There is a common view that one needs to put away their own gains and losses if he or she desires to serve God. In that way, a person can serve God purely, otherwise, there will be deceit in their ministry.
This is a good point because a person can spare no effort when he or she dedicates himself or herself to God.
However, it’s possible to eat his or her cake and have it.
It’s the person’s business if he or she has a pure heart to follow God, but we should not exert salary restraint on church workers according to some “rigid” standards of testing one’s faith.
For example, some churches offers an annual salary of 30,000 for full-time pastors, without any living allowance.
The annual income of 30,000 yuan may maintain the life of a rural pastor who has a house, but it is a drop in the bucket for an urban pastor.
The dilemma exists there all the time, older generation church leaders believe that poverty can train one to have faith, otherwise material desires lead to the clergy’s corruption.
The other reason is that a poor pastor can win respect from the congregation and vice versa.
The requirement is made from the angle of administrators, failing to regard those who serve the church as living humans.
A young person is responsible for honoring parents, caring for family, and raising up children. If a person is bad at managing his or her family and life, how can they serve God?
Some people emphasize the word “fairness”, comparing western missionaries who preached in China without any financial support and the old generation pastors who were unpaid, with the new generation of workers who are dissatisfied with their payment. The latter are corrupt.
It’s not hard to realize that missionaries to China or leaders from the last generation lived in a different time period.
The Old Testament has an example of the Levites, who left their ministry because they were not provided for.
Today it is the same situation that ministers will leave ministries once their livelihoods are not guaranteed.
More and more millenials become church staff, while more and more who have burdens for the church have to leave.
In face of marriage, diseases, and taking care of their parents, they are unable to deal with them.
However, the church doesn’t solve these problems with integrity.
Sometimes I think about how many companies care about their talented workers and meet their life needs so that they can play a valuable role in the company.
In the church there are also talented people, but there is no systematic plan to keep the brain drain from leading to the desolation of the church.
When will the livelihood of church workers be seriously treasured?
The question sounds like a lament, and more of a helpless sign!
Only God knows when it can be settled.
有人认为：“一个人想要服事上帝，就要将自己的得失利弊完全放下，这样才能单纯的服事神，否则服事里面就掺杂着诡诈。”
这样的说法其实非常对，因为人只有完全的奉献，才能在跟随上帝的过程中竭尽全力。
但客观来讲不能一面想让马儿快跑，又不给马儿吃草。
一个人是否存有纯正之心跟随上帝，那是他个人与上帝之间的关系，站在教会的角度我们可以起到一个监督、见证、约束的作用，但不能用硬性的标准来约束服事者的经济收入，以此作为一个人信心大小的标准。
就像有些教会给全时间传道人一年3万元的生活补贴，再无其他生活方面的帮补，如果当地有弟兄姐妹有爱心会买些东西进行看望，当然尽管有人看望所带来的帮助也微乎其微。
一年三万元，如果对于农村地区，服事者本身有自住房的情况下，或许还可以维持生活的正常运行。
如果这个弟兄在省会城市，同时还需要自己进行租房的话，那这三万元其实就是杯水车薪。
现实的窘境一直都在，只是教会的长者认为，教会不能提供很丰富的帮补，否则就无法练就其信心的生活，最后导致的是服事者的“腐败”。
另一个原因就是想要让服事者通过过简朴生活，来获得弟兄姐妹的认可，否则一个过着富裕生活的牧者，很难受到弟兄姐妹的尊敬。
以此为前提，很多服事者如果想要选择清心服事神，教会就仅仅提供这样基本的条件，如果没有清苦的心志也就无法参与服事。
思来想去，这样的一种要求仅仅是站在管理者角度的思考，并没有将服事者本身看做一个活生生的人。
对于一个青年人本身来讲，有孝敬父母的责任、照顾家庭的责任、抚育下一代的责任，而这些对于一个自然人而言是逃脱不掉的责任，更是一个人能治理好自己家庭的证明，如果一个人连自己的家庭、生活都一塌糊涂，又怎么能更好的服事神呢？
曾有人谈到“公平”一词，认为：“昔日有些宣教士来到中国的时候，后面没有任何的经济支持，依然愿意凭信心前行，甚至老一代传道人他们也在没有任何经济保障的前提下踏上了事奉的路，而现在的服事者已经有了供应却依然不满足，这就是堕落。”
其实不难发现，无论是宣教士来华也好，还是老一代传道人蒙召参与服事也好，他们都生活在一个特定的时期。
当时的教会并不健全，需要有一批蒙召的开拓者，到了今天教会已经被建立起来了，如果再用当时代的标准去衡量、要求人去做福音工作的话，这本身缺乏公平。
