Is it Time to Leave? Assessing Your Adequacy of Compensation
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Tue, January 04, 2005
- Viewed 86
- (21) comments so far
This signal "asks you to assess the dollar exchange you receive for the time and effort you invest. If the church is not adequately meeting finances -- given the fact that you are a wise manager of money -- it may be time to move. But if the compensation package provided by a congregation is appropriate, or even generous, the pastor is seeing another red light and has reason to remain."
(Remember, this is just one of twenty factors we are looking at from John's book... for a full dialouge of the other ones, check out our blog archives, or better yet... pick up copy of the book!)
How has the financial aspect factored into your decisions to stay at or leave a ministry? What was the outcome? Maybe you're currently going through this right quandry right now... I'd love to hear your comments!
This week, we’ll pick up in on our continuing look at John Cionca’s book "Before You Move: A Guide to Making Transitions in Ministry." This week we’ll discuss how to discern your "Adequacy of Competition". I don’t think anyone enters the ministry to get rich. But while earthly riches isn’t the goal for the professional pastor, their lives shouldn’t be a time of continual struggle financially either.
-----
Comments
if you want a Globally Recognized Avatar (the images next to your profile) get them here. Once you sign up, they will displayed on any website that supports them.
Pastor Gregg Gardell on Tue, January 04, 2005
The church I serve in was all about a big pay raise in 2005. They said I am doing more than any Pastor has ever done. That may be so, but a fair and honest wage is what we agreed upon when I came here and that is what I recieved. Too many in the ministry are about money. The question one has to ask, If God called you to a poor , hurting church, would you go or would you stay where the money is. “My God shall supply all My needs”. We are preaching it, but are we living it? By the way, the church I serve in is about 200 strong and my salary is below $40,000.00
Steve on Tue, January 04, 2005
The church in which I now serve is approximately 30. As a church we have seen turmoil in the past 2 years in the form of people leaving because in essence they did not get their way. When I came 3 years ago we were averaging approximately 50. It is tough when people leave, and as a result I have taken a considerable pay cut. Although yes, we are not in the ministry for money I do believe it is the church’s responsibility to take care of the pastor’s family financially as they are able to.
And for many churches this may be an eye-opening experience.
Peter Dodge on Tue, January 04, 2005
I have served in both part time and full time ministry at 6 churches. The giving at each church varied, as such, the compensations varied. I have not served as a senior pastor however. I have left full time ministry because the compensation packages are usually less than adequate to maintain a quality of living that many times is necessary to the specific area or ministry you are in. Church staff needs to maintain a home because they often have groups in their homes as a ministry. With housing prices alone, along with regular maintenance, the home can easily cost 1/2 to 2/3 of ones income in the ministry. I am still involved in part time ministry, but not for the money. My full time job pays far more than I could earn in ministry, and as a result, I am able to give more as well. This may sound narrow minded, but while we are talking about compensation, I say this without hesitation: 2 weeks of vacation for a full time minister is not enough! Ministry is has it’s rewards, but there is discouragement, disappointment and frustration all along the way. Our pastors need to be uplifted and rejuvenated and should take vacations even when they don’t want to. One church I know requires all staff to take a total of 8 weeks off per year, 4 for vacation and 4 for personal development and training. And to the pastor who won’t take the vacation? Church boards and elders should require them to take vacations and relax. But overall, it is my belief that many churches overuse the thought that “If you’re in the ministry, your reward is being able to minister”. I would never hire anybody and pay them less than minimum wage, how can we as churches pay our full time on-call 24/7 pastors the sometimes insulting salaries that we would scoff at ourselves?
Kevin Chapman on Tue, January 04, 2005
Here we go again, comparing the church to the corporate world. The author stated: “ If their counterparts employed in the corporate world had approached their employers with similar requests (e.g., asking for a $4,000 salary increase to pay tuition to a Christian school), they would have been ridiculed.” How riduculous! Of course they would! However, the man of God in the ministry is in a spiritual work and the standards are far different. His family and ministry life is critical to the image we portray to the world. The raise may or may not be wrong but not for the reasons implied.
