workin' for God...barely hangin' on

There's an old saying, " give someone enough rope and they'll... "

I had coffee with a recent gradaute of a mainland Bible College this afternoon who is starting on as a childrens minstry pastor in a local church. He's looking for shelter, a place to live. Vacancy rate in the Victoria area is at an all time low, and if your fortunate enough to find something, you might have to choose between a roof over your head or food. Victoria or any major BC city is expensive to live in.

So I start asking questions...after four years of seminary what's your student loan? This young person has a student loan of 26,000$, and the last year of his course he didn't qualify, or couldn't get a student loan...so he borrowed 8,000 on his credit card.

His job will also require he need a vehicle.

Sooooo, I ask him what his salary will be? His salary will be 30,000$. And I ask him, what will there expectation be for that salary? The expectation is a full time work schedule, 40 hours a week.

Now the poverty level in Canada for a single person living in a major city in Canada is said to be some where around 21, 000$.

Oh and this isn't the only story I've heard.

And, this is advancing what ?????????

Comments

[jim]

Skeptic that I am, from the beginning I needed the Gospel to make sense to me if it was to survive the next storm. What I learned along the way is that the storm shakes all my non-sense accumulated and leaves only what God has cemented in my life. The situation you describe is the insanity we bring to the program. Hopefully the young man will endure the journey with the Lifeline provided...

[scott]

my last church of 400 paid me 38k a year and i had multi-staff, a family of 4 and a mortgage...
welcome to christianity. the other extreme is just as bad. couple with no kids, 70k with tons of deductions.

[ron cole]

Hey Scott, I think is the whole sustaining relevance thing. I wonder how long it will be until " churchianity " has broken and burnt this young person out. I listen to his story it's like he's been sucked into a machine. The youth group...in order to do something for God...it's gotta be professional ministry...4 years seminary...$$$$...and then spit out the other end.It's like the church is preying its young as Jim says, " to perpetuate the insanity of the program." And my hat goes off to you bro', I'm scratchin' my head wondering how you survived as a family of 4, and 38K.

[Scott M. Kendall]

It seems clear to me this approach to professional ministry is not sustainable. In fact, it has already failed, as the Church is in full retreat. Professional ministers, however, are vested in the way we do church, and offer no solutions--they have a conflict of interest.

[Megan Cole]

Hi Dad,
I've thought for a while now, why isn't the church leading the way as far as social sustainability. The church was such an important player in the establishment of Canada's social security network (hospitals, schools, support networks etc.), but it seems when the government or the "state" took over these responsibilities that the church kind stepped back leaving all of these social responsibilities to the state. But it seems now with growing social problems (the housing crisis, disparity in wages, more people living in debt or near the poverty line, lack of provisions for the mentally ill etc.) that the church should be setting an example (without bias) of what social sustainability could look like (for example paying fair wages.)

Anyways those are just my thoughts,
Can't wait to see you tomorrow dad,
Love you soooo much xoxo