Preachers and evangelists of today do not compare to the examples of preachers in the New Testament. Paul leaves a clear example of work to provide for himself and others while still preaching the gospel. There is no example of the church support of Timothy or Titus, especially a salary from a local church. If there was a need to fill, how do you suppose it was done? You may have guessed it. It was done individually. Again, I appeal to Galatians 6 and this time to verses 5-6. Keep in mind that the context is clearly individual responsibility. It reads,
“For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in all good things.”
Paul places this burden to support their teachers upon each individual. As each fulfills this need and responsibility, it results in the saints (the ekklesia) fulfilling their own individual obligations. It is in this way that the saints in Philippi “sent once and again to fill Paul’s necessities” (Phil. 4:16). Certainly, some method was used to collect it so it could be sent to Paul. If someone had chosen to send it directly, they could have done so, but when Timothy and Silas went to Philippi, they were obviously requesting help with a present need of which no one was aware. Clearly, it was collected just like other giving was collected (cf. 1 Cor. 16), but it was collected by the individuals giving it. This does not represent the collective action of individual churches where the elders of the church agree to give it to Paul from their treasury. That would be collective action correlating to institutionalism because it places an agency between the individual and the need. It is for this reason that faithfulness for many who are tied to the organization is the measure of their faithful attendance and giving into the church treasury.
We have also noted that, as preachers traveled from city to city, brethren aided other preachers who were strangers to them. We have the wonderful example of Gaius and he elect lady who opened up their home, gave lodging and food to teaching brethren and would even send them on their journey with provisions for their trip. How was this accomplished? Did they call up the elders of the church and have a meeting to decide whether to support these men from the church treasury. No sir! Each individual who had the opportunity and ability to serve saints and support them in the noblest of causes provided for their necessities. They didn’t work through some local organization. There was no such thing as providing a service through proxy or by contributing monies to a centralized agency to carry out work that was intended to be performed by each individual Christian (Ephesians 2:10).