When will we, in this period of history and critical time of ministry, begin to realize that the church is a body or a family not a business. Although I agree that a man of biblical leadership is entitled to adequate compensation—don’t muzzel the ox and all that, the attitude that says “Adequacy of compensation is a valid signal when sound financial management is present and contextual variables are considered” is wrong. the only valid signal is the clear leading of Holy Spirit and what is best for His kingdom. If Hudson Taylor, William Carey, all the men who pioneered in African Missions and others felt this way, modern missons would not exist. Although men of the world lead the church in leadership roles, the greatest tempatation for them to obvercome is the temptation to run the church like they run a business. Better yet, they should perhaps more often than not run their busiess like the church should -yes should - be run.
(I agree that the Church must be run with good financial stewardship, but it is with eternitiy’s values in view not earthly values.)
In this area, a walk of faith (like that of George Mueller) might not be popular but it surely needs to be exemplified in the pulpit, the board room and the pew. A greater man than me said something to the effect that God’s work done God’s way will not lack for God’s provision.
I know since I am there. The hardest thing (at least for me) to do - especialy for us leaders, is to let go and let God do what we think we have the means or the capacity to do when in reality, It is His work in us and through us not our work for Him that matters.
Please, as you read these entries, put it back into perspective—God is in charge of His Church—when He leads you better move when He doesn’t you better stay. (And, you better make sure - real sure—you are not planning on moving on or wishing you could for selfish and faithless reasons.)
Robert on Tue, January 04, 2005
The area of compensation has always been a struggle for most churches. The concept of “the package” versus “the salary” has caused many a minister to have to move. When comparing compensation to the secular world, you must be careful to compare apples for apples. Example, in the business world, if the cost of health care increases, the company pays that cost, and the hourly rate of salary paid to the employee is not altered. The company publishes the portion the employee is responsible for, based on the plan chosen, and all moves forward. However, “the package” is completely different, and any increase to a benefit impacts salary. Example, suppose a minister is paid a package of 60,000. The breakdown is as follows: Health Insurance - 15,000; Retirement - 5,000; Housing - 12,000; Salary - 28,000; Bi-Weekly Pay - $1,666.67. If there is an increase of 17% to Health Insurance (which is a small increase), this changes the package figures. The only place to “make up those funds”, is to reduce the Salary portion. As most churches give less that a 5% merit raise, the minister actually takes a pay cut for the increase in insurance (even more, if merit raise is less.) The figures would now look like this: Health Insurance - 17,550; Retirement - 5,000; Housing - 12,000; Salary - 25,450. Bi-weekly Pay - $1,560.42 or a decrease per check of $106.25 or $212.50 per month. Most churches are not going to account for a 17% increase in any line item, and therefore the minister ends of taking home less money each month. The average church member does not understand this process. Granted this is a simplified example, but it is not too far off from what could happen in “the package” world versus “the business” world where employees are paid a set salary, and the benefits are paid at the company expense.
I say all of this to drive home the point that while many churches think they are “paying their minister $60,000”, in reality, compared to the business world, they are only paying him $37,450. The package is the total cost to the church, not the compensation paid to the minister.
I know several ministers that have moved to secular employment for the health insurance coverage. The hardest part is getting past the financial paradigm; “How do I leave a $60,000 job in the ministry, for a $38,000 job in business?” Yet when the pay check comes, they are bringing home more money in a job that is publicized to be $22,000 less. Hence the challenge that the church faces, what are you really “paying” your minister? Are you truly providing adequately for your minister?
Your thoughts…..
Aaron on Tue, January 04, 2005
As far as Worship Ministry is concerned, I have found this area to be grossly underpaid in the southeast United States. The notion that you should be in ministry “to serve the Lord and that should be reward enough” seems to abound here. I have been a music minister for 21 years and I still make very much less than I would if I had remained in a secular job.
