Should a church participate in fund-raising?

Alas! the professing church is a part of the world, enjoys its power and ease, seeks its emoluments and honours. To say nothing of Romanism, which is a professed ruler over secular powers, do not the Protestant bodies covet and contend eagerly for the prizes of the earth? Do we not see the means and appliances of the world brought to bear upon the extension of what they call Christianity? True, we are told that the "silver and gold," which Christendom boasts in now, is gathered for the extension of the gospel; but is this the divine way of spreading the good news? When the Lord commissioned His disciples to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, did He mean them to raise funds from the Gentiles? Doubtless, it is the duty of the Church of God to provide for the wants of those who preach and teach, if needy; but does the going about and begging of the world a maintenance show faith or love? Is this the teaching of Gal. 6, or 1 Cor. 9, or 3 John? And then what a complicated machinery! How full of earthly contrivances! Past history and present facts confirm the prophetic view given in the parable.

First, in concluding this Epistle, he writes them about collections for the Saints. The same directions, he had given to the assemblies in Galatia. The collection for the Saints was to be taken on the first day of the week in connection with the remembrance of Him who had said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." He did not want to have any collections when he came, His presence might have influenced them in some way and he wanted to avoid this. How different is the collection-system in the professing church of today! No unsaved person should be permitted to give anything for the Lord's work; only the Saints can give acceptably. It is an unscriptural thing to go to the world, which lieth in the wicked one, and ask support and help from the unregenerated. God's blessing cannot rest upon this. (Other unscriptural methods are those which raise funds by entertainments, suppers, etc., and then the appeals which are often made by Evangelists and others, the influences which are used to obtain the largest results! All this is condemned by the simple and brief instruction about collections in this chapter.)

The last chapter is now before us, in which the apostle lays down a weighty exhortation as to collections for the saints. He puts it on the ground of their being prospered in any degree, and connects it with the special day of Christian enjoyment, when they gather together for the communion of saints. "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by in store as he has been prospered, that there be no gatherings when I come." Need it be said how human influence has dislocated the truth there? No doubt this was precisely what the apostle, or the Holy Ghost rather, discerned to be at work at Corinth, the same mistake that has wrought so malignantly in Christendom; that is to say, personal rank, learning, eloquence, or a great name (as of an apostle for instance), invoked to call out the generosity of the saints (perhaps, even of the world), and increase the proceeds by all these or like means.

The principle stated by the apostle is perfectly clear and simple; and, as an ordinance of Christ, the duty of considering the temporal wants of those who labour in the gospel is one which every right-minded saint will be swift to acknowledge. The provision, though divinely sanctioned, is neither fixed nor measured, but is left, as a stewardship of grace, to the love of those who feel thus their obligations to the Lord. It is manifest, therefore, that state-endowments (themselves a badge of bondage to the world), or compulsory payments of any kind in support of an established clerical body, are things quite foreign to the Spirit's teaching in this chapter. For, first, the clerical function itself is, as will be more fully shown hereafter, a standing contradiction of the true principle of Christian ministry; and, secondly, no unwilling offering can at any time find God's acceptance, and, if levied in His great name, is but an insult and dishonour to that name. The Lord lives and works in the hearts of His people, and it is only as a willing fulfilment of His pleasure that the ordinance here delivered by His apostle can be truly kept. And it would be well if they also who, as "Nonconformists," boast their emancipation from state fetters, would bethink them a little, in the light of Paul's teaching on this point, of the various methods practised among themselves for the raising and securing of what is considered a competent ministerial remuneration. The moment any other force is brought to bear on Christians than their sense of loving duty to the Lord, there is a necessary deterioration of the work, of whatever kind it is. God loves a cheerful giver; and if ever kindness flowed spontaneously, it might be expected to do so from believers towards those who minister among them that grace of Christ which has saved and keeps alive their souls. Yet, strange to say, this claim, so obvious and so tender,1 is but too easily ignored by those who should be most sensitively alive to it.

