By Oyewole Sarumi
Over the past few decades, the African Church has undergone unprecedented expansion. From modest congregations to sprawling megachurches, the influence of African Christian institutions is evident not only in sheer numbers but also in financial power, social impact, and political visibility. Churches now own multi-story auditoriums, broadcast stations, publishing houses, and even universities. Their reach extends across continents, mobilizing millions of followers globally.
Yet, amid this growth lies a troubling paradox: the systematic reliance on unpaid labor. Ushers, youth and children teachers, choristers, Sunday school, bible teachers, media technicians, administrative assistants, cleaners, construction crews, and even security personnel often give hours, skill, and energy without remuneration, all under the spiritual framing of “working for God.” While volunteering is traditionally noble in Christian ethics, the organized and persistent use of unpaid manpower to sustain multimillion-dollar operations raises moral, ethical, and biblical concerns. According churchandstate.org.uk, none of the African churches are among the wealthiest churches in the world. Forbes placed at least five Nigerian megachurch leaders among the ten richest pastors in the world. What an irony!
This article explores the dynamics of labor in African churches, examining theological, economic, and psychological factors behind the exploitation of unpaid workers. It also draws comparative insights from Western church models and concludes with a call for systemic reform in how African ministries value and compensate human labor.
Understanding the Trend: The Culture of Free Labor in African Churches
African churches today often exhibit a pronounced reliance on volunteer labor for essential operations. The messaging is clear: “Serve in the house of God, and God will bless you.” At face value, this encourages a culture of service and discipleship. However, the institutionalization of volunteer labor has blurred the line between voluntary service and systemic exploitation.
Volunteers in many ministries spend five to seven days a week rehearsing, planning programs, producing media content, cleaning facilities, organizing conferences, and performing administrative functions. In secular workplaces, these activities would command formal salaries, benefits, and labor protections. Within churches, however, they are framed as spiritual duties, with the implicit expectation that rewards are exclusively heavenly.
Over time, this practice has become normalized. Churches often justify reliance on volunteers by citing financial constraints or spiritual principles, even when the organizations operate multimillion-dollar budgets, own fleets of vehicles, and employ high-profile, well-compensated senior staff. This normalization cultivates a culture in which essential labor is unpaid, undervalued, and unprotected.
2. The Theology Behind the Exploitation
A major justification for the unpaid labor model in African churches is theological. Many leaders invoke Colossians 3:23:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
While this verse rightly encourages diligence in service, it is frequently misapplied. Serving God wholeheartedly does not negate the biblical principle of fair compensation for labor. The scriptures consistently affirm the moral obligation to remunerate workers adequately. For instance:
- 1 Timothy 5:18 states, “The worker deserves his wages.”
- Leviticus 19:13 warns, “Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.”
- Jesus affirmed in Luke 10:7, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
These passages illustrate a recurring biblical theme: God values justice, fairness, and the dignity of work. The idea that earthly compensation can be substituted by promises of heavenly reward is inconsistent with scriptural mandates. God does not require that His children be exploited under spiritual pretenses, especially when the work sustains earthly church operations.
3. Psychological and Cultural Indoctrination
Beyond theology, the exploitation of church labor is reinforced by subtle psychological mechanisms. Many African church cultures glorify long hours, suffering, and unpaid service as markers of spiritual maturity. Volunteers are often made to believe that requesting payment is “unspiritual” or even a sign of greed.
This indoctrination is amplified by the idolization of church leaders. General Overseers and senior pastors are frequently elevated to an untouchable status, perceived as men of God whose decisions must not be questioned. Such veneration creates a system in which questioning the lack of remuneration is discouraged, and the inequities of labor distribution remain hidden.
Ironically, many of these leaders employ professional staff for personal comfort—chefs, drivers, and private assistants—while the workforce responsible for the ministry’s growth remains uncompensated. This cognitive dissonance—spiritual exaltation on one hand, material deprivation on the other—perpetuates systemic inequities within church labor structures.
