by Will Maxson
When it comes to supporting missionaries, the biblical principle that “the worker deserves his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18) is incredibly instructive. Yet missionary salaries are often misunderstood. It’s essential for us to allow this verse to inform our perspective, in order to be an encouraging presence in the lives of the missionaries we support.
The Misconception of Direct Donations
A common misconception is that every donation to a missionary is a direct contribution to a specific ministry-related expense. For example, if someone donates $15/month to a missionary, they might envision that money going straight to purchasing Bibles, supporting an outreach event, or covering travel costs to get to the mission field.
This mindset can create real tension. People who give sacrificially sometimes expect their gift to be spent in certain ways. This can create confusion when they see a missionary paying for non-essential personal expenses, like recreation, coffee shop visits, entertainment, or technology that’s nicer than the cheapest option.
I once heard a story of a supporter who stopped his donations after learning that the missionary had a Netflix subscription. The supporter thought, “I’m not paying for that, they obviously don’t need my donation if they’re buying extra things like that.” Yet most Christians in the West probably subscribe to some type of TV service.
Missionaries are human too. They need rest, recreation, and some measure of normalcy to avoid burnout. No one would question a Christian nurse, teacher, or even a pastor buying most of these things, yet missionary budgets often receive more scrutiny.
Let me suggest a healthier attitude. As a former missionary who now supports other missionaries, I view my donations first and foremost as an offering to God. I’m giving to support the whole person/family and their mission. Beyond that, I view the missionary’s specific expenses as none of my business.
They are accountable to God for how they use my donation, the same way any Christian is accountable to God with how they spend their money. And, for the churches with oversight and spiritual authority over a missionary, they should expect a degree of transparency and integrity. But for me as an individual donor, I leave my donations in God’s hands. They are a partnership, not micromanagement.
When Missionaries Internalize the Pressure
Missionaries themselves sometimes absorb this belief. In a mirror image of the above story, I know a missionary who agonized over subscribing to a TV streaming service on the mission field. People were sacrificing to support him, so how could he waste a penny? The subscription was only $8/month, something most American Christians wouldn’t think twice about, yet it felt like a massive ethical dilemma.
I know other missionaries who keep vacations secret. They’re afraid supporters will think, “I’m not paying for them to jet around and live the good life.” But these same supporters usually take vacations. Of course, vacations can be extravagant, or they can be reasonable. But for most Christians, it’s a matter of individual conscience and wisdom, not fear of losing their livelihood because of what others will think.
This pressure creates isolation. Missionaries can start to feel like they’re not allowed to rest or spend wisely without scrutiny. That’s a heavy burden that contributes to burnout and sometimes leaving the field altogether.
The Invisibility of Missionary Labor
One related issue is that so much missionary work is invisible. When a Christian works a regular nine-to-five job, their output is tangible. They clock in, produce something, and get a paycheck. But mission work often involves long hours of relationship-building, mentoring, praying, and discipleship. Much of this goes unseen.
That invisibility can cause supporters to wonder, “What am I really paying for?” if the missionary’s updates don’t include dramatic conversion stories or obvious growth. But missionary fruit is often slow and cumulative. If we expect flashy reports and constant productivity, we’ve imported a corporate perspective into a Kingdom calling.
Supporting missionaries requires some trust. Not blind trust, but the kind that understands the nature of cross-cultural ministry. Sometimes the most faithful thing a missionary does in a given month is sit beside someone grieving, or wrestle through a difficult passage with a new believer, or just keep showing up.
Retirement and Student Loans
During my time as a missionary, I occasionally received comments questioning whether it was right for part of my salary to go toward student loans. The implication was that I was essentially asking others to pay off my debt for me, instead of taking responsibility myself. That attitude frustrated me.
When I left the professional world to become a missionary, I took a 70% pay cut. Missions wasn’t a hobby or a way to enrich myself. It was my new full-time job. I received a salary for it, just like I had in my previous career. And just like before, I used a portion of my own salary to pay down my student loans.
The only difference was where the salary came from. It happened to consist of individual donations instead of coming from a company. But that didn’t make it any less a real wage.
Later, I began thinking about retirement. I was concerned I wasn’t saving enough, so I considered increasing my monthly budget to allow for a modest IRA contribution. Another missionary told me this was unethical. As long as supporters were paying off my student loans, he reasoned, it was wrong to ask them to also fund retirement savings.
That line of thinking misses the mark. One doesn’t negate the other. No financial advisor would recommend putting off retirement savings entirely while paying off debt. Responsible financial planning means doing both as you’re able. Missionaries, like anyone else, need a long-term plan, not just for their own sake, but to avoid becoming a burden later on.
A Theology of Giving, Not Ownership
Behind many of these tensions is a flawed theology of generosity. In some corners of the church, giving is treated more like a transaction than an offering. “I give you money; you do the work I want to see.”
But biblical generosity looks different. When the Philippian church gave to Paul, they weren’t micromanaging his ministry. They were participating in it. Their gift was an extension of their worship, freely given, without strings.
When we see our support as an investment in the person and the mission, the relationship changes. Missionaries feel freer to be honest, to rest, to thrive. And we become partners in the Gospel, not watchdogs of a budget.
Missionaries aren’t superhuman. They’re people doing hard work in hard places. Let’s support them accordingly. Let’s give with open hands and trusting hearts. Let’s remember that a streaming subscription or a weekend trip doesn’t disqualify someone from ministry. It might even be what helps them stay in it.
Yes, missionaries embrace a life of sacrifice. Like the Levites in the Old Testament, whose inheritance was the Lord rather than land or wealth (Numbers 18:20), they serve with a heart of contentment and trust. They are not mere professionals. But that doesn’t excuse us from caring for their needs with generosity and honor. They are workers worthy of a wage.
When we give, we give to empower. Not to dictate, but to bless. Not to demand results, but to say, “We see you. We believe in your work. And we want you to flourish.”
Because the worker really does deserve his wages.
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Will Maxson is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and former missionary in the Middle East. He now calls the hills of Appalachia home. He’s writing a book on missions history which you can preview on his website: willmaxson-author.com. Subscribe for free to his Substack https://substack.com/@willmaxson to read his new Missions History with Nuance blog series.