354 Now here are the proofs. At Jerusalem there were murmurs with regard to temporal helps; the apostles would not occupy themselves with such matters, and they call upon the Church to choose persons to do it; and this took place (Acts 6). In 1 Corinthians 16:3, persons approved of by the faithful were to take charge of the money derived from the collections. In 2 Corinthians 8 a brother was chosen by the churches to carry the money which they sent to Jerusalem; for the apostle, though he might go there, would not take charge of it alone, though ready to share in doing so. That is to say, in temporal and money matters the word shews us that the apostles desired men to be chosen by the churches, who should have charge of them.

Again, the apostle was careful to leave no room for evil surmise or appearance; and so he here indicates a fresh application of the apostolic wisdom which we see in Acts 6. The multitude chose their own administrators. They contributed the funds, and they, not the apostles, chose men in whom they had confidence to dispense them. (See also 2 Cor. 8) As the church cannot impart a spiritual power, so the Lord alone gave gifts for the ministry or service of souls. (Rom. 10, Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4) The apostles, personally or by delegate (as Titus), chose elders, being the chiefs of that authority of which the presbyters were the ordinary representatives locally. (Acts 14; Titus 2) Everything in the church rests on its own proper ground. Here, then, the apostle promises on his arrival to send with letters whomsoever they should approve to bring their bounty unto Jerusalem.

"J. T." We are truly sorry to find the minds of Christian men occupied with such a question, as the mode in which we should lay up our offerings for the poor, whether by a box sent round, after communion, or set up at the door. It seems to us a very simple matter indeed, if only we take Scripture as our guide. We read in the first epistle to the Corinthians the following plain directions, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." Now, it may perhaps be said, that this passage had reference to a certain local matter, and forms no sort of warrant for assemblies of Christians everywhere taking up collections every Lord's day. Yes; but are there not poor saints now as there were then?

This method proved effective, for people came to give voluntarily without pressure being put on them. This is the principle of grace shown us in the New Testament, where believers are not required to give, but, being informed of definite needs, they are told, "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver"(2 Cor. 9:7). A demand is not made, but encouragement is given. The leaders rejoiced in this, as did all the people, and they willingly brought their contributions, putting them into the chest (v. 10).

Up to this time the church seems to have retained that simplicity of conduct and worship, of which we get some beautiful examples in the Acts of the Apostles and elsewhere. Justin Martyr has given us an account of its practices in his day, which cannot fail to be interesting. "We meet on the Lord's day," he says, "for worship, in towns and villages; read as much of the prophets and the memoirs of the apostles as time permits: the reading finished, the president or bishop, in a speech or sermon, exhorts the faithful to follow these excellent examples; then all rise and pour forth united prayer. Then bread, wine, and water are brought forth, the president utters prayers and thanksgiving according to his ability, and all the people say 'Amen.' Distribution is then made of the things blessed to each one present, and to those absent is sent by the deacons. Those who are prosperous and willing, give what they choose, each according to his own pleasure; and what is collected is deposited with the president, and he carefully relieves the orphans and widows, and those who, from sickness and other causes, are needy, and also those in prison, and the strangers who are residing with us, and in short, all those who are in need of help."

Poor in themselves they gave what they could, up to their measure and beyond it; for “the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.” That the rich should give was not so surprising, but, that the poor should contribute liberally of their poverty, was something new to witness amongst those who had but recently been heathens. Paul had not urged them to this as a duty; no prophetic announcement from God impelled them; God’s love acted on their hearts as new creatures in Christ, and beyond their power they gave for this purpose. Nor this only. So urgent were these Macedonian brethren about it, that they entreated of the apostle the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints, for so we should read the passage (8:4) — “beseeching of us with much entreaty the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints.” They esteemed it a favour to share in this ministry. The forwardness of the assemblies in Achaia in this may have provoked their zeal, but their contributions surpassed the apostle’s most sanguine expectations. The favour was not in giving when asked, but in being allowed to help in the matter at all. The favour, they felt was conferred on them, when the apostle accepted their participation in this ministry. “And, not as we hoped,” he writes, “but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God.” Herein lies the secret of ready service. The Lord had their hearts first, then all they had was for Him.