I have stepped down from a position before for just this reason. I loved the church. I loved the people. I loved the pastor. But love doesn’t pay the bills. We simply couldn’t afford to do the work of the ministry any longer. My spouse and I both prayed and believed God for the finances to come in and yet we still found that we are struggling.
If I’m not mistaken, there was a similar incidence in the Old Testament where the workers in the temple were forced to leave their positions that God had called them to because they were unable to provide for their families.
“And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given [them]: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.” Neh 13:10 & 11
I know a pastor that worked in a church and held a fulltime job. At his secular job he was making above $750.00/week in addition to pay incentives, stock and medical insurance. The church wanted him to quit his job and come work full time as their pastor. They offered him $400.00/week ... no benefits. They knew what he was giving up to come pastor there and he accepted their offer! While I applaud his resolve to do the work of the ministry, it makes me ashamed that a church would even ask such a sacrifice. I’m sure this pastor puts in way more than 40 hours a week for this church and is making less than half. This church has the ability to financially pay him more. They simply believe they are giving him a fair salary.
Being underpaid or expected to work for no pay is not a new problem. It has been going on for years. And I believe it is a ploy of the enemy that makes the body of Christ believe that one should work for free just because they are called and love God.
The sad fact is we are going to lose many good people who should be working in the ministry because they can’t afford to neglect their family’s needs any longer. I believe it is time we consider our ways.
Joel Jupp on Tue, January 04, 2005
Maybe this is an obvious point, but I have found that a minister’s salary has both a spiritual and a practical side, though they are often more connected than we would think.
For instance, I volunteered for three years at a church of 50 members, and never felt one twinge of discomfort about the lack of pay. The church, set in an economically struggling country town, could barely support a senior pastor, let alone a children or youth worker. Thus, it would have been wrong of me to ask too much from the congregation.
Yet, now I am about to accept a full-time position in an upper-class suburb of Chicago. With the annual church budget of several million dollars, it seems that the church is being a bit stingy with a salary of $30,000. They could do better if they wanted, but they are holding back.
Am I complaining? Not really. I am single, and despite the high rent of Chicago, I should be able to make it. (I have some debt from graduate school, but I think I can adjust my living style.)
In any case, my point is that the “proper” amount of salary is contingent to the empirical and economic status of each particular congregation. While $30,000 might be extremely gracious for one congregation, that same amount might be egregious at another.
Remember, we are dealing with sinful people here, so even without comparing salary to the business world, we can still admit that not every church is as generous as they should. Even salary reflects a spiritual dimension of the local church.
The good news, though, is that the spiritual side is not our responsibility, but God’s. Not every congregation is as spiritually mature as we would like, but God will nurture (and judge) as He would and in his perfect timing. Our job, regardless of pay, is to do the same day in and day out: minister to the hurting and lost of our world, leading them towards our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As I’ve realized, the call to the ministry is more than just an adjustment to working long hours, living at church, answering the phone at 3am, etc. Our calling includes an adjustment in financial living, meaning that we are still called, regardless of how greedy (or generous) our respective congregations might be. Of course it is a bummer to live with less, but if God can bring us through all the other struggles of ministry, He can bring us through the financial as well.
