“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages’” (1Tim 5:17-18).
Toss out the topic of preacher pay at just about every church and rolls around the floor like a grenade without a pin. Everybody runs away from it. And if you get to close to it, someone’s going to get hurt. This is a particularly hot potato in America today.
It seems like every single day, bloggers have a field day with some megachurch pastor’s stupid decision build a megamansion or buy a jumbo jet. As a result, the pendulum swings wildly the other way in some churches where people expect pastors to live on food stamps and government cheese.
Well, it’s no surprise that our good buddy Paul is willing to have a very frank discussion about preacher pay in his first letter to Timothy. The apostle writes to the newly installed pastor of the Ephesian church while he hits the road for ministry over in Macedonia (1Tim 1:3). Tim is to put out the grease fire cause by the false gospel started by false teachers (1Tim 1:4-7; 4:1-3). Assemble a new team of elders and deacons who lead and serve with integrity (1Tim 3:1-13).
As part of his instructions to Pastor Tim, the man from Tarsus isn’t afraid to address compensation packages for the local church. “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and ‘The laborer deserves his wages’” (v17-18). Teaching and preaching God's Word well is exhausting. Let's be generous with those who do it.
The first thing we see as we dig into the passage is the expectation for our elders to be outstanding leaders. Paul uses a verb (Gr. proistemi) which the folks at the ESV choose to translate “rule.” While the original Greek word certainly carries that meaning, it’s a whole lot more than that. It means to lead, direct, guide, guard, care for, and manage.
It seems like every single day, bloggers have a field day with some megachurch pastor’s stupid decision build a megamansion or buy a jumbo jet. As a result, the pendulum swings wildly the other way in some churches where people expect pastors to live on food stamps and government cheese.
Well, it’s no surprise that our good buddy Paul is willing to have a very frank discussion about preacher pay in his first letter to Timothy. The apostle writes to the newly installed pastor of the Ephesian church while he hits the road for ministry over in Macedonia (1Tim 1:3). Tim is to put out the grease fire cause by the false gospel started by false teachers (1Tim 1:4-7; 4:1-3). Assemble a new team of elders and deacons who lead and serve with integrity (1Tim 3:1-13).
As part of his instructions to Pastor Tim, the man from Tarsus isn’t afraid to address compensation packages for the local church. “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and ‘The laborer deserves his wages’” (v17-18). Teaching and preaching God's Word well is exhausting. Let's be generous with those who do it.
The first thing we see as we dig into the passage is the expectation for our elders to be outstanding leaders. Paul uses a verb (Gr. proistemi) which the folks at the ESV choose to translate “rule.” While the original Greek word certainly carries that meaning, it’s a whole lot more than that. It means to lead, direct, guide, guard, care for, and manage.
There’s a sense of intense devotion to the task at hand and to actively help those placed in your care. It’s exercising influence over others in order to cause them to follow a recommended course of action.
The word literally means “to set yourself in the front.” As a godly leader, you put yourself out there! Servant/leaders expose themselves as they set the example for what it means to follow Jesus. We’re not to sit on our God given gifts but use them as members of the church, including “the one who leads (Gr. proistemi) with zeal” (Rom 12:8).
The word literally means “to set yourself in the front.” As a godly leader, you put yourself out there! Servant/leaders expose themselves as they set the example for what it means to follow Jesus. We’re not to sit on our God given gifts but use them as members of the church, including “the one who leads (Gr. proistemi) with zeal” (Rom 12:8).
In one of his letters to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages believers there to be good followers of their leaders. “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over (Gr. proistemi) you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1Th 5:12-13). Elders and deacons put themselves out there for the good of their families and their churches (1Tim 3:4-5, 12).
While servant/leaders don’t seek the spotlight, they also realize God has placed them in a public position for His people. There’s no hiding in the ivory tower. It’s no time to go all Wizard of Oz and tell folks to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Whether you like it or not, being a servant/leader and an elder comes with a level of exposure and transparency. Leading means putting yourself out there.
For those leaders who knock it out of the park, they should “be considered of double honor” (v17). When they do a job so nice, let’s thank them twice. Paul’s talking about giving these elders BOTH respect AND financial compensation. Any doubt of that comes from the Old and New Testament passages he drops in the following verse (more on that in just a bit).
While servant/leaders don’t seek the spotlight, they also realize God has placed them in a public position for His people. There’s no hiding in the ivory tower. It’s no time to go all Wizard of Oz and tell folks to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Whether you like it or not, being a servant/leader and an elder comes with a level of exposure and transparency. Leading means putting yourself out there.
For those leaders who knock it out of the park, they should “be considered of double honor” (v17). When they do a job so nice, let’s thank them twice. Paul’s talking about giving these elders BOTH respect AND financial compensation. Any doubt of that comes from the Old and New Testament passages he drops in the following verse (more on that in just a bit).
I’m pretty sure he’s NOT talking about paying certain elders twice as much as anybody else. But you can bet he’s pointing to the big biblical idea of generosity. Let’s be doubly generous to our leaders who are generous with their gifts to us.
