What can Jesus, Paul, and the early church teach pastors about sustainable, bivocational ministry?

In Wages in the Kingdom, biblical scholar Jason Mills argues that for much of the early church, pastoral ministry was shared and self-sustaining. Drawing on careful exegesis of New Testament texts and historical evidence, Mills demonstrates that most early church leaders were not paid for ministry itself but sustained themselves by working a trade.

This type of self-supporting ministry began with Jesus, Paul, and the early rabbis as leaders collaborated together to shepherd their congregations. Following their examples, the early church adopted this model. This book invites you to explore this surprising past and imagine what the present and future of bivocational ministry could look like.

What you'll find in Wages in the Kingdom:



- A comprehensive study of paid ministry practices in the first century and early church

- A biblical and theological paradigm of bivocational, covocational, and multivocational pastoral ministry

- New approaches to familiar New Testament texts about how Jesus, his disciples, Paul, and early leaders were paid

- A clear account of the church's historical transition from self-supporting leaders to fully funded pastoral positions

- Practical suggestions to help the contemporary church learn from our predecessors, especially for today’s economic realities



This book invites pastors and scholars alike to consider bivocational ministry as a positive, sustainable, and biblically grounded option. Whether you are rethinking your own ministry context, equipping the next generation of church leaders, or seeking a scholarly resource on vocational ministry, Wages in the Kingdom brings biblical depth and historical clarity to the conversation.



Jason Mills (PhD, University of St. Michael's College) serves as assistant professor of Spiritual Theology and dean of the Seminary at Briercrest College and Seminary in Saskatchewan, Canada. He is the author of Glassroom Learning. He teaches, writes, and thinks about education, pastoral ministry, and the church. You can find Jason's blog at www.jasonmills.ca.



Introduction: Why Self-Supporting Pastors Are the Past and the Future



1. Building like Jesus and Fishing like His Disciples: Tearing Down Walls and Disentangling the Nets of Abandoned Trades



2. Households and Hospitality: Setting the Table for the Apostle Paul and His New Testament Letters



3. Dismantling Paul's Apparent Case for Paid Preachers in the New Testament Church: Paul's Letters to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians



4. Dismantling Paul's Apparent Case for Paid Preachers in the New Testament Church, Continued: Paul's Letters to the Philippians, Galatians, and Timothy



5. Landowners, Craftsmen, and the Shift to Paid Ministry: Pastoral Vocation During the Apostolic Period



6. Future Funding: Reshaping the Church and Its Pastors



Bibliography