比方说：有人义无反顾的抛开家庭去传福音，然后众人称他为爱主，然后就要求说，所有爱主的人都要抛开家庭去传福音，否则就定义为不爱主，这本身就是一种道德绑架。
我非常承认，站在教会的角度需要对服事者有要求、在生活的角度有约束，这本身涉及到教会的见证。
但是约束与供应实际上是相互促进的，如果仅仅想要让工人努力做工，却没有为工人在现实中提供任何保障的话，这本身就是失去了公平的见证。
旧约中曾谈到服事神的人离开事奉的岗位的事情，原因就在于当时对事奉者生计方面的供应出现了问题，最终导致人没有办法继续事奉神。
其实如今也是一样，如果在生计方面无法供应服事者的话，最终会导致事奉者逐渐离开事奉的岗位，以至于教会荒凉；另外一种情况则是，在服事的人心中也有很多的担忧，最终生活和事奉都出现问题。
面对教会中年轻一代的兴起，越来越多的90后逐渐在教会中承担起了事奉的角色，与此同时我也看见越来越多的90后虽然满有服事的负担，最终也不得不离开事奉的岗位。
是没有爱主的心志么？
不是，否则最开始就不会不顾一切的服事祂；是因为服事的艰难所以想放弃么？
不是，因为选择的的时候，就早已经知道其中的艰难。
但是为什么想要放弃？
因为这些弟兄姐妹当面对婚姻、疾病、父母养老问题时忽然发现，自己没有任何能力去面对。
而此刻服事的教会，并没有很诚实的解决问题，最后也就带着遗憾离开了事奉的岗位。
是教会没有钱供应服事者的需要么？
并非如此，只是因为很多人仅仅将服事者看做工具，并没有看做活生生的人，所以就会对服事者缺乏供应的现象。
有些时候我就想，社会的很多公司首先在意的是人才，然后解决他生活方面的需要，让他全身心的在企业里发挥价值。
只是今天教会中不是没有人才，只是并没有一个很系统的规划，最后导致人才的流失、教会的荒凉。
服事者的供应，何时能被重视？
可以说这是一种悲鸣，更是一种内心中无奈的叹息！
只是这个问题何时能被解决，或许只有上帝知道了！
一位年轻牧者的悲叹：服事者的供应，何时能被重视？
There is a common view that one needs to put away their own gains and losses if he or she desires to serve God. In that way, a person can serve God purely, otherwise, there will be deceit in their ministry.
This is a good point because a person can spare no effort when he or she dedicates himself or herself to God.
However, it’s possible to eat his or her cake and have it.
It’s the person’s business if he or she has a pure heart to follow God, but we should not exert salary restraint on church workers according to some “rigid” standards of testing one’s faith.
For example, some churches offers an annual salary of 30,000 for full-time pastors, without any living allowance.
The annual income of 30,000 yuan may maintain the life of a rural pastor who has a house, but it is a drop in the bucket for an urban pastor.
The dilemma exists there all the time, older generation church leaders believe that poverty can train one to have faith, otherwise material desires lead to the clergy’s corruption.
The other reason is that a poor pastor can win respect from the congregation and vice versa.
The requirement is made from the angle of administrators, failing to regard those who serve the church as living humans.
A young person is responsible for honoring parents, caring for family, and raising up children. If a person is bad at managing his or her family and life, how can they serve God?
Some people emphasize the word “fairness”, comparing western missionaries who preached in China without any financial support and the old generation pastors who were unpaid, with the new generation of workers who are dissatisfied with their payment. The latter are corrupt.
It’s not hard to realize that missionaries to China or leaders from the last generation lived in a different time period.
The Old Testament has an example of the Levites, who left their ministry because they were not provided for.
Today it is the same situation that ministers will leave ministries once their livelihoods are not guaranteed.
More and more millenials become church staff, while more and more who have burdens for the church have to leave.
In face of marriage, diseases, and taking care of their parents, they are unable to deal with them.
However, the church doesn’t solve these problems with integrity.
Sometimes I think about how many companies care about their talented workers and meet their life needs so that they can play a valuable role in the company.
In the church there are also talented people, but there is no systematic plan to keep the brain drain from leading to the desolation of the church.
When will the livelihood of church workers be seriously treasured?
The question sounds like a lament, and more of a helpless sign!
Only God knows when it can be settled.
Sigh from a Young Pastor: When Will the Church Provide Sufficient Payment?
