Billions of dollars change hands in the name of Christ.
Is the gospel at stake?
Many rightly condemn the wealth amassed by false teachers, but at a fundamentallevel, little differentiates their practices from those of legitimateministries. Seminaries, Christian publishers, and other church and parachurchorganizations all engage in the commerce of exchanging religious instructionfor money. Now, more than ever, the church must turn to the word of God to findwisdom on these matters.
The Dorean Principle offers a fresh look at the Bible’s guidance on ministryfundraising and exposes common practices that run afoul of its instruction.Conley Owens presents a robust synthesis of Jesus and the apostle Paul’stheology, concluding that “ministry should be supported, not sold.” Drawingfrom his experience as both a pastor and an engineer, he provides practicalsolutions to the challenges that lie at the intersection of money and ministry.
Conley Owens (MDiv, The Log College & Seminary) is a pastor atSilicon Valley Reformed Baptist Church and a seniorsoftware engineer at Google. He lives with his wife and eight children inSunnyvale, California.