this idea can be controversial. Many of the objections are related to excessive salaries, greed, and the temptation of trying to attract more followers in order to increase one’s wages. In my mind these objections take on the exceptions rather than the rule. In the end scripture pretty clearly establishes the validity of ministers being compensated for their labor.
Missionary compensation is different than the examples scripture typically refers to in this way; the compensation received by a missionary is rarely received from those that are ministered to but rather from partners in the missionary work. The relationship between a missionary and supporter is a team relationship in which financial support is only a portion of the partnership. The sending of a missionary is a group effort in which every member does a part. One member goes other members lend material support, others help with strategic planning, some offer every kind of encouragement, and all members of the team pray. Our average missionary unit has 12 individuals and 3 congregations that provide directly to the financial support of the missionary. In addition there are another 950 individuals and 200 congregations that provide financially to the missions’ ministry projects and general fund. More than 4,000 of you receive this publication and are committed to praying. All together each missionary represents a team of like-minded people united together in a particular mission for Christ.
“Those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel”, Paul wrote. That is true and they need more than that; they need a partnership team walking through the ministry with them daily in prayer. Thank you for partnering with our sent missionaries in every way. If you would like to receive more information about a missionary that you can partner with please feel free to contact me by email jdahl@wmpl.org or phone 612.871.6843.
At the end of May we did not provide full allowance to all of our missionaries. After designated support funds were used up, we needed an additional $69,464. We used the entire $29,919.16 General Fund balance and $23,858 from the Estate Fund to bring the minimum allowance payment up to 65 percent of the target allowance. Of our 48 missionary units, 18 received full allowance and 29 received the minimum allowance. Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers.