What it costs to "do business"

I received an email from one of my leaders yesterday, who wrote: "As for payment, if you can work for free, so can I." I appreciate that generosity of spirit so much! -- especially in these months of start-up -- and yet...

As I wrote in an earlier post, I feel committed to pay leaders as promised. From the very beginning, I approached them with the understanding that they would get paid for their class leadership -- a small amount, to be sure, but at least something. Putting together a class, as well as learning the mechanics of leading a class via teleconference, takes time and effort on their part. I'm profoundly grateful for their willingness to lend their time and effort to this new ministry.

The second reason is that we need to know "what it costs to do business." I've done most of my ministry in small congregations where generous parishioners donate a huge amount of supplies which never shows up on the budget -- so that we literally have no idea what it is truly costing to keep the doors open. If eMinistry is to prove it is a viable model which can "work" -- can keep its own doors open -- we need to know what it actually costs to do it without relying on the generosity of the people who make it happen....

On the other hand, the other side of me recognizes we're trying to get something started that's very new in the Church, and if leaders want to help get it going out of the goodness of their hearts, maybe I should just accept that gift gratefully and gracefully....in the spirit in which it is offered.

And since the only way to get this going big enough is to get it going big enough, perhaps the model for future funding/income needn't apply in this critical stage of getting going....??

Can't tell if this is a devil/angel-on-my-shoulders kind of argument or not! Feedback would be, as ever, welcome.....

Elizabeth