Todd-

I’m glad you are making some of the info public.  Many people wonder, but are afraid to ask.  Lots of naivity floating around, when it comes to compensation.

The wages you post look very fair and reasonable.  What’s sad and sick is the Pastors who abuse thier donors, like Pastor John Hagee who draws over $1 million in compensation from his combined ministries.

RE: http://raydehler.com/fgn/

It seems like the vast majority of Christians don’t know or care about how some Pastors abuse their situation.  It’s really a show of poor stewardship… and lack of teaching on the subject from the pulpit.  I guess it hits too close to home for preachers.  Thankfully there are also some great role-models, such as Focus on he Family and Coral Ridge Ministries, RE:

http://www.freegoodnews.com/greed-in-church_analysis1.htm

...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com

You have got to be kidding me! If you think that all Senior Pastors get paid close to that average your out of your mind. I feel that many pastors think of themselves to highly, furthermore, have we become so dulled by the thought that we are worth that much money? We are not some buissnesman that is working for a bigger paycheck! I think that we need to refocus on the ministry and let God handel the money, this is a trap that many pastors fall into and we must not be a lover of money and not greedy (last time I checked that was part of the Biblical call of a pastor). If we are fully trusting in God and His providance for us we will not worry about how much we make nor how much is not enough. As a pastor of a church that has and avearage attendance of 85 in SS and 140 in Worship my pay of 30k is more than sufficant for the area that I am living in. Sure I would like to make more (who wouldnt) however, that is up to God not the finance committee nor the church, God will handel my finaces and my lifestyle. May Pastors remove the focus on Money and refocus on the Ministry. Just my thougtht

We must remember that the Pastors are not the only ones who abuse the situation.  Many church boards are inexcusable in their treatment and compensation of their staff.  They forget that their servants still need to provide for their families and be able to plan for their futures.  They think it appropriate for ministers and staff to grovel and scrape just to make ends meet.

When churches refuse to fairly compensate their staff for the time, effort, training, education, and sweat that goes into ministry, the workforce diminishes.  Young people “eyeing” the ministry learn that you’ll be taken advantage of.  Life-long ministers give up. 

It seems to me that an appropriate evaluation of a church staff salaries should include the LOCAL cost of living, current situation for the servant’s family (kids in college, new babies, etc) and a measure of the responsibilities on that person. 

Good topic, Todd!!

I pastored a small church of 120 , and paid myself $1,000.00 a month , worked full time 50 hours a week and was senior pastor of our church I had to make sure we had a building and everything that goes with it so there never was much room for a salery for myself , everything else came first , so as you write these articles don’t forget all the pastors that have to work at another full time job as well .

Bobby above makes a good point. Rely on GOD and I would say most of us do or we would be like the article where a pastor used the church credit card for vacation…
I do believe Bobby is right...pastors must trust and rely that God will provide.

BUT - unfortunately… the power company, the water company, the mortgage broker, GEICO, the local grocer, Exxon, McDonalds, CarMax don’t feel the same way. And while they may respect us (I doubt it but humor me) for what we do… they still want the statement paid every month.

I live in the Washington D.C. area - which has one of the highest costs of living in the country - where an “average” house goes for over $525K (a townhouse around 400K yet my church wants to pay me less than the state average (where the average houses cost around 100K).

Bobby is right that we should trust, pray, even sacrifice for what we do… but the bible is clear also that the church should not muzzle the ox, that the elder who rules well is worth of a double honor, and the leaders should be able to serve in joy and not grief.
Let me answer a question for many who are reading this. NO - I dont even own a credit card, I am not trying to over step my means.

I doubt very seriously that most pastors are working for filthy lucer(sp?) - but only trying to survive and provide for their families.

Lets get real folks - we serve the church but we have to pay bills in the real world.

You mean I can get paid to do this? I work a full time job as well as pastor a church of 60 +. When the Lord is ready for me to pastor full time he will let us all know. I will use that guide when the need arrises.

Like many others who have posted here, I am somewhat surprised at the salaries. I am a bivocational pastor, a solo pastor, a senior and associate pastor...there is nobody else who is going to get it done, well except for some ladies who are dedicated to the things they feel are important. I work full time 40 hrs wk. I pastor about 25 hours a week and I am paid about $865/month. I could take a position in an affluent church where I could hire an associate, a youth leader and a secretary, but I don’t do it for the money. I do it because this is what God has called me to do!

What I see happening in the Christian world is also happening in the secular world. Churches/businesses are selfish and greedy with their money. How can anyone expect people to give their best if they are worrying about whether or not they can pay the bills. That’s unecessary stress that will take its toll on you and ultimately lead to poor production from staff/ministry leaders. If you want people to concentrate on doing the best job then stop giving them something else to focus on(making it financially). I know several here are saying where is our faith and to that I would pose the same question for those individuals/organizations/businesses who are not giving the necessary salaries to meet people’s needs. In actuality, this is a very complex issue that transcends down to every man, women, and child. Greenspan doesn’t have all the answers. If he did then we would have this thing licked. The reality is we act in faith every time we save or spend. Its all a matter of faith when you think about what gives our money value and how unforeseen obsticles could make or break us. Its all faith. So lets be wise with our money but lets not forget that faith is in action when dealing with it. There is no sure thing. Just look at Katrina. God is the keeper and supplier of all our needs. Right now He is using people like us who were spared to aid those who are unfortunate. This is a lesson we need to apply not just in tragic situations but on a daily basis. I know that I am preaching to the choir and many are sacrificing to help others everyday. That’s probably most of us. Instead lets ask God to bless us that we might bless others. You see, we are no good if we are used up(emotionally, financially, and spiritually). We need God to bless the work force and the Church of America. I think by giving back we will be blessed for it. Not because we deserve it or that we have earned it but because it is a need and God says He will supply them all. Money is a resource not a object to be desired and acquired. We need it to live, bring change, do good, and help those less fortunate. It isn’t about the prosperity doctrine that we should seek God’s blessings but because we need it. There is a difference. That’s what we need to start communicating to those that follow us. We have the position to influence the individual to change and thus bring change to America. Let’s do this one person at a time. God bless.

Interesting info.  Education is key to developing the pastor’s and staff’s compensation.  My first church I served bivocationally and received a grand total of $25 per week.  We had a church of 12 which grew to 32 (and my salary to a whopping $50 per week).  I was called to my present work with a package of $35,000.  The church had an active membership of around 35.  After five years with no increases, I met with the board and asked two questions:

“How many in this room have had cost of living increases or pay raises in the past five years?” Every hand in the room went up except mine.

“How many in this room have not had a cost of living increase or pay raise in the past five years?” My hand was the only one that went up.

I then handed out a sheet on what the Bible teaches on compensating the pastor, a copy of our state convention’s guidelines, and asked them to pray first.  Then I left them for about 30 minutes. 

When I returned, I faced a solemn, tearful group.  They developed a plan which the church accepted and supports me.  The church now has about 100 members and the compensation package is $47,000. 

It helps to teach the members about stewardship, tithing, and missions.  These things all are interdependent.  It is interesting