The Dorean Principle: A Biblical Response to the Commercialization of Christianity

by Conley Owens

Billions of dollars change hands in the name of Christ, but is the gospel at stake?Many rightly condemn the wealth amassed by false teachers, but at a fundamental level, little differentiates their practices from those of legitimate ministries. Seminaries, Christian publishers, and other church and parachurch organizations all engage in the commerce of exchanging religious instruction for money. Now, more than ever, the church must turn to the word of God to find wisdom on these matters.The Dorean Principle offers a fresh look at the Bible’s guidance on ministry fundraising and exposes common practices that run afoul of its instruction.Conley Owens presents a robust synthesis of Jesus and the apostle Paul’s theology, concluding that “ministry should be supported, not sold.” Drawing from his experience as both a pastor and an engineer, he provides practical solutions to the challenges that lie at the intersection of money and ministry.This book is available for free at thedoreanprinciple.org.

Genres: Theology, Christian

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2021

Reviews

[Nicholas Schenken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with Brice. This book was denser than expected but dives deep into the nuances of an extremely important topic. After further discussion with him I will be listening to the podcast to learn more.

Ministerial reciprocity is a sin our generation can fix. Read the book and spread the word

[Andrew Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I am hesitant whenever anyone puts forth a statement as a “principle” that can have universal implication within its context that is not explicitly stated in Scripture as they state in their formulation. However, Owens does just that and does it comprehensively. He starts with defining it according to the words of Christ and the Law and the Prophets, mainly Christ and then defines it more with Paul, one of the most extensive NT authors on ministry finances, combats misuses of it, examines it through Church History and then moves into application. I have not seen an introduction done more efficiently and effectively (though I have not read extensively) and I do believe the Dorean principle is a principle to be put into place by any proclaimer of the Gospel. There is a lot less ambiguity for me as to the implementation of finances and I feel that the ambiguity was cleared by the Bible rather than simply Owens. I believe this book will benefit any Christian and should be understood by any minister.

And as a cherry on top, I got to read it for free, according to the principle.

Isaiah 55:1 NASB

“You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost”

[Mwansa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conley Owens is consistent with his principles. I wondered why the book was being offered for free and the book answered that question. It all stems from his view of Gospel Ministry. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to think through church work and the necessary raising of money that is associated with it. Much like one of the people who wrote a commendation for the book, that is at the beginning of the book, I do not agree with all the authors conclusions but see his foundational premises as well worth looking at and thinking through.

The book really is a response to the commercialization of Christianity. Perhaps it might even be possible to call it a reaction to it.

[Landon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conley has a great, well-thought theory. However, some of his applications don’t add up or need improvement.

["૮₍ •⤙•˶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

SCORE
4 Star = I enjoyed reading this for the most part.

This book is about financing in gospel ministry, which is describe in the book as “is any activity that proclaims the gospel or directly attends to its proclamation" (pg 105). You can read the book here.

SUMMARY

Biblical Argument
Ownes describes 2 types of ministry support, which shape the bulk of this book (pg 8-9).
- Ministerial reciprocity: "Support (material or otherwise) given to a minister out of a sense of direct obligation for his ministry of the gospel."
- Ministerial colabor: "Support (material or otherwise) given by man to a minister out of a sense of obligation to God, to honor or aid in the proclamation of the gospel."

He quotes David E. Briones who I think explains it well by saying, “In this way, both mediating parties equally share a vertical tie of obligation to God, which partly (though not completely) disentangles the horizontal ties of obligation to each other” (pg 42).

Quotes I found interesting:
“Paul had experienced more than any of Jesus’s early disciples. The most prolific among the apostles, Paul incurred sizable financial needs. One scholar has estimated that even the production of an epistle like Romans would cost $2,275 in present-day dollars. Naturally, Paul must have frequently contemplated the flow of money in gospel labors… Paul does not reject all money but only that which would constitute payment and compromise his free-of-charge proclamation of the gospel. Thus, Paul can say that he does not write to receive ‘any such provision’ (i.e., reciprocity) in 1 Corinthians 9:15, while also writing to receive some provision as he is sent out on his way (i.e., colabor) in 1 Corinthians 16:5–6… His [Paul] fidelity to the dorean principle leads him to reject direct payment for the gospel, yet otherwise accept assistance” (pgs 14, 17-18, 20).

