"Carry no moneybag" (Luke 10:4).
Among the multiple instructions given by Jesus to the seventy-two as He sent them out, this is the first: "Carry no moneybag." It's important for the pastor to understand. Paul puts it plainly when he writes that the pastor must not be "a lover of money" (1 Tim. 3:3). He must still, however, be a lover, but a lover of God's Word and people, and the congregation and Christ.
It must be evident to the people that what is important to the pastor is the salvation of their souls and their love for each other. I know a pastor who, to this end, asked that his salary be reduced. I myself make it a point not to touch the offering plates during the Divine Service.
The pastor is dependent on the congregation to take care of him physically, in the same way that the congregation is dependent on the pastor to take care of them spiritually. It's a beautiful, blessed codependence taught to us in Luke 10.
But money means little or nothing to the pastor made rich by the ministry of preaching and teaching Christ crucified and risen, baptizing, absolving, and serving Holy Communion. Made rich, in other words, by the chance to love a congregation the way Christ loves the Church.