——
(Hey, friends. Feel free to comment or correct anything I have written. I’m more than willing to admit I’m wrong on this. Just do me a little favor, and if you respond to my post, please send me an email at [removed]
//<![CDATA[
var l=new Array();
l[0]=’>’;l[1]=‘a’;l[2]=’/’;l[3]=’<’;l[4]=’ 109’;l[5]=’ 111’;l[6]=’ 99’;l[7]=’ 46’;l[8]=’ 112’;l[9]=’ 112’;l[10]=’ 117’;l[11]=’ 106’;l[12]=’ 108’;l[13]=’ 101’;l[14]=’ 111’;l[15]=’ 106’;l[16]=’ 64’;l[17]=’ 108’;l[18]=’ 101’;l[19]=’ 111’;l[20]=’ 106’;l[21]=’>’;l[22]=’”’;l[23]=’ 109’;l[24]=’ 111’;l[25]=’ 99’;l[26]=’ 46’;l[27]=’ 112’;l[28]=’ 112’;l[29]=’ 117’;l[30]=’ 106’;l[31]=’ 108’;l[32]=’ 101’;l[33]=’ 111’;l[34]=’ 106’;l[35]=’ 64’;l[36]=’ 108’;l[37]=’ 101’;l[38]=’ 111’;l[39]=’ 106’;l[40]=’:’;l[41]=‘o’;l[42]=‘t’;l[43]=‘l’;l[44]=‘i’;l[45]=‘a’;l[46]=‘m’;l[47]=’”’;l[48]=’=’;l[49]=‘f’;l[50]=‘e’;l[51]=‘r’;l[52]=‘h’;l[53]=‘a ‘;l[54]=’<’;
for (var i = l.length-1; i >= 0; i=i-1){
if (l.substring(0, 1) == ’ ‘) [removed](”&#”+unescape(l.substring(1))+”;”);
else [removed](unescape(l));
}
//]]>
[removed], so I can read it! Thanks everyone!)
Shane Montgomery on Tue, January 04, 2005
Last night I spoke with a co-worker at my part-time job (a coffee house in my city) whose father is a Pastor of a small congregation of about 100. He mentioned that his father is a true man of God, committed and faithful to his flock and to God. It was interesting in that the son’s perception was that his dad had sacrificed much in the area of financial security but recieved little reward for it.
I share that to demonstrate the degree of disconnect most clergy have concerning fair compensation for pastoral services. I am convicned that the heart of pastoral integrity (and out of that comes fair compensation) should be tied to the primary role of the pastor as teacher and shepard of his flock. Let’s be honest though, the cost of Bible College and Seminary, living in the same community as your congregations and at the same level as they live - the reality for the majority of pastors in the US is taht they will not become wealthy. They will have to make sacrifices. BUt they/we have to believe that those choices will be revisited back to us in the reality of changed lives and heavenly crowns.
Hmmm- drive a new lexus or serve a small congregation in desperate need of a godly shepard.
What would Jesus do?
David on Tue, January 04, 2005
John writes: “their requests my have been based on financial need, but the expectation that the church should meet their every need was unrealistic.”
Why is it unrealistic for a pastor to expect a church to meet their financial needs in exchange for serving the church? Perceived wants is a different story but to me needs are needs. This last year I had to ask the church for an increase in salary so I could make the payments for my seminary education. What a blessing that the church responded in faith to meet my family’s financial need. Did I question whether or not to ask the church for more money, yes I did. However if I hadn’t and my family began to incur large debts how could I tell my wife and kids that Dad didn’t have the money to pay bills because I feared the wrath of the church board more than I cared about providing for my family.
“But if anyone does not provie for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8 NASB)
How does this verse factor into the situation? What does a pastor do when a church isn’t supporting his family? As the provider for my family, not only am I called to serve the church but I am also equally called to provide for my family. Should I ignore one responsibility in lew of the other. No! I must hold both responsibilities as equally important because the are both from the Lord.
It may seem unspiritual to some when I say that I am not going to put my marriage and family in harms way because a church thinks I can live below the poverty level and be ok. I have turned down opportunities at churches because I knew the compensation wouldn’t meet my family’s needs.
I fear God telling me that I am not providing for my family more than a mere human accusing me of doing ministry for money, because I know that isn’t true.
I serve God first, family second, and everyone else third.
AEG on Tue, January 04, 2005
I’m looking at having to possibly resign in the next 6 - 7 months because I can no longer live on the salary I am receiving. I am expected to work full time hours yet I am only given part time pay for my work. If I end a month and have $10 left in my checking account, it has been an awesome month. God calls us to be ministers but he never said you had to be poor to do it…and yes I know it’s easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than a rich man to go to heaven but we’re not talking about a multi-million dollar salary here…it’d be nice just to be able to put food on the table. Thank God I have parents that understand and are willing to prepare a meal 4-5 nights a week to help out.