“One may play down greed as merely a peripheral feature of false teachers, but the recurring drumbeat of the New Testament places it at the heart of all false teaching. We could imagine a false teacher who lives a life of poverty, but the issue does not revolve around money so much as it does the pursuit of personal benefit. Indeed, if one does not serve Christ, he has in mind his own gain (cf. Matt. 6:24). In other words, the falseness of a false teacher does not merely hinge on erroneous doctrine, but on the teacher himself” (pg 64).
-------------------------------
Practical Application
Owens makes a distinction between gospel ministry and other secular work (pg 105).
Gospel ministry: "is any activity that proclaims the gospel or directly attends to its proclamation."
- Ministry examples given: preaching, sermons, religious instruction, miraculous healing, weddings, funerals, counseling

He then goes over the three modes of support (pgs 105-106).
- Requirement: "Most clear among the three, a minister cannot require support in exchange for ministry. To hold ministry hostage for a ransom would make one a free agent rather than a servant with a charge from his master. Rather than requiring repayment, a godly minister should, like Paul, be willing to spend and be spent (2 Cor. 12:15)."
- Request: "Beyond requiring payment, the dorean principle prohibits requesting anything in exchange for ministry. Such a request implies a direct obligation to give in exchange for the service rendered. Voluntary payment is still payment, not colabor."
- Receipt: "Finally, ministers ought not receive in exchange for ministry. Many imagine that unsolicited gifts should be free from scrutiny, but even that which was not requested may constitute reciprocity."

He clarifies by saying, “One may receive colabor, even request it, since such a request does not impose a direct obligation but appeals to divine obligation. Additionally, one may even require colabor for ministry, voluntarily abstaining from ministry as determined by financial need. For example, in Corinth, Paul refrained from full-time ministry and instead labored to support himself. When fellow evangelists from Macedonia arrived, presumably with financial relief (cf. Phil. 4:15), Paul resumed full-time ministry (Acts 18:5). Jesus even commanded his disciples only to go where they would have support to do the work of ministry (Matt. 10:14). In these circumstances, money is a means rather than an end… Nothing apparent distinguishes a check proffered to a counseling pastor and a check proffered to a secular therapist. The ambiguity of the situation typically places the minister in a position where he cannot discern the intent of the individual and accept money responsibly. Such a minister ought to, like Paul, simply refuse funds in situations that suggest direct repayment and look forward to accepting support in less compromising circumstances” (pg 106, 109).

He then talks about if we should stop ministries from getting support reciprocally, mainly though protesting and boycotting, by quoting Paul (Phil. 1:18). Then he says, “Along with Paul, we should rejoice at the gospel efforts of those who preach truly but not as sincerely as they ought. Antagonistic pursuits such as boycotts are not only unnecessary but also largely unhelpful, and it would be unwise to intentionally cut oneself off from the vast array of biblical teaching offered at a cost” (pg 110).

Alternative approaches for parachurch ministries (pgs 116-118):
- Conducting ministry under the auspices of the local church ← So creating positions to work/serve as scholars, authors, artists, counselors, etc at the church building itself.
- Fundraising through church partnerships
- Prefunding

I found very interesting what he said about how this would work for large conferences. “Naturally, large events require substantial sums of money to reserve venues, print conference materials, etc. Thus, it is not surprising that fees are often associated with conference attendance. However, according to our ethic, one should not charge for the actual ministry of the gospel. A key issue here is that in conference tickets, material costs are rarely delineated from the cost of the instruction itself. When they are, it becomes apparent whether the organizers intend to sell religious instruction to the audience. For example, in order to avoid the suggestion that the teaching itself is being sold, a ticket could be labeled a ‘meal and facilities pass’” (pg 120).


PROS & CONS
Pros:
I think he makes a pretty good argument and I don’t see how it would be super controversial. I like how he kind of summarizes the main point once we get to the practical application section and gets straight to the point. I found chapter 10 really interesting and might do more research into the Didache. It gave me a lot to consider and wrestle with. This book is timeless!