4. Economic Realities and Social Responsibility
Africa faces persistent challenges: unemployment rates remain high, poverty is widespread, and youth often struggle to secure stable employment. Against this backdrop, requiring skilled labor without compensation exacerbates socioeconomic inequalities.
Consider the scenario of a young professional managing church media operations—live-streaming services, editing sermons, and coordinating digital communications. These responsibilities demand technical expertise, time commitment, and accountability. When such work is done for free in a church that runs multimillion-dollar programs, the system is both morally and economically problematic.
Churches are not just spiritual institutions; they are economic entities with budgets, resources, and revenue streams. Ethical stewardship requires that they allocate resources for human labor, honoring both God and the dignity of workers. Neglecting this responsibility reflects an imbalance between spiritual rhetoric and operational reality.
5. Volunteering vs. Exploitation: Where to Draw the Line
Volunteering is a biblical and noble practice. Acts of service foster community, discipleship, and spiritual formation. However, volunteering is intended to be occasional and complementary, not foundational for the daily operations of a multimillion-dollar ministry.
When churches outsource core operational functions—administration, media, security, and facilities management—to unpaid volunteers, the line between service and exploitation is crossed. Such practices transform faith into labor coercion, where spiritual commitment substitutes for fair compensation.
Volunteering should involve clear boundaries: defined time commitments, limited scope, and genuine choice. Anything beyond that, particularly when it substitutes for professional labor, constitutes systematic exploitation.
6. Lessons from the Early Church
The early church, as recorded in Acts and the Pauline epistles, offers a blueprint for balancing service and remuneration. In Acts 6:1–6, when logistical needs arose regarding the distribution of food, the apostles appointed deacons to manage these tasks. These roles were neither casual nor honorary; they required dedicated attention and were recognized as critical functions within the church.
Paul explicitly addressed compensation in 1 Corinthians 9:7–14, emphasizing that those who preach the gospel should live from it. While this principle directly relates to evangelists and ministers, its application extends to any dedicated service critical to the functioning of the church. The early church recognized that spiritual work and material sustenance are not mutually exclusive; those who serve the community materially and spiritually deserve care and provision.
7. Comparative Insights: How Western Churches Operate
Western churches, particularly medium to large congregations, often employ a blended workforce model that balances paid staff and volunteers. Key distinctions include:
- Paid Staff: Churches hire professionals for time-intensive, specialized, or operationally critical roles, such as senior pastors, administrative managers, media directors, youth leaders, and financial officers. Compensation includes salaries, benefits, and sometimes housing allowances.
- Volunteers: Individuals serve in clearly defined, rotational, or supplemental roles, such as ushering, hospitality, or event support. Volunteers are appreciated, trained, and not expected to replace qualified labor.
- Governance and Accountability: Registered non-profit status subjects churches to labor and financial regulations, including annual audits and oversight boards. Staffing decisions are transparent and budgeted.
- Ethical Compliance: Unpaid labor is truly voluntary. Formal job responsibilities require contracts and salaries, aligning with labor laws.
- Staff Development: Western churches invest in professional growth, sabbaticals, and retirement benefits, acknowledging the intrinsic value of human labor.
This model emphasizes fairness, accountability, and the dignity of work, demonstrating that honoring labor does not conflict with spiritual objectives.
8. Recommendations for African Churches
African ministries can learn from both biblical principles and global best practices. Steps toward reform include:
- Audit Church Manpower: Conduct comprehensive assessments to identify roles that are operationally critical and require professional skills. Develop budgets that allocate appropriate remuneration.
- Honor and Dignify Work: Recognize the value of contributions to the church’s infrastructure and brand. Provide fair compensation for roles integral to ministry operations.
- Educate Members: Foster a theology that distinguishes between service and exploitation. Encourage voluntary acts of service while discouraging systemic overreliance on unpaid labor.
- Adopt Sustainable Staffing: Employ and retain professional staff for core functions, ensuring continuity, accountability, and operational excellence.
- Lead by Example: Church leaders must model ethical labor practices. Displaying personal affluence while expecting volunteers to sustain essential operations undermines moral authority and erodes trust.
