I would like to know what is the New Testament premise for full time ministry "staff." -- Siobhan O'Hanlon (Ireland)
Thanks for your question. (And its brevity!) As I read the New Testament, the churches may or may not have been led by "staff." In all likelihood, I would say they were not. I assume you are defining a staff member as one whose employer is the church, and who serves in a leadership position. It's easy to show from the scriptures that staff--preachers--for whom preaching is their full-time vocation--should be paid. (Scan this website and you will find more written on this important subject.)
But I'm not so sure that staff are supposed to be the only church leaders. My advice has been to include staff and non-staff leaders in the leadership group. Since I've addressed this issue already, I will leave it to you to check through the site and, more important, to do your own research. (If you still have any questions, I invite you to write back.)
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