Cons:
Had difficulties understanding what he was saying at times because of the big brain words used (idk what else to call them .-.), so I had a hard time seeing how things connected to each other. That being said, Chapter 13 kind of colors copyright as an inherently bad thing. I really didn't get the practical application there honestly. For something like repost accounts on places like Instagram that steal Christian artist’s work and profit off it through ads and hide the artist’s watermark with their watermark... copyright is very helpful, especially if you have evidence you actually made the piece. I don’t see why you won’t mention who made the art/literature as you would for anyone else who contributed to a project/collaboration; to claim you did all the work when you didn’t comes off as lying. I have trouble seeing how you could use an artist’s work for commercial use without paying a lump sum for your ministry/church when based on what was said in chapters 11-12 that (selling the gospel or anything that points to it) seems like it wouldn’t be applicable to ministries/churches in the first place. In the US at least, if you're a non-profit wanting to use copyrighted material for educational purposes it may actually fit under fair use laws. I don't see the issue with just asking not out of obligation to their ministry & not running into legal issues, but to show dignity & respect to our brothers & sister in Christ because we want to colabor with them to honor God. And he even says in his book, "One may receive colabor, even request it, since such a request does not impose a direct obligation but appeals to divine obligation" (pg 106).

Neither pro or con:
Another thing he mentioned is how a lot of Bible translations are copyrighted making it seem like therefore access to it is difficult, but my question would be why is it copyrighted? I looked up on Got Question to see why this is.

*Again I may be misunderstanding his points due to my low literacy.

CONCLUSION
I kind of like it for the most part even though I understood half (or even more) of what he said. I don’t really see how this book is super controversial, though I think with the practical application he kind of stretches it quite broadly. It sounds similar to when J. Warner Wallace was talking about being a 1 dollar apologetics. This has given me a lot to think about in how I view sharing the gospel through my art and I am very happy I read this! I’ll definitely read this again for further reflection.

[John Waldrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

In find Conley's book remarkable, persuasive, timely, provocative, powerful. IN a word, "Wow!" He broke open in my thinking as aspect of truth I had never before conceived. Of course, I have for almost fifty years bemoaned the commercialization of Christianity, but to insightfully recognize The Dorean Principle was an eye-opener for me. I suspect most Gospel ministers will chose to ignore the book, which saddens me. I am persuaded this work is yet another nail in the coffin of the widely accepted, but entirely unscriptural notion of the church held by Protestantism.

[Brice Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

To my Goodreads community,
I don’t normally write reviews but this book warrants it. This has been one of the best and most impactful books I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it. The best part is it’s FREE! Just look it up online. If you do read it please let me know and I would love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
Brice

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." 3 John 7 & 8

The Dorean Principle is deeply challenging, but far from hopeless - it's a powerful little book full of ancient ideas and exciting, novel ways to live them out today.

I appreciate the overall ratio of biblical support chapters to application chapters (10:4), I want someone to really shore up their concepts before telling me how to live them out, but I wouldn't mind a little more of both. The author does note that this book is a 'lay' distillation of a longer thesis, maybe that's where I should be looking for extra content on both sides of that ratio.

I would like to hear a 'counter point' to the Dorean Principle's main arguments, not because I think they're weak but putting new ideas up to a challenge can help refine and strengthen them (and there just isn't enough honest discourse about this topic - probably because no one is willing to pay to have it written).

This full book, and the original thesis it is based on, can be read (or listened to) at thedoreanprinciple.org.

Personal note: My job is to do freelance graphic design for churches and non-profits, so I was very interested to see how (or even if) the Dorean Principle applied to my work. Surely money changes hands, and the mutual goal of the client and myself is to advance the Gospel, so even though my work might not be considered direct ministry, there's no hiding from the challenges of integrity, sincerity, stewardship, and co-labor brought up in this book. I'm still working out the full application in my own work, but I was recently introduced to a company that, unknowingly (I spoke to the staff, they have not heard of this book or principle) living the Dorean Principle out in a creative ministry-support role. Bravingbird creates and distributes religious films to churches (or anyone else) 100% free of cost - they are entirely donor supported. In this they are applying many of the principles suggested in this book, including the principle of pre-funding: gathering support for a venture before it begins so that they cost is laid on "those genuinely interested in supporting their work without having to appeal directly to those who are the main targets of the ministry." (page 118)

[Matt Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doran principle is how ministry should operate. The gifts given to ministers in the form of pay should be the extrapolation of a gift from God. Owens bases this off of Christs command to send out the apostles. Owens thinks that this should go towards all aspects of ministry. While I do not agree with him in all aspects, especially with regards to royalties paid to authors or parachurch ministries, the book is masterfully written, gives east to understand illustrations and is a relatively short read. The book accomplishes it’s goal, which is to get you to think of an issue most just ignore or accept.

