The Christadelphians are a lay community. When answering the question “Who are the Christadelphians?” it’s undoubtedly one of the points that we all include in our explanation. But why are we a lay community?
Following Paul
Some may feel we are following the command of Scripture. After all, even Paul and Barnabas earned their own livings while on missionary journeys. What we need to realize, however, is that among the apostles, Paul and Barnabas were exceptions to the general practice.
Paul an exception
“Don’t we have the right to food and drink…as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only l and Barnabas who must work for a living…If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right” (I Cor. 9:4,5,6,12 NIV).
The point is perfectly clear. There is nothing wrong with brethren being supported by the brotherhood as they spend full-time at the work of the Truth. In fact, the argument in I Cor. 9:3-12 is that it is wrong for the believers not to provide the material necessities to those who provide for them the spiritual necessities.
For their own reasons, Paul and Barnabas decided that their work would be more effective if they did not exercise their right in this regard. But they were exceptions to the normal practice.
Not just apostles
Others besides the apostles also received remuneration for their ecclesial service: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.” (I Tim. 5:17-18 NIV).
There is clearly nothing unscriptural about paying those who serve the ecclesia in particular capacities.
Our choice
Early Christadelphians were well aware of these verses. However, they deliberately chose to organize themselves on a lay basis. They did so to avoid the prime danger that comes with a paid clergy: compromise of the Truth to attract a larger following and a larger paycheck.
There are other problems as well. If we are paying people to do a job, we expect them to do it and not have to perform the work ourselves. A class system thus develops where the paid pastor is expected to study the Bible while the rest of the community can be slack in that regard and rely on the learned one for answers. This is disastrous, for every believer’s spiritual growth is dependent on his own personal knowledge of and meditation upon the word of God.
Our system works
As most of us know, our present system works to motivate many of us to much more Bible study than we would ever do if it were not for speaking assignments. The benefit overflows to members of our families as well, for many brethren discuss points they are working on or practice their talks on family members.
On the whole, therefore, we feel our early brethren chose wisely in deciding on a lay system and we do well to perpetuate it.
But there has developed one significant area where our practice is showing a glaring weakness — the mission field.
No jobs
Most overseas mission activities began in the 1950’s. At that time, brethren and sisters could usually move to a country and find full-time employment. Starting and shepherding a new ecclesia along with making a living made for an exhausting schedule, but some were willing to do it.
For a variety of reasons, during the last 40 years, nearly every country has changed their attitude to foreign workers. Now a foreigner must have skills not available among the native populace in order to qualify for a work permit. When a missionary does meet this qualification, the available job can be of a demanding nature which leaves little time for ecclesial activities.
The net result is that, unless brethren have an independent means of support, they are effectively barred from moving to a mission area.
Provide support
What can we do? We can follow the scriptural guideline and support those who are willing to devote themselves to ecclesial work, “especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
Can we afford it? Of course we can. All kinds of religious communities are doing it and surely they are not more generous in their giving than the true saints of God.
Is it necessary? Decidedly! Recent reports from El Salvador indicate great potential for ecclesial development in two outlying cities and in the capital of Guatemala. In this “Tidings,” there are appeals for help from Puerto Rico and a moving letter regarding the situation in Eastern Europe. That’s just for starters but that is enough to make the point.
Problems
As a community, we are not accustomed to supporting those who preach the word. Any time any group does something different from the norm, new problems will arise that have to be resolved. If and when we support those on mission work, the problems will be magnified because they will be living in cultures where some practices may be different from back home. For example, in some countries it is far cheaper to hire domestic help than it is to buy and run a washing machine, dryer and dishwasher. And in some places canned and frozen foods are prohibitively expensive. The only alternatives are for the sister to spend her time preparing every aspect of the meals from scratch, which takes away from her missionary activities, or to hire a domestic to help prepare meals. Wage structures being what they are, the latter alternative makes more sense and is relatively cheap. But the folks back home gasp in dismay that they are supporting a mission couple who appear to be living the easy life with domestic help we would consider a total luxury. (Remember, we are asking a missionary couple to adjust to an alien culture, run a household under less convenient conditions than ours, often function in a foreign language, break new ground in preaching the Truth and carry the full load of ecclesial duties.)
Private schools are another case in point. In some countries, the public school system is unqualifidely substandard and the only education equivalent to our public schools is found in private ones where the rates are very reasonable. However, if it becomes known that we are paying to send the children of missionary couples to a private school, some of us at home may complain that mission funds are being wasted.
Our options
We don’t know how much longer we have before our Lord returns. But we do know that we have the Truth, that people in many countries have shown a desire to learn it and that we need to send brethren and sisters to those areas. To do so, we need to provide them support. This means varying from our normal practice and handling unfamiliar situations.
The money is available to support the work. Brethren administering the funds will sincerely do the best job they can in handling problems and will learn from their experiences.
If we don’t adapt to the situation, we are in danger of not reaping where the fields appear ready to harvest. May the Lord of the harvest help us to respond with grace and wisdom.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One