Bernie Dehler on Tue, January 04, 2005
Todd asks:
“How has the financial aspect factored into your decisions to stay at or leave a ministry? What was the outcome? Maybe you’re currently going through this right quandry right now… I’d love to hear your comments!”
I work full-time at a secular computer company, and I think I’m highly compensated. I run a ministry on the side, and would like to transition into full-time ministry. I could do this more quickly, but the shock value is for my family, so I have to go through the slow process of transistion. It’s frustrating, because I’d like to work on my ministry full-time, and I see all kinds of opportunities floating by. I console myself in ministering and doing what I can wherever I am—even at the secular workplace. As a consequence, I’m getting very involved in workplace ministry.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side… like those married who want to be single, and singles who want to be married…
...Bernie
http://www.FreeGoodNews.com
SAS on Tue, January 04, 2005
Rebellion is at the heart of so many churches who do not support the work of their leaders. Rebellion is in the heart of those folks who have never trusted God for their personal needs and naturally must justify their poverty by keeping others in poverty. Rebellion is in the heart of people who compare their pastor’s pay to the “market rate” whatever that is and renege on what they agreed to pay. Rebellion is in the heart of those who withhold tithes and offerings because the preacher quoted a verse or taught on a passage that dealt with their personal secret sin. Rebellion is at the heart of people who look only at their own financial situation as though their experience was the one by which to judge all things. Rebellion is in the heart of a congregation who practice divisiveness, bitterness, envy, maliciousness, unjustified anger, etc. against each other, or former pastors, and punish every pastor and his family that follows. Rebellion is in the hearts of congregations that have “boards of deacons/elders” who rule with an iron hand and put ministers in their grip as a means of punishing God because he will not prosper them while living in unconfessed sin. Rebellion is in the heart of people who are narcisstic personality disordered individuals who work their way into “controller” positions and use smooth sounding, even logical and reasonable sounding words to confuse and deceive churches into believing “a poor pastor is a humble pastor.” Rebellion is in the heart of a church that tries to force a business model on the church. You can argue scripture all day long but when it comes down to it, people are selfish, ignorant, sinful, morally passive cowards when it comes to living up to biblical expectations either in their own lives or in the way they provide for their pastors. It is rebellion for a church to hire a pastor based on the least cost principal and ignore what they need to help deepen their walk and broaden their understanding. It is rebellion for a congregation to call a pastor whom they plan to mold into their image (after all they are the center of the universe, right?). It is rebellion to expect a man to work 60-80 hours a week and pay him what works out to be less than minimum wage but hold him to the standards they would expect for a $100k/year public speaker. It is rebellion to want to pay janitor’s prices for brain surgeon’s skills. It is rebellion to think as a congregation that God will honor a something for nothing attitude. That attitude doesn’t work anywhere but somehow it should work in the church? It is rebellion to treat God as if he were deaf, dumb and blind to the needs of the messengers he sends a congregation and yet that is what is modeled when a church plays games with his family’s provisions. Is it any wonder so many churches have high turnover rates in pastoral leadership or get and keep hacks who scratch their ears just to keep a “job.”
Now for the pastoral side: It is rebellion for a man to go into ministry as a vocational choice versus a divine call. It is rebellion for a man to accept an ignorant invitation to lead a church in any way when he has not had the decency to even get minimal training for the position. It is a rebellion to not go where God sends you recognizing that he may have prepared you to deal with just such churches as mentioned above. It is rebellion to go to a church without admitting that you may just have to get your hands dirty and teach them a few things (from the Bible)including how to pay you! It is rebellion and passivity that leaves many at the mercy of people who are often simply ignorant and would feel cheated if you didn’t help them mature in their giving and pastoral care of their pastor.
Simply put, this is a two-fold problem:
A. Many churches are just ignorant and must be shown from the scriptures what is proper and what reflects God’s provision for them and how they want the pastor to represent them and God.
B. Many pastors are such cowards and men pleasers that they are unwilling to learn the skills necessary to mature a church, or the skills to confront the erring ones in love, or to trully LEAD.
