1. This model allows church members to sit back and assume the pastor is the primary ministry provider.
2. This model encourages unrealistic and unbiblical expectations that a congregation places on their full-time pastor.
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- “Full-time pastor means we have full-time ACCESS to you.”
- Tell the story of when I learned that full coverage insurance doesn’t really mean full coverage insurance.
3. When a pastor’s only income is from a church, it can cause him to be hesitant to preach boldly, lead innovatively, and confront problems in the church.
4. This model all but guarantees a built-in ceiling to a pastor’s earning potential.
5. This model contributes to ministry becoming a one-dimensional, all-consuming focus/identity for the pastor.
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- “You don’t find your purpose in a thing, a job, a career, or an opportunity. We all know people who lost their purpose when they lost their job or career. That’s because they mistakenly placed their purpose in something that can change.” – Jonathan Milligan in Your Message Matters
If you are working full-time for your church I can almost guarantee one of two things is happening:
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- You’re getting paid for a lot of down time in your schedule. (Some pastors are truly lazy and unaccountable.)
- You’re doing a lot more work in the church than you’re gifted for and thus carrying a disproportionate load of the ministry on your shoulders.
What if you could significantly supplement or even replace your church income with one or more streams of revenue?
Jon Sanders
Jon Sanders seeks to encourage pastors with the message that God delights in doing BIG things in small places. For many years, Jon served as the Lead Pastor of The RESCUE Church, a South Dakota based multi-site church with a huge vision to reach rural communities with the gospel. As a leading voice in the rural church arena, Jon spends his days coaching leaders and hosting both the Small Town Big Church Podcast and Courageous Living Podcast. In addition to his passion for the rural church, Jon also works full-time as a professional firefighter/EMT. He is married to his wife Jessica, and they have three children: Justin, Jenni, and James.