4. No benefits. I suspect that this may be the single biggest problem for men who minister. Often the guys who preach to us about eternal assurance have no earthly insurance. Most churches are happy to let the preacher extol the Beautiful Bye and Bye -- but are woefully negligent when it comes to planning for the Nasty Now and Now. What other employer could maintain a professional workforce without supplying health insurance and some kind of a retirement plan?
At yesterday's luncheon, one dear brother (with quite a few miles on the chronological odometer) shared a heart touching story about how a thoughtful deacon had blessed his ministry. Decades ago, when this preacher had first come to the church, the good deacon championed his cause before the Elders insisting they establish a retirement fund. Today, the minister remembers it as one of the most important gifts he ever received.
5. Ministers shoot themselves in the foot. Now's the time to do a check up from the neck up! A lot of preachers need to admit what's obvious to their congregants: They aren't very self-disciplined when it comes to handling their money. They do dumb things! Many ministers would make a more credible case for Christ by simply learning how to stay out of money trouble. Today that's easier than ever before. There are lots of good books, seminars and websites that teach this stuff. It behooves every minister to get money smart. Why? For his family, for your members, for the credibility it will bring to Christ's name before an outside world-to say nothing for your own peace of mind.
"So, Diggs," you say, "you've hit us with the problem -- what's the solution?"
Frankly, I'm not sure what the ultimate solution is, but I am prepared to make the following observations for your consideration:
1. People don't get into financial trouble overnight -- and they usually can't fix all that's wrong overnight either. But by learning how money management gets done, and then by determining to make the tough decisions necessary, your future really can be brighter than your past.
2. Get help -- both financial and spiritual. Find someone who understands personal finance (maybe another good Christian) and ask him to lead you through the maze. Treat this for what it is: A spiritual battle. Satan loves to mess with preachers. If he can destroy your spiritual vigor or discredit your ministry -- he can destroy a whole church.
3. Shepherds and ministers need to be friends -- not adversaries. What about all that koinonia stuff we talk about? Isn't it high time to start leveling with one another? I still remember a godly man who has preached for 30 years who told me he was $30,000 in credit card debt and he said, "If my Elders knew about it, I'm afraid they'd fire me." No wonder we have a reputation for shooting our wounded!
