Over the years, I have heard some stories from Missionaries and Evangelists that you wouldn’t believe. The stories weren’t necessarily complaints, but expressions of unbelief at the "itty-bitty" offerings they received from some of the churches where they preached.

Some churches and pastors are "ignorant brethren" when it comes to taking good care of God’s man. Others are stingy and others are crooked!

When an evangelist gets the calling and hits the road, the thought of getting rich is the furthest thing from his mind. (At least in my circles.) He is out there preaching the word and depending on God to take care of him.

The problem is not God’s care but some of God’s pastors and churches. Let’s face it, there are some plain old stingy pastors out there.

The Apostle Paul encountered such stinginess in his journeys.

"Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only." (Phil. 4:15)

Large churches are usually able to give better love offerings than the smaller ones. There are exceptions to this, however. I never invite an evangelist or missionary to our church unless I know we can give him a good offering.

If he is going to be here for a number of days, we put a basket of fruit in his hotel room with a welcome card containing a hundred dollar bill. In this, we can show our love and appreciation and let our guest speaker have some spending money ahead of the meeting.

Sometimes we furnish him with a car if he has arrived by plane. We never put him up in someone’s home or a shabby motel. Guest speakers need time alone for prayer and Bible study. They also don’t need to be in a home with screaming children or where the husband goes to work and the wife is home with the evangelist, putting him in a situation he does not want to be in. (1Thes. 5:22)

In our last Revival meeting, we flew the Evangelist and his wife from back east to San Diego, put them up in a nice motel, rented them a car, took them to good restaurants to eat, and gave them $1600. The Evangelist before that meeting, we also gave about $1600.

You say, "wow" Brother Perkins, you must have a big church. If you mean big in HEART, the answer is yes. If you mean big in size, the answer is no. (about 70 or 80 on Sunday morning.) Military type churches are like a yo-yo when it comes to attendance. We recently had a missionary and his wife for a Wednesday night. Our folks gave them $500. There were probably about 50 people there that night.

Churches should be aware that most evangelists do not get a paycheck every week, as do most pastors.

If we have a visiting preacher that just pops in, and I feel led to ask him to preach, we may or may not take up an offering but we would at least give him $200. Maybe more if he was able to keep me awake! (gulp!)

I know of one Preacher who takes up two offerings each service, the first for the tithes and offerings and the second for future guest speakers. He explains to his congregation what the second offering is for and they like this. He may only get a few dollars in the second offering but in due time it all adds up. Then when the guest speaker comes, he already has something in that fund.

Our church has what we call "the way-maker’s fund." Right now we have over $500 in it that we can use for our next guest speaker, if needed.

When Mrs. Perkins and I moved back to California in early 1991, we were praying for God’s leadership about the church he wanted me to pastor here. We were working in Bethel Baptist Church in Santa Ana where we have friends and relatives.

A pastor friend told me about this church where I have now been pastor for ten years. It is a good church with wonderful people. Before they asked me to "candidate" for the church I was driving to San Diego as pulpit supply for a few weeks. I always found it smile-worthy when the love offering might be $87.54. They might also give me mileage for 90 miles at 12 cents per mile i.e. $10.80. Nothing was ever rounded off to a higher number.

What ever came in, to the penny, that is what we got. We were grateful and thanked the Lord as well as the church but when I became Pastor, this rinky-dinky stuff ended.

We are always prepared to give our guest speakers much more than the amount given during the meeting. This may be one reason why they always like to come back to our church. Another reason being that our folks get excited about good preaching and love evangelists and missionaries. Some missionaries can’t preach a lick but most evangelists can.

Some evangelists are treated so shabbily at selfish churches, they don’t know how to act when they get a really good offering. It’s like somebody pushed his grateful button!

I have heard of pastors who steal part of the guest speaker’s love offering and use it for other church purposes like fix the roof or pay the light bill. An evangelist friend of mine was in a meeting, a number of years ago. There were several visitors including pastors from other churches.

The offering plates were running over each night. The evangelist’s wife went down stairs to go to the ladies room and while passing by a classroom door she happened to over-hear the pastor and his "board" trying to decide what to do with the "excess" love offering.

The pastor said, "well, just figure up how much all of the church bills are and give the rest to Bro…" (Evangelist) They gave him $146 for the entire meeting. The evangelist had to pay for his own travel expenses, his own place to park his trailer and his own food. This is sin! I guess they thought God wasn’t listening to their crookedness and the congregation would not find them out. (Numbers 32:23)

On the other hand, a little country church that ran 40 or 50 people gave the same evangelist an offering of $1800. That church is to be commended!

One church, I know of, whose $40,000 a year pastor resigned, gave a local evangelist $100 to come and preach on Sunday morning and evening. They were giving their former pastor $800 per week but the guest speaker $100 for both services on Sunday, after the pastor was gone. Pretty chintzy I would say! Eight hundred might not be expected but only $100? C’mon you guys! Wake up and fly right! God will not bless such stuff.

On the other side of the coin, I have seen some attitudes out of some missionaries that bother me. Not so much evangelists, who are here for a one time shot, but missionaries.

I call this attitude, "you owe me something" attitude. Another is, "you gotta support this new project," attitude. "The Lord has led us to build this new building and you pastors in the states gotta help us out or we are going to go under." (TOUGH!) Did you ever consider counting the cost before you begin your pet project? (Luke 14:28-30)

A few evangelists become evangelists because they are too lazy to become a pastor. If they had to prepare five or six messages a week, make hospital calls, go soul-winning, take scores of phone calls per week, listen to whining discontents, look through tons of mail, plan Sunday school campaigns and special meetings, teach in their Bible Institute and still spend time with their family, that would evoke the lazy gene to become an evangelist.

If I have a pastor come as a guest speaker, who draws a weekly salary from his own church I am not as concerned about a big offering as I am an evangelist or a missionary.

Pastor, if your church pays you $500 per week, why don’t you make sure that you give that guest speaker that much plus traveling expenses? Double that would be more like it. It is your God given responsibility to take good care of God’s man when he is treading out the corn in your church.

One of the requirements for a pastor is: "given to hospitality."

1 Tim 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Some preachers have the gift of hospitality. Some who come to mind are Dr. Bob Gray of Longview Texas, Dr. Keith Gomez of Elgin Illinois, Dr. Doug Whiteside of Avondale Arizona and Dr. Dan Davidson of Santa Ana California. All of these men of God are careful to treat their guests and guest speakers almost like royalty. The Lord will repay them at the Judgment seat of Christ. (or before) (2Timothy 4:7,8)

God will bless your church if you take good care of God’s man, whether it is a guest speaker or your own pastor. "worthy of double honour."

Some churches do not have as much money as others. The important thing, is to plan ahead and don’t be afraid to challenge your people to try to out give God.

The best preacher I ever had that preached on giving is Evangelist Don Edwards. My offerings usually increased about one third after he leaves. He has some great messages on giving. I don’t know whom he stole them from but he knows how to deliver them.

Some of you pastors ought to have him for a Sunday just to preach his messages on tithing and giving above the tithe. It will help your offerings and your people will be blessed!!

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thess. 5:12-13)