Leadership always carries with it a price. You are the leader, under Christ, and your task is to unify the body of Christ under His vision, not your own. I believe that in time, as your grow with your church, as you share one another’s burdens (yes that is a command in scripture), as we grow beyond our own passivity and moral cowardice, as we lead in a respectful but assertive way, then people will overcome their own fears of ministers that won’t lead!
Note: The church I serve is about 400 weak and about 225 strong and my salary is $20k to 22K housing. I hold three accredited master’s degrees - MDiv Biblical Studies + Languages; MACE - Christian Education/Administration; Th.M.- Theology; Th.D. - Theology; Ph.D.-ABD - Christian Education. I have 14 years experience. Our church budget is $322k which is $75k less than it was five years ago. I’ve been there one year. The church has been plateaud and divided for 10 years prior. This first year I concentrated on rebuilding trust, developing committee members and deacons, encouraging group work units, and heavy discipleship and one-on-one mentoring of men in the church. The result after year one? 20 baptisms, 50 additions to the church, finished 2004 $25k under budget.
Tony on Tue, January 04, 2005
Help! what would you do? This subject could not have come up at a better time. I have been notified that our insurance has been cancelled because the church failed to pay the bill. The insurance notified me after the “63 day rule” had already lapsed. I now have two children with “pre-existing” conditions, which will not be covered for a full year.(at least $1000/yr in Rx.)Then 2 days before my wife had a very needed surgery, the financial board told me that they would not be responcible for any portion of the surgery cost much less the additional $1500 deductable. For the record, the insurance claimed that the surgery was pre-existing. (this is going to be challenged with the insurance co.) If not approved, I will be out of pocket approx. $8,000-9,000. The Diabetes association rep. along with another insurance rep. That I should sue and would have no problems winning. I never thought that i would ever, ever even think of a law suit! All I want is to do the thing of integrety. The board “might” be willing to do some type of help. FYI I am also the longest serving pastor on staff (even longer than Senior Pastor), I also have been promised a raise for the last year, but haven’t recieve a raise in 3 years.
Art on Tue, January 04, 2005
Pastors are underpaid and overworked. Simple as that. Pay a pastor what he is worth and you will have a pastor whose mind and heart can be focused on his ministry. Underpay him and he will never be an effective minister.
Chilito on Tue, January 04, 2005
a good friend of mine who’s amazingly talented as a minister lived on food stamps and medicaid for his wife and 2 children b/c the church didn’t even pay him enough to make ends meet. they drive old, used cars, rented from someone in the church so it was cheap, ate at home, and still couldn’t make it. had her parents not had good secular jobs and chipped in frequently to make up the difference, they would’ve had to file bankruptcy or lost what they DID have.
my husband is also a minister, and when we moved here, the job market was low and i had trouble finding a job. what he was making was not enough to even pay our basic bills - minimum amounts, and we deferred all student loans, and had a very small car payment. still wouldn’t cover it. so we lost our car.
our “board” for lack of a better word, thinks they are being generous offering $30,000 to a minister with 5 years of experience. but many of them would balk at trying to live on twice that, b/c i know what some of them make. what seems to happen is that they don’t connect ministers’ lives with other peoples’ lives. for some reason it’s like they don’t realize we have rent/mortgage, utilities, and other bills to pay, too! and that every now and then we’d like to be able to buy new shoes without having to save up for them!
when i read about the first church, i see a group of people who took care of each other and met their needs as their first priority. i believe that trickles down from the example set by the leadership: we should take good care of our ministers, who take good care of us, and teach them how to take care of each other as well. i firmly believe that when a church is unwilling to fairly compensate a person, it speaks volumes for what they really think of someone who holds that position. that they’re worthless, or invaluable, or dispensable, or unnecessary. it’s not worth their time to make sure they’re taken care of.
both of our associate ministers (which includes my husband) are about to lose their job b/c they can’t afford even the $30k/year anymore b/c of an ill-timed building project. but that’s another story…
Page 1 of 2 pages 1 2 >
Post a Comment