Why Compensate Intercessors?
WISE Ministries International White Paper
Why Compensate Intercessors?
Charles Robinson
Copyright 2013, WISE Ministries International
The following is an excerpt from my book “Let Heaven Invade the Seven Mountains of Culture – a WISE 7M Intercessor Certification Guide” and the smaller companion book “Become a Professional Level Intercessor”.
Please note that within this White Paper I address intercessors as “PLI’s” which is an acronym for a title that Peter Wagner coined – “Professional Level Intercessor”.
Please also note that my audience here is potential intercessors but it applies to everyone, including CEO’s and Business Leaders evaluating this ministry.
You charge for prayer? New Times Demand New Methods or You Get What You Pay For
I need to rephrase the question. You charge for the intercessor’s time? The answer is “YES. The prayer is offered up freely, but the time is not.” In other words, the time of the intercessor is valuable and, as such, she or he should be compensated for the time spent in lifting up the client’s needs.
I am writing this book to validate and verify that the need in the Intercession field is both for professionalism and for accountability.
Professionalism through certification (the purpose of my book) and standards and in belonging to the International Apostolic Marketplace Intercessor’s Network (or a similar network.)
Accountability through relationships and regular reporting or checking-in, both
with the intercessor manager and with clients via email updates and/or sessions and with the clients and the production of reports that come out of the intercession time with God.
In addition, there is a feedback loop in which clients can give the intercessor updates as to which things to stop praying for because those prayers have been answered along with new updates.
Say you are a pastor: do you charge your congregation for each sermon that you preach to them? That would be absurd. Your congregation supports you for time and the value of your ministry. So, think of your clients as supporting you in the ministry to which God has called you and for which He has gifted you; your clients are paying for your time.
We don’t pay our pastors just to preach a sermon; their ministry is much more expansive than that, and so is the ministry of the PLI. It’s so much more than prayer; it’s spiritual discernment, it’s confirmation, it’s encouragement, it’s recording, via reports, what God is saying; it’s warfare against the spiritual forces that are coming against you and your enterprise; it’s devising strategies to defend against and prevent spiritual attacks; it’s going ahead of the enemy in the spirit.
Intercession Presentation Case Study
I have been a part of a CEO round table group and every month a member presents their business model, financials, challenges, etc. Well, it was my turn to present and a particular individual had a strong negative reaction due to the word “Professional” and intercessor. This individual said that HE was going to pray for the group on a regular basis and that we did not need a service that paid people to do it.
I respected his comment and completed my presentation for which several people said that they were interested in the service.
The next month at the end of the meeting he mentioned to everyone that he was praying for us and we said thanks! And that was it – nothing more, no prayer requests, no follow-up, nothing. It got me thinking, this is the level of prayer (and not even intercession) that leaders have been used to and conditioned to. Friend, we need to change this. I set it in my heart to respond formally with why this method is not enough.
The following is a table that lists the two types of ministry and why Professional Level Intercession is well, at an entirely higher level as well as in expectations of results. If you think about it how could WISE be in business since 2005 in this challenging economy (and our services are not cheap) performing this service if it did not work? Not to mention the fact that this ministry has been one main source of full time employment for years.
When talking with Lance Walnau Lance stated that “many have tried this field and have not been successful in it, but you have, congratulations!” Our success is due to our model and calling.
Many years ago I received a prophecy that stated “you have a message that is going to go far and wide in the earth” and I believe that this book and the others in the series that will follow is the vehicle to get that message to the world.
Too long have we relegated spiritual ministry to being free and “how dare you to charge for this?!” My well thought-out and rehearsed answer to many variations of these questions goes like “well, you pay for a professional pastor, you pay a professional missionary why not pay a professional-level intercessor? Are they not as important to God as a pastor? Wait; come to think of it, don’t ask that!
The truth is intercessors ARE just as important and so is the machinist, the janitor and the CEO too! Our work is our ministry, period. We don’t differ in importance to God, just in our function. The word “work,” in Greek, the language of the New Testament, comes from the root word “Avodah,” which is the same root word as for the Greek word for “worship.” We worship in church and we worship in work and through our work!
Too long have we in the church thought of intercessors consisting of only a group of ladies who have their mornings free, and who have met, by themselves, for years, on Thursday morning. Our churches have not honored these ladies as intercessors; recognized or acknowledged which anointing(s) they had, trained them to further develop their gift of intercession, or had excitement about recruiting others, both men and women, from all age groups, and from different segments of society, to join the prayer team. Intercession in the local church has appeared weak at best and more like a social club at worst. Remembering you in prayer may have meant only that your name is uttered on a list, one of hundreds on Thursday mornings IF the person reading names at that time didn’t fall asleep! (Sorry, that wasn’t nice.) So, I am writing this to bring these intercessors into the 21st century ministry and to combine their gifting in business or art or education or government along with the Spiritual Gifts.
Scriptures about Intercession
For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” … 1 Timothy 5:18
1 Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
Numbers 21:7 (ESV) And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
See my books for the complete list.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44) Holy Spirit spoke to me, saying that intercessors are like the treasure buried in the field or assigned to their client’s field—that is in their field of ministry, whether it is business, art, education, etc.