[Caleb Falbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed Book for the Modern Church

This is a very well written book, in which the author has given considerable thought. The premise of the book is that ministry should be done free of charge. The author does well in distinguishing between reciprocal/transactional ministry and co-laboring ministry. In this book, he develops the idea that any money given in the context of ministry should be given in a spirit if co-laboring. This book is great food for thought for any ministry leader.

[Bradean Marius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful!

The book provides the reader with important knowledge about the Dorean principle, and the financial ethics for ministry. The spiritual teachings of the book and the biblical argumentation are also very useful. However, some of the arguments are forced and use the verses from the Bible to justify the claim of the author.
I recommend this book for all the pastors/ministers and presidents charitable organizations and for all the board members of churches and charities, but I also recommend cautious approach and further study on this matter.

[Catherine Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing … I’m not completely convinced by all the arguments of this book but it does compel a re-think of attitudes around money, Christian ministry and “fund raising” using some helpful models and metaphors. I was particularly challenged by rejection of notions of intellectual property and the treatment of ideas of copyright. Very helpful even if I may not yet completely agree!! The online book is free and you can listen to it, freely, on Spotify.

[Derek Kreider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Bible copyrights and also came to realize how many assumptions I had about what is fair and just. I also was enlightened about how even requiring a token fee or information can be prohibitive for much of the world. A great piece to really challenge why and how we teach/share the gospel and equip others.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and challenging. A helpful corrective to my thinking about giving to ministries from whom I’ve been a beneficiary. Answered a number of questions I’d acquired as I’ve interacted with content on the Selling Jesus website. Poythress’s article on intellectual “property” (link in the book) is also worth a read.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well reasoned and thought out. Anyone in the gospel ministry at least needs to grapple with the Biblical position on reciprocity and accepting payment for their work with the Word. Very thought-provoking and challenging.

[Colton Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was kinda unsure of the direction he was taking at first, but as Owens makes his subtle distinctions of “co-labor” vs “reciprocity” more clear it makes good sense. It stirred up lots of considerations about money and ministry to consider.

[Christian Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book, I’m still grappling with the conclusions and thinking about particular applications of the “Dorean Principle”. This book, undoubtedly challenges the present commercialization of Christianity in a consistent manner. Our job is to wrestle with the application now.

[Rory · Rating 4 out of 5]

While one may not agree with all the exegesis and applications, the concept of giving freely is definitely biblical, and I'm learning to think more in these terms in the midst of our commercialized Christian culture thanks to Conley and the other folks at Selling Jesus.

[Ryan Kilpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and thought provoking

Owen's marries thorough exegesis and study with clarity and conviction. He has given me and the church at large much to consider. I highly recommend this book to all Christians and especially church leaders.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to like this book. The concept is interesting. The writing level and style is so beyond my reach that I’ve decided to move on.

[Sam Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the content was mostly understood, this was probably one of the most difficult books I have ever read.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is necessary. Owens practices what he preaches, and the Dorean principle is very thought through. This should be mandatory reading for pastors in seminary.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thought provoking. Any Christian serious about learning how to apply practical scriptural teaching to their life and the world would be well served by reading this book.

[Mitchell Shetenhelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a reformed Baptist, I do appreciate his boldness in addressing the elephant in the room, commercialization and Christianity. I agree with all of his observations, especially with ministries in the reformed evangelical world that I do love dearly, they seem to have a business mindset rather a gospel mindset.

Why I give three stars is because I think the Dorean principle seems too forced. I know, if I had a chat with my brother Owens, we could parse out this topic more. Personally, I think ministries are not out of God's will if they don't adopt this system. Now, is the Dorean principle a good solution? Absolutely! Ministries must to remember who they are serving and reevaluate their mission if they are walking the walk, not talking the walk. Let's get the focus back on Christ and the Gospel and having resources more accessible for ALL believers! However, Owens muddles the water with his proposal of the Dorean principle rather than proposing general principles ministry can adopt (transparency, reevaluating their value on materials/resources, marketing practices, etc.). To me, his book felt longer than it needed to be.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is noticing the "businessy" side of modern, evangelical Christianity and wondering if you are the only one. After reading this, I want to dig deeper into the subject at hand. In that, I am grateful for this book! Give the book a download, it is free ;).