- Transparency and Accountability: Establish oversight boards, audits, and financial disclosures to ensure equitable labor practices and mitigate abuses.
Implementing these recommendations strengthens ministry integrity, aligns operations with biblical principles, and enhances the spiritual and material well-being of congregants.
Biblical and Ethical Foundations
The call to fair labor is deeply rooted in Scripture. Beyond individual passages, the overarching biblical narrative emphasizes justice, fairness, and the dignity of work. The Christian worldview does not merely seek spiritual rewards but insists on moral responsibility in all spheres of life, including labor relations.
*Justice for the Vulnerable: The Bible consistently elevates the cause of the weak, oppressed, and marginalized, emphasizing the need for justice in human relationships. Proverbs 31:8–9 instructs: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Unpaid labor in African churches, especially when it sustains the luxurious lifestyle of leadership while placing young or economically vulnerable congregants at a disadvantage, falls squarely into the category of systemic injustice.
Similarly, James 5:4 warns of divine accountability for those who withhold wages: “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.” Although this context refers to agricultural labor, the principle transcends time and profession. The exploitation of church volunteers and unpaid workers is no less serious in the eyes of God than withholding fair compensation in the marketplace.
Dignity of Work: Work, in the biblical perspective, is not a punishment but a calling. Genesis 2:15 illustrates this when God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it.” Labor is imbued with purpose and dignity; it is meant to sustain life and contribute to communal flourishing. To ask individuals to labor intensively without material acknowledgment, especially in positions that require expertise, is a distortion of the divine principle of stewardship and human worth.
Mutual Responsibility in the Body of Christ: Paul’s letters repeatedly reinforce that the community of believers has both spiritual and material obligations to one another. Galatians 6:6 instructs: “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” Furthermore, the broader framework of the Mosaic Law and apostolic teaching consistently upholds the principle of fair recompense, ensuring that ministry does not become an arena of one-sided sacrifice where only leadership benefits materially.
Historical Perspectives on Church Labor Practices
To fully understand the modern phenomenon of unpaid labor in African churches, it is instructive to examine the historical development of church labor practices globally. From the early church to contemporary megachurch movements, the question of compensation and voluntary service has evolved.
The Early Church Model: The first-century church, as depicted in Acts 6, appointed deacons to manage logistical tasks, ensuring that apostles could focus on preaching. Crucially, this system was structured to provide material support for those serving the community. Paul’s letters, particularly 1 Corinthians 9:7–14, articulate that those who dedicate their lives to ministry should earn their living through it, extending the principle to all essential forms of service that sustain the church’s mission.
Medieval and Colonial Eras: During the medieval period in Europe, monastic communities thrived on voluntary labor, yet this model was tied to a distinct ethos of communal living and vows of poverty. Individuals chose this lifestyle freely, often renouncing personal wealth in exchange for spiritual formation. In contrast, modern African churches often solicit similar sacrifices from congregants who have not voluntarily entered a monastic or covenantal context. This difference is critical: exploitation arises when voluntary labor is framed as obligatory service, rather than a freely chosen vocation.
Missionary Influence and Structural Models: The expansion of Western missionary activities across Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries introduced Western church structures, including salaried clergy, administrative staff, and organized volunteer programs. However, the adaptation of these structures in African contexts often omitted equitable compensation, influenced by local socio-economic dynamics and cultural norms that valorized spiritual sacrifice over material remuneration. Consequently, a cultural acceptance of unpaid service became intertwined with spiritual piety, creating systemic expectations that persist today.
The Psychology of Religious Exploitation
While structural and theological factors explain much of the labor exploitation in African churches, psychological mechanisms further entrench the system.
Spiritual Indoctrination: Church leaders often frame intensive labor as a pathway to divine favor. Scriptural passages are sometimes cited selectively, emphasizing heavenly rewards while downplaying the biblical mandate for earthly justice. Members internalize this theology, perceiving requests for remuneration as a lack of faith or spiritual immaturity.
