On Ministering In Western Countries

The following article arose from answering an e-mail to a brother who entertained thoughts of coming to the United States to minister in order to raise money for the work in his own ministry.  The Lord led me to share this with him in order to deal with the money motivation issue.  It comes up in every minister’s mind from time to time, and it must be handled honestly from the Word of God.

God bless you brother.  I have a hard time with going out to minister with a motivation to make money.  I do not see this anywhere in the Word of God.  It is a blessing when it comes, but if the thought even crosses your heart to be doing ministry for this reason, you had better stay home in your own country because I believe it will corrupt your ministering trip.  I have to guard my heart about this whenever I go on such trips.  And to be truthful, if American ministers ever held such thoughts about money when they went overseas to minister in other countries, no such ministry would ever take place in poor countries.

I appreciate your honesty.  I have long felt that even though precious pastors and gift ministers do wonderful works by coming to western countries, that their effectiveness is corrupted by their secret hearts’ desires to return home with a lot of money.

This motivation is a lot like the businessman who really wants to make a lot of money, but hides his corruption from even himself by claiming he is going to make more so he can give it to the church.  Of course it never happens, because God will not honor his true secret motivations.

The Bible is very strong on saying that God will provide for our needs, but it is very shallow on saying how it will come, except Luke 6:38 — that men will give.

But we dare not make it our goal to give our gift ministries so that we can profit, even if the profit will be for His ministry work.

Instead, I believe it is Godly to ask God in secret for what we need, and for His abundance.  He will send the laborers, and he will supply for His harvest, and He will take care of you and your family.

God is very good.  We commit a grave error when we choose to minister in, and thus prefer, a richer church over another, or a richer country than another.  We have submitted to bribery (of our own doing) when we do this, and it carries our hearts away.

I know that American ministers have also committed gross error, measuring their success by their riches.  But ministers from other countries do this too.  Another illustration comes from the many ministers from Africa and other countries who “fish” on the internet, hoping to connect with a western church to affiliate with (and become supported by) them.

In all of this there is a mix of good, but with a shadow of corrupt, desires for financial support — so much so that they will “help God out” by landing a contact through the internet, or “hitting the jackpot” by traveling and ministering in countries in which they hope to gain finances.

God has no problem with honestly blessing his ministers with finances.  But their hearts have to trust Him completely, not just partially, in this area of provision.  We should review how the Apostle Paul and Jesus operated — were they pro-active for finances in distributing their ministry?  No, the best we can say is that they were passive — encouraging people to give for their blessing and the work of the ministry, but not having any secret desires for the same.

I am not criticizing you.  I simply want you to be honest before the Father, and honestly ask Him to supply your need instead of trying to do it your own soulish way.  Each of us has to figure out before God how to stay clean in this area.  If God says to come to America to minister, then by all means obey!!  We certainly and desperately need gift ministries in operation in our country!!!  But please be sure your motivation is 100% for the Kingdom, and not even a little bit for yourself (or your ministry).  Then God can do a work for you as well as in you.

I love you brother.  May the Lord fill you with wisdom and expand your ministry!

Much love in Him,

–Paul Norcross