I am working on a sermon about the church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3). As I prepare, I am struck by the open-handed generosity of this church, with respect both to financial resources and personnel.

There are two ways we can do church ministry. We can either (1) seek to build God’s Kingdom, or (2) we can try to build an empire of our own. The former approach holds the resources God provides—people, facilities, money—with an open hand. A “Give-Away” Church is more concerned with what God is doing through the church than in the local congregation itself.

Option #2 is the polar opposite. The empire-building mentality exhibits a defensive mindset with respect to church resources. It feels threatened by the prospect of seeing its people, facilities, and money used in ways that do not directly serve the needs of the local ministry.

I’ve seen the fruit of both perspectives in my 35+ years of ministry. Just recently our church interacted with another congregation that is apparently quite concerned to protect its resources. We were between worship leaders in our Sunday evening service at Oceanside Christian Fellowship; we contacted a fellow in another church to see if he would come and fill in for us one Sunday evening. He said that he would be delighted to help us out, but that he would need to get permission from his supervising pastor. Much to his disappointment and ours he was not allowed to come and lead worship at OCF.

On the positive side, I have served in churches—and worked under pastoral supervisors—where a “give-away” culture was the norm. What follows is a zinger of an example that to this day continues to affect my life in ways I could never have imagined.

Back in the 1980s I was a full-time Pastor of Single Adults. I wanted to go on for a Ph.D. to teach in a seminary, but money was an issue. So I crafted a rather bold plan to finance my education. I asked my senior pastor for permission (a) to work part-time and (b) to raise support from individuals in the congregation. Let me paraphrase:

“Pastor John, can I take away staff hours and money from your church to finance an education that will not contribute to the ministry here?”

My boss’s response:

“Go for it, Joe, and let’s see what God does!”

Here was a supervising pastor whose vision for ministry went far beyond the walls of the church he happened to be leading. By the way, that senior pastor’s name was (and still is, the last time I checked) John Hutchison, now head of our Bible Exposition department at Talbot.

The church at Antioch was a “Give-Away” Church. They gave away their financial resources to their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem during a time of famine (Acts 11:27-30). And they gave away their two most gifted leaders to a church planting adventure that turned the world upside down for Jesus (Acts 13:1-3).

When we dig a little deeper, we discover that a “Give-Away” Church begins with a “Give-Away” Leader, in this case, Barnabas:

·      Barnabas Gave Away His Property (Acts 4:36-37)

·      Barnabas Gave Away His Ministry (Acts 11:25-26)

·      Barnabas Gave Away His Life (Acts 13:2-3)

For those of us who gravitate toward unhealthy empire-building, that second bullet is a real challenge. When Barnabas arrived at Antioch from Jerusalem, and began to minister, the church really took off. Luke tells us that, as a result of Barnabas’s character and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in his life, “a great many people  were added to the Lord” (Acts 11:24).

This is a defining moment for Barnabas. He could have built an empire. Barnabas could have become the senior pastor of the first Gentile mega-church! Instead, he runs to Tarsus to fetch Paul to share the ministry. By the time we get to Acts 13:1, Barnabas is just one of several “prophets and teachers” in the church at Antioch.

We need more “Give-Away” Churches like the church in Antioch. But a “Give-Away” Church begins with a “Give-Away” Leader.

Barnabas was a “Give-Away” Leader. John Hutchison is “Give-Away” Leader.

What kind of leader are you? What kind of leader am I?