Authority and Reverence: The phenomenon of hierarchical adulation, wherein pastors and senior leaders are viewed as untouchable spiritual authorities, reinforces compliance. Questions about compensation or working conditions may be perceived as challenges to divine authority, further silencing dissent.
Social and Economic Pressure: Many congregants, particularly young people, are drawn into unpaid ministry roles out of a desire to belong, network, or gain visibility within influential circles. The interplay of peer pressure, spiritual aspiration, and economic precarity results in a cycle where exploitation is normalized and self-justification becomes prevalent.
Lessons from Western Church Practices
African churches can benefit from studying how Western congregations balance paid staff and volunteers, creating a sustainable and ethical model.
Blended Workforce Models: Churches in the United States and Europe typically employ a combination of full-time paid staff for essential operations and volunteers for supplementary, non-technical roles. Roles requiring specialized skills, consistent effort, or leadership responsibility are rarely assigned to unpaid labor. Examples include media production, pastoral care, administration, and financial management.
Governance and Accountability: Western churches are frequently registered as non-profits, subject to labor laws, governance by boards of trustees, and annual audits. This accountability ensures transparency in staffing, budgeting, and remuneration. African churches, by contrast, often operate under the sole authority of a General Overseer or senior leadership council, reducing checks and balances and enabling unchecked labor exploitation.
Valuing Volunteer Contribution: Volunteers are encouraged to serve within defined boundaries, receive recognition, and occasionally receive stipends or reimbursements for expenses. This ensures that their contribution is valued, sustainable, and non-exploitative. African churches could adapt similar frameworks, preserving the spiritual ethos of volunteerism while respecting labor rights.
Practical Recommendations for African Churches
The need for reform is urgent. Ethical, biblical, and economic considerations demand that churches adopt sustainable staffing models. Recommendations include:
Conduct Comprehensive Labor Audits: Churches should assess which roles are operationally critical, require professional skills, and are performed consistently. Such roles should be recognized as remunerable, with budgets adjusted accordingly.
Establish Clear Compensation Policies: Salaries, stipends, or allowances should reflect the responsibility, skill, and time commitment of workers. Biblical principles demand that laborers be fairly rewarded (1 Timothy 5:18).
Educate Members on Healthy Volunteering: Teaching congregants the distinction between voluntary service and labor exploitation is vital. Participation should be empowering and spiritually rewarding, not coerced or normalized as economic deprivation.
Implement Governance Structures: Boards of elders, finance committees, or oversight councils should oversee staffing, compensation, and operational accountability. Transparency reduces misuse of power and promotes equity.
Lead by Example: Church leadership must model ethical practice, ensuring that the lifestyle of senior pastors and leaders aligns with fair treatment of all staff.
Socio-Economic Implications
Failure to address labor exploitation in churches has broader societal consequences. Young people, particularly those entering ministry or vocationally skilled positions, may experience burnout, financial strain, or disillusionment with the church. Exploitation can perpetuate poverty cycles and contribute to the perception that religious institutions are self-serving rather than community-serving.
Furthermore, systemic reliance on unpaid labor undermines the professionalism of the church sector. In an increasingly competitive socio-economic environment, African churches risk losing credibility, both spiritually and operationally, if they cannot demonstrate ethical labor practices.
Conclusion
The African Church stands at a crossroads. Its numerical and financial growth is undeniable, but the ethical cost of sustaining ministries through unpaid labor threatens both its witness and moral authority. Working for God is a noble pursuit, yet God’s justice is uncompromising: the laborer is worthy of fair compensation.
Reforming church labor practices is not merely a managerial or economic issue — it is a spiritual imperative. Churches must honor all workers, implement sustainable staffing models, and separate spiritual devotion from exploitative labor practices. By doing so, African churches can reflect the justice, compassion, and integrity central to the Gospel, empowering both leaders and congregants to serve God in dignity, fairness, and freedom.
As Paul reminded the early believers, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (1 Corinthians 9:9) — a timeless principle that resonates with every ministry and church operation today. Let the African Church rise to this calling, ensuring that service to God never becomes a pretext for exploiting the faithful, and that all labor in His house is honored, valued, and justly rewarded.