The apostle points out certain elders we should absolutely consider as those recipients of our double generosity. “Especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (v17). For those of you who’ve never had the humbling privilege of teaching God’s Word, it’s not something you mail in. To do it well is hard work. VERY hard work.
The apostle points out certain elders we should absolutely consider as those recipients of our double generosity. “Especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (v17). For those of you who’ve never had the humbling privilege of teaching God’s Word, it’s not something you mail in. To do it well is hard work. VERY hard work.
Paul backs that up in his description of it as “labor” (v17). He uses the Greek word kopiao. No, that’s not some sort of Asian chicken dish. It’s working hard to the point of fatigue or becoming physically or emotionally exhausted while doing something.
It’s a go-to term for authors of the NT when they describe folks who are drained. Before Jesus gave him the nickname Rocky, Simon wasn’t hot on the idea of taking our Savior fishing after a long, hard night. “Master, we toiled (Gr. kopiao) all night long and took nothing!” (Lk 5:5).
It’s a go-to term for authors of the NT when they describe folks who are drained. Before Jesus gave him the nickname Rocky, Simon wasn’t hot on the idea of taking our Savior fishing after a long, hard night. “Master, we toiled (Gr. kopiao) all night long and took nothing!” (Lk 5:5).
When Christ took a load off at a Samarian well, He was “wearied (Gr. kopiao)…from His journey” (Jn 4:6). Paul acknowledges a pair of disciples who busted their tails in the Roman church. “Greet Mary, who has worked hard (Gr. kopiao) for you” (Rom 16:6) and “Persis, who has worked hard (Gr. kopiao) in the Lord” (Rom 16:12).
Creatively “preaching and teaching” (v17) the Bible is no walk in the park. It’s draining. It’s exhausting. And it should be. It’s THE most important news ever delivered. God’s Story is THE Story! You have the responsibility of staying true to God’s Word.
Creatively “preaching and teaching” (v17) the Bible is no walk in the park. It’s draining. It’s exhausting. And it should be. It’s THE most important news ever delivered. God’s Story is THE Story! You have the responsibility of staying true to God’s Word.
You can’t compromise His truth. It requires incredible accuracy and creativity. It’s probably why Jesus’ kid brother James told those who think they might want to teach to think again. “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1).
One reason “preaching and teaching” is so exhausting is because God preaches the message the minister first and foremost. As far back as the 17th century, John Owen said a pastor doesn’t preach his sermon well if he doesn’t first preach it to himself. Opening yourself up to that sort of repeated examination and conviction by the Holy Spirit is intensely draining.
One reason “preaching and teaching” is so exhausting is because God preaches the message the minister first and foremost. As far back as the 17th century, John Owen said a pastor doesn’t preach his sermon well if he doesn’t first preach it to himself. Opening yourself up to that sort of repeated examination and conviction by the Holy Spirit is intensely draining.
I would suggest that a church not just reimburse its pastor generously but also make sure he gets a liberal amount of time off for R and R. (Let me be clear. While I am elder, I’m NOT a paid staff pastor. This isn’t some attempt to twist the Bible and guilt a congregation into a lavish compensation package.)
Just so you know he’s talking about the generous financial support of preaching pastors, Paul quotes a couple of passages. One from each of the Old and New Testaments. First, he goes old school from Deuteronomy. “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” (v18; Dt 25:4). Moses was originally talking about not starving livestock while its working. The apostle applies the idea to preachers. Don’t let your ministers go hungry.
The apostle then quotes Jesus’ instructions to His advance team. “The laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7). When somebody works, they should get paid. That includes your pastor. For those of you who had your doubts about it, here’s the direct and unmistakeable link to “double honor” and reimbursement.
Just so you know he’s talking about the generous financial support of preaching pastors, Paul quotes a couple of passages. One from each of the Old and New Testaments. First, he goes old school from Deuteronomy. “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” (v18; Dt 25:4). Moses was originally talking about not starving livestock while its working. The apostle applies the idea to preachers. Don’t let your ministers go hungry.
The apostle then quotes Jesus’ instructions to His advance team. “The laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7). When somebody works, they should get paid. That includes your pastor. For those of you who had your doubts about it, here’s the direct and unmistakeable link to “double honor” and reimbursement.
There’s also the interesting point that Paul clearly understands Christ’s teaching to carry the same authority as the Old Testament. The interesting fact is that Dr. Luke probably just completed his bio of Jesus (around 60-61 AD) about the same time that Paul is writing to Tim (approximately 64 AD).
Those who lead well put themselves out there. It wears you out to leave yourself exposed like that. And in particular, preaching and teaching God's Word well is exhausting. It’s draining. It’s incredibly hard work. Let’s not be stingy and tightfisted when it comes to compensating our pastoral staff.
Stop freaking out about preachers and their pay. Paul wants us to know that it's not a hand grenade. So let’s be generous with those who are generous with their gift of teaching and preaching.
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