Cheap Ministry for PK

Dear Arah and Etan,

I came across an article about doing "ministry for free." You can read about it on   http://www.thehighcalling.org/work/should-christians-get-paid-less-because-their-work-ministry#.UnBSrxA6ygi.

As a PK you will ALWAYS encounter such an argument. Church people will expect you to offer your services for free disguised as "your ministry." I remember a story Alleluia once shared. She is a PK and she works as a music teacher in a big university here. She plays many musical instrument and she is really good in playing the piano. People even pay good money to watch and listen to her play piano once a month in the University Cafe. Now you would expect her to play in the church during Sundays, right? That's what the church expected too.

The church council hires a pianist to play the piano on Sunday mornings. But whenever the pianist is absent, they ask Alleluia to fill in and play the piano yet they never pay her. Maybe because she is a PK. This practice continued until the church realized that Alleluia is a church member with gifts they can tap. The church later asked her to play the piano regularly on Sundays. And because she is a PK, they are asking for a discount. They are hoping they could save some money with Alleluia than the current pianist they have. The saved money can then be used for more important church work. The church wanted something cheap for their (music) ministry. That is a cheap ministry!

Remember that all ministry is God's ministry. We are but an instrument of God's work, especially if you are a PK (people remind you that). Should we then receive compensation for doing God's work (most church people do not think so)? Should we not be compensated for our ministry? How can one do God's work without proper support to her, her needs and her work? This is not about money. It is about putting value on the work of God. In the real world, we spend our money in things that are valuable to us. If we value God's work, does it mean we give money to somebody doing God's work (like how they treat our clergy-parents)? Or should we receive big rewards for doing God's work (which church people are not willing to do for Alleluia)?

Church members are told to give offerings willingly according to their hearts desire. They are told that is their ministry. The church often illustrate the poor widow (Luke 21:1 to 4) who gives her 2 small copper coins as an example of offering to God what is valuable to oneself. The poor widow knows her offered coins is her ministry to the needy. And she was willing to give even if it was the only thing valuable she had left. Hers is not a cheap ministry. Just like Alleluia, she was willing to share her musical talent even if she knows she will not be compensated well as there was little value given to her music ministry. Hers is not a cheap ministry.

The issue is about how we value God's ministry. It is not about the one doing God's work. But to the value one gives to God's work. If the church does not compensate well the worker and her work, then they are not like the poor widow willing to give everything they have for God's work. We invest in important things. The church will invest nothing in unimportant work. It will not spend money in works with no value. As a PK, people will assume your church work is for free. If the church is not willing to invest in your work, they are not giving value to your work. A work that is given no value becomes a cheap ministry. You will encounter cheap ministry a lot as a PK.  

But remember, whenever you encounter problems, you are not alone.