Out Our Way:

Out our way, folks working cattle sometimes sense when a cow/calf unit are about to head the wrong way, and they move quickly to head them off before they get too far off the right trail. Goliath is a master of this, and once, when working three very rangy units up in the Bear Paws, he read them more quickly than I did; he moved to turn them before I even knew what was happening. I also discovered that it is a lot easier to head off a wayward cow the moment she starts in the wrong direction than it is to have to chase after her once she's got up a head of steam and headed full tilt in the wrong direction.

The same is true of rumors. Rumors can get started and soon they begin to take on a life of their own. So this week Goliath suggested instead of his regular column sharing the Gospel of Goliath (and Mark), it would be a good idea to take a moment to head off a rumor than has started around Havre regarding my ministry at the Presbyterian Church and my work at Walmart. I have heard from two different sources that there is a rumor that I have resigned my ministry at the church and that is why I am now working at Walmart. I am glad to say it is not true.

While it is true that most pastors receive a salary and such from their congregations, it is not always so. In the Book of Acts is the account of the Apostle Paul who chose to earn his own living by working with leathergoods and making tents (Acts 18:3) while continuing to serve the church and ministry. Hence when a pastor opts not to take a salary (or take a small one) but support his or her ministry through secular work, the pastor doesn't stop being a pastor, but simply offers a different approach to ministry. Pastors who opt for this type of ministry are called "tentmakers."

Granted, I don't actually make tents, but I do strive to support myself by working outside the church. In a sense I have always done this since coming to Havre, for we are a small congregation and cannot afford a full-time pastor. So in addition to the work at the church, I have also worked at a local radio station, worked for the Salvation Army, was a reporter for a small paper and was also the manager of the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum.

During all that time the church paid a partial salary and provided rent-free housing. But now that I am alone and my bills much lower, I found I was doing very well on a part-time salary and the housing. But as time went by, I noticed how so many people unselfishly volunteered time, treasure and talent to the church which, despite our small size, made it possible to not only continue to mantain the buldings, but also to maintain a healthy mission and community outreach.

Over the past few years I have noticed that when we take up the offering each Sunday, there are always a few pennies already there. It was explained to me that it is a tradition for this congregation, for those pennies represent the "widow's mite" (Luke 21:1-4). The widow who had almost nothing gave what she had to the Temple and to God, and Jesus commended her for it.

Like many modern congregations, not only can we not afford a full-time ordained pastor, but we cannot afford any staff at all, not even a part-time secretary or janitor. But the needs fulfilled by secretaries and janitors still have to be met. The people of this congregation themselves have risen to the challenge. Many of my folk are on fixed incomes and really have to stretch to make ends meet, yet they give generously, not only financially, but in doing those things we used to pay others to do for us. Someone is there to print the bulletin, answer the phone, do the correspondence and keep the records although we cannot afford a secretary or a bookkeeper. Someone cleans the sanctuary and the fellowship hall, the rest rooms and the other rooms of the church, yet we cannot afford to hire a cleaning service or a janitor. Someone changes the light bulbs, fixes the boiler, shovels the snow, cuts the grass and rakes the leaves, although we have no money for a groundskeeper or maintenance person. It gets done simply because these people believe that in serving neighbor and each other they are serving Christ.

So with my congregation willing to do so much and to be so generous for the Lord's work, it came to me that by becoming a tentmaker I could follow their example. So I take no salary per se, except for the housing and the required payments into the denomination's national pension and medical fund. In this way I have joined my church family in maintaining an active ministry and mission despite the small size of the congregation.

I am not alone in this, for especially in rural areas, dwindling populations and decreased budgets have become the norm. Fewer and fewer congregations can afford to call a full-time pastor, and so new ways - and old ones - are becoming more and more necessary. In some cases the congregations just close their doors, but in others, new hope arises as different models of ministry arise. Tentmaking is one of those options that more and more congregations and pastors are considering.

There is no question that Goliath and I are not serving the Church using the old model anymore. I am indeed working outside the Church to support myself and my ministry, but I have not retired. So if you hear that rumor from someone who doesn't understand what tentmaking is and why I do it, set them straight, will you?  Goliath and I much appreciate it.   

Blessings, Brother John and "Doc"

--

John Bruington and "old Doc" Goliath seek to serve Christ at the First Presbyterian Church and through this column. Comments are welcome at [email protected].