If you have followed the previous posts the question may have arisen: Are you against full-time ministry? To this question I would respond, “Absolutely not.” In fact I hope to work more full time someday- meaning evangelistic daylight hours. I imagine there will be a day when I am not able to do two works and as we know the Lord’s work doesn’t end.
The reasons I appreciate working in both a school and with the church are simple. 1) The financial arrangements of both the church and myself are beneficial to both. The church has been able to support more outreach efforts and when there are changes in membership or the economy financial stresses are minimal. 2) Again, as mentioned in a previous post, the ability for a minister to have flexibility in study, outreach efforts, and church edification can’t be emphasized enough. 3) An area I haven’t talked about, but will dedicate significant time to in the future are the number of contacts I have been able to make by teaching in a public school. It has been a blessing to encounter and have conversations with faculty, staff, students, and parents regarding matters of faith. The opportunities to plant the seed of the gospel of Christ have been numerous and I feel would have been off limits had I not had more than a foot in the door of a school.
If I were to work full time some day I would hope the above situations would be able to be duplicated. Obviously, a minister who is fully supported needs to truly be fully supported and to have a large degree of autonomy. The model of a foreign missionary comes to mind. He is supported, prayed for, and encouraged to accomplish the Lord’s work: the work of spreading the gospel message, making disciples, and edifying the church. My greatest concern would be that I would not be exposed to as many people on a daily basis. Would I be able to continue to be the public influence for the Lord I’ve been striving to be? I would have to find a way to be involved in the lives of the community and families. Perhaps community groups, gyms, or volunteering within schools would fulfill the desire to be around people who need God’s message.
I know many full-time ministers who have a great relationship with church leaders and are given minimal guidelines other than to do the Lord’s work. Unfortunately, there are also many ministers who feel constrained by expectations that take them away from teaching the word. Part-time or full-time, we all should make the best use of the time and strive to do the Lord’s work, remembering the Day is closer than when we first believed.
-Eric Dougherty