The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-05-30
Pay Your Preacher.

A church calls and settles pastor. A pos
tive understanding exists between the two
parties The pastor has no other source of
income but his church. Carelessness upon
+ the part of the members will soon bring want
into the pastors home. Payday, although
1t aoaS thirty days off, has come around and
the grocer bookseller, tailor and landlord,
all want their money, and of course they all
expect "the preacher to be prompt" The
pastor is perpleXed-almost ashamed to pass
along the street; because he has pledged him
self to pay his bills to-day; and now he finds
it impossible to do so, because the church has
not fulfilled its part of the agreement His
honor, as u man and minister, has gone to
protest, and that, too, when he was doing all
within his power to avoid it. He must go
and make an explanation of the matter; but
this does not pay the accumulated bills that
are now due. In some instances this need
not produce any special feeling but in other
cases the man of business will be disappoint-
ed, and in some instances will discuss, in his
own mind, if not with his intimate friends,
whether these statements are true or not
The. pastors standing is lowered, and it will
require months, and perhaps years, to rein
state himself in the confidence of the bust
ness men in his town. This is sad, very sad
The pastor, under such circumstances, can
not study or do any work well, because his
unpaid bills haunt him by day and night
He begins to feel that the church is not salts
fled with him as pastor; and he too, disap-
pointed in his expectation. His word is too
sacred to him to be sacrificed in this way
He feels grieved and hurt. The church has
disappointed him. Soon watchful deacon
or some good sister makes sad discovery
The pastor does not preach as well as he did
They are very mortified at the terrible failure
he made last Sabbath, because Colonel
Brown and lady," and Major Smith, were all
there by special request of Deacon Jones to
hear "our new PASTOR" who had been quite
popular until within few weeks. In few
days the deacons have special meeting, the
pastor is discussed, and the conclusion reach
ed is, 1--WE have been imposed upon by man
of few sermons" Soon arrangements are
made, and the pastor finds it necessary to re-
sign. The church, at full business meeting,
because the members will attend on such oc-
casions,) passes q series of resolutions, highly
commencing the pastor for his course while
"in their midst" and strongly recommend
ing him to some good church that may be
looking for good pastor, which has just dis
posed of q good, patient man under similar
circumstances And if the moving pastor
leaves a dollar unpaid, or does not refund the
money borrowed to move away with, as soon
as expected, he isreferred to as being very slow,
if not absolutely dishonest, and the church is
not at all surprised that such men have to
move often. But the church assumes the debt,
because a good part of the pastors salary is
unpaid, you will remember and appoints
committee to report nothing done" at the
next meeting. The pastor waits a few
months, or years-which is not unusual
and if he asks for the balance due him, the
conclusion reached by the church is, that he
was preaching for money, and not to win and
build up souls in Christ We cannot too
strongly emphasize the very great importance
of pastors meeting promptly their financial
obligations; but alongside with it, and with
equal force, we would urge the great reason
ablencss and necessity of the church being
equally prompt in the payment of its obliga-
tons to the pastor. Failure upon the part of
the church must always result disastrously
to the pastor and his work "Owe no man
any thing, but to love one another" from.
xii S)-N Y World