From day one of ministry, I made a commitment to model my life after Jesus. I always considered ministry as an extension of God's grace freely given to me to be freely offered to others. I recognized that my gifts are not the product of self-achievement or self-effort. I may have applied myself to the development of these gifts and sought to diligently acquire the skills to better offer them, but even that application and seeking was motivated by God's grace. As the Apostle Paul stated, "I am what I am by the grace of God."

 

I never negotiated my pastoral salaries with any of the churches I served, preferring to allow the churches to determine the amount of their financial care of me. I even served one church without a salary, allowing people to simply support us with love offerings. The church was less than 50 people, so at times it was rough sailing in making ends meet, but we made it work. I never charged a fee for any outside ministry that I provided, including weddings, funerals, guest speaking, retreat speaking, etc. I just wanted to be as much like Jesus as I could in my availability and willingness to serve others. The whole concept of "freely you have received, freely give" always played in the background of my mind and heart. 

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I also saw how money has often led to distortions of the gospel. Examples of opulence, extravagance, and excess associated with a  very visible part of Christianity in our culture is heartbreaking to me. It fits our culture, it does not fit kingdom culture. It has become a genuine obstacle in our witness as a believing community. Jesus made himself freely available to anyone, anytime, and anyplace. Wherever there was need, Jesus offered himself. I desire to do the same.

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As a result of all of this, I offer all of my services freely to those who receive from me. Freely I have received...freely I give.

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Blessings,

Tom