When your clients find you, they will do anything for you because you, as the intercessor, are the key to their breakthrough. You have been hidden just for your client and you are tied to the land; that is, you have the authority! If you do not know about your client’s land (his or her field,) you will learn, but God has already given you that land. Therefore, do not let your “gifted-ness” remain buried any longer. You are a treasure hidden in darkness. Is. 45:3 “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name..” Only when you are found can your light shine forth. Is. 60:1 The Glory of Zion, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
Money is Spiritual
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
We are discussing the topic of finances for two very important reasons: first, YOU have to be “good” with your finances – good with God (not under condemnation) as well as the concept of being paid for your services and that you are “worth” what you charge. Second, you will need to convince or encourage your clients in this area; that spiritual services are worth being paid for. You will first need to persuade them to pay for the initial consult, then to commit to buy a package of your services for a duration of time and then even ongoing as you intercede for them.
God loves a cheerful (hilarious) giver (2 Cor 9:7) “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Whatever we do, we need to do as unto the Lord. Col 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” We give to man as a channel to God.
Money is the number one issue in business people’s lives; many people (including our own staff) need to be set free from a poverty spirit.
A Poverty Spirit
A poverty spirit or mentality (if you are more evangelical) is a state of mind where money is always an issue. How do I know if I or my clients have a poverty spirit? Do you find yourself thinking about money frequently? Do you know that people who are wealthy can have a poverty mentality? If they are almost obsessed with their money, then yes.
How do I get free from the poverty spirit? Books have been written on this subject. One of the main solutions is to live below your means. This way you are not always pressed to come up with money.
Issachar
No issue of finances could be complete from an intercessory standpoint without recognizing the importance the Issachar Spirit or anointing in what we do with WISE and as WISE-Certified Intercessors. Your understanding of the Issachar anointing, as an intercessor, is so important that we will repeat some of the major points here:
Facts about the Issachar Tribe
Issachar means “wages;” they were the ones (and WISE staff are the ones, through our prayers and coaching and consulting,) who provide the finances for the other tribes, especially Zebulon, see below.
Issachar lived in the Jezreel valley, a very fruitful land, and provided all the food to all the tribes.
Jacob, gave them his father’s blessing, saying, “Issachar is a donkey,” which meant to bear their brothers’ burdens (WISE does this through intercession.)
Issachar’s tribe’s destiny is the greatest because they help the other tribes to see their destinies fulfilled. WISE is CONTINUALLY SOWING into the lives of our clients so we also CONTINUALLY REAP. We are continually moving forward in the Spirit and in the natural. Because you are connected to your clients, they and you will always be moving forward.
There is a pastoral caring aspect of what we do with WISE. You respond to your clients’ heartbeat.
The members of the tribe of Issachar were skilled warriors who would immediately go to war for their brothers when it was needed.
Issachar’s tribe encamped on the Eastern Gate (revelation)
Their closest brothers on the Eastern Gate were Judah (praise, went first) Micah 2:13 “The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.” (This is the breaker anointing.) and Zebulon (Apostolic Builders); there is a pass-off like in a relay race between these three tribes: Issachar, Judah, and Zebulon.
The sons of Issachar knew the “times and seasons” and what Israel should do. I Chron. 12:32. Issachar is well versed in finances. We’re “Financial/Economic Prophets.” WISE coaches and intercessors are skilled in finances and in investing.
The members of Issachar’s tribe solved problems for their brothers. We are paid to solve problems (like Joseph in the book of Genesis.) The bigger the problem we solve, the more we can get paid. The more problems we solve for our clients, the more we get paid. You need your clients as much as they need you. Your clients complete you and you complete them.
The men of Issachar did what the times demanded. Our work is timely. In today’s world, the ability to adjust when needed is essential for success.
Issachar, like Joseph, is emerging to solve societal problems and build alliances for the coming days.
The PLI’s Work can be Priceless
So there you have a good mental picture image for you as you learn about your calling to be a Professional Level Intercessor. You can think of yourself as a donkey!
The image of you being a donkey may not be the most attractive picture for you, but put the picture in this context: You are at the bottom of a very high mountain in Peru. Your plans are to go to a location high up in the mountain. You look up; your destination is so far above your view that all you can see, when you look toward your destination, is some of the foliage and rocks of the mountainside, against the blue and clouds of the sky. Look at the donkey standing beside you. He’s laden with your clothing for the next few days. Other donkeys, for your guide, carry some of the other supplies your group will need for the trip. Yet another donkey has only a saddle, waiting for YOU to hop on and RIDE up on his back! This humble looking creature, with long ears and fuzz sort of like a teddy bear, is a PLI: a Priceless Lifting Instrument! So may you be, a PLI, a priceless lifting instrument, lifting your client’s needs to heaven.
Why Should a CEO Compensate You for this Ministry?
Giving the “first and the best” to sanctify the “whole and the rest.” (From Robert Henderson’s excellent book The Caused Blessing.)
First Fruits: Ez. 44:30 “The best of all the firstfruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household.”
The review points about Issachar from page 62 justify why giving firstfruits applies here.
The Compensation Model
Modern-day Levites are pastors and modern-day priests are apostles. (Robert Henderson,The Caused Blessing.)
This is a part of the reward for the coaches and intercessors and is given into the Apostolic Ministry.
Remember, apostles bring breakthrough.
This is an ongoing relationship;
Not paying for an answer or a breakthrough, but you are supporting a relationship
On-par with a church paid ministerial position
Guidelines for compensation, best practices
Contract Versus Covenant
God takes a contract very seriously. It creates the spiritual reality that we are trying to achieve.
God “performs” on or upholds His side of the contract through His representatives
Intercessors are the fishermen
Matt 17:27 “…But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Prayer is like a garden (see text and table on page 90.) The Spiritual Advisory Team can be of critical importance. … See “gate” text on page 55.)
Money is spiritual. Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”