Some people think that self-supporting work is offshoot. Some people think that self-supporting institutions are too strict. Some think that self-supporting organizations are not part of the church. But I have my own ideas about what is wrong with at least some self-supporting institutions.
Too much faith. You can’t rely on your own chutzpah. Self-supporting work requires a lot of faith because you have to rely on God for finances, staff, problem solving, etc. Self-supporting work demands that you exercise faith more fully and more completely than anywhere else.
Too much sacrifice. That’s a tough one. No successful work for Christ is accomplished without sacrifice – a lot of it! And guess what? We are nearing the end of this earth’s history, and the different lines of God’s work are to be carried forward with much more self-sacrifice that they have yet been.
Upward Look, p. 241. Self-supporting work prepares you for what’s coming.
Too much hard work. Yes! Not enough staff, so that means everyone has to wear more than one proverbial “hat.” You have to be versatile, flexible, multi-tasking-capable and very energetic.
Not enough pay. Uh oh! The big issue. Well, actually, when you consider everything, many people in self-supporting work actually do better financially than they would with a mortgage, car loans, credit card debt and city living (with its many extra costs). They need a “regular job” to support all that.
Not enough benefits. True, the benefits may not be the same as other institutions offer, but in many cases they are better. Children get educated and generous routine medical support, housing, utilities, etc., are part of the package. But most importantly, some of the benefits are “out of this world.”
Not enough job security. Look, folks, job security is a state of mind. It depends on what you are expecting. If God has something else for you to do, you shouldn’t worry about security. Of course any self-supporting institution could go belly up. But are you aware that some conference institutions have closed or laid off staff lately? How about secular institutions? If you have the right attitude and you are productive, you’ll have plenty of work to do. He’ll take care of that.
Not enough help. True. But how important is the spiritual integrity of the self-supporting institution? It happens that self-supporting institutions can’t hire just anyone, even if they are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. These institutions have to be very selective or else they get people who don’t uphold the standards or who are not doctrinally sound, etc. So, yes, self-supporting institutions are perennially shorthanded. But then they don’t have the stronger worldly influences to leaven them.
Too efficient. That’s true too, self-supporting work tends to be efficient. It has to accomplish more with less, but that isn’t such a bad thing. It is a great place to invest in God’s work, because the donor gets a lot more productivity for the gift.
In the end, this list is not really about what is wrong with self-supporting work. It’s about what’s right with it. And you do need some chutzpah, but not the kind that isn’t sanctified. Considering everything, how much more fulfilling and rewarding it is to put one’s shoulder under the load of self-supporting work. God has many great opportunities for you, even if you are volunteering.
