The clergy are a special set of people who are called and set apart to serve God as His envoys. They are to serve God exclusively without any distraction. They are expected to always be in the presence of God, praying for guidance and interceding for the church and the society. This was the primary function of the Prophets of God in the Old Testament.
You will recall that Moses was always in the presence of God to receive instructions for God’s holy people and to intercede for them. This made him the true oracle of God. In the eightieth chapter of Numbers and Deuteronomy (Number 18 & Deuteronomy 18), God made it clear to Moses that the Priests and Levites were not to be given any inheritance from the entire land of Canaan which was meant for the twelve tribes of Israel. Instead of giving the Levites an inheritance, Joseph’s tribe through his two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) was given two portions. In these chapters of the Bible, God said it in clear terms that all the tribes of Israel that got their own inheritance should pay tithe to the Priests and Levites.
There were offerings that belonged to them and they were to have God as their inheritance. By implication, whatever was meant for God belonged to them.
In I Kings 17, God directed Prophet Elijah to go to the widow of Zarephath and be fed. God needed to bless this widow and also chose this channel to feed His servant. God has always used people to meet the needs of His servants. This was also evident in the earthly ministry of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. People assisted Him with all that He needed to make a success of His ministry. The owners of the house where He had His last supper willingly and voluntarily released – Luke 22: 9-13.
Also, the owner of the donkey He rode to Jerusalem recognized God’s ownership over him and his possessions and consequently surrendered it to Jesus – Matthew 21: 1-3. St. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that it was an obligation for them to cater for the Apostles of Christ – I Cor. 9: 7-14. The full-time pastors don’t have any other sources of income and they have needs for themselves, their wives and children. In the olden days, congregation members would farm for their pastors, give scholarship to their children and buy them gifts. The clergy are expected to concentrate on their sacerdotal duties without any distraction. Their office is a sacred one which must be hallowed and held very high.
It now behoves them to remain sancrosant and honourable before their congregation members. They cannot do what they like because they are God’s oracles and must also reflect the praise and splendour of Him who called them. The congregation needs to see this as a duty and must look after them as much as possible.
In Hebrews 13: 17, members are enjoined to “obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you.” Your generosity and goodwill will make them to perform their duties with joy and the prayers of the church will not be hindered. It is not proper for clergymen to go cap in hand begging. It will belittle their office and they will lose their respect.
Pastors/Clergy have children who go to school and if they cannot pay school fees or send their children to good schools, it will affect their work because they are already distracted.
In the Roman Catholic church, there are different groups whose primary objective is to meet the needs of Rev’d fathers and they do it with joy. In the ministry of Jesus Christ while on earth, there were people who volunteered themselves to provide His needs and the needs of His disciples. Mary and Martha were some of these people – Luke 10: 38-42 and John 12: 1-8. They were always at the beck and call of Jesus Christ. They followed Him to the Golgotha where He was crucified and were also present at His burial. They were the first set of people to see Him after resurrection. There were also some who assisted the Apostles immeasurably. We have Dorcas and Lydia and a few others in the Acts of the Apostles.
Finally, Clergy Welfare Week is biblical. St. Paul and the other apostles were always collecting offerings for those in Jerusalem. The Macedonian Church in 2 Cor. 9: 1-5 excelled in their giving to the ministers and St. Paul enjoined the church at Corinth to follow in their steps. We thank God for the spirit of generosity in Our Saviour’s Church, TBS. We still appeal that we continue to help the servants of God in rural and war-torn areas across our country. They expect this annually and are praying ceaselessly for all the donors. They cannot abandon their ministry even if they are required to die.
We pray that God Almighty will accept our offerings and bless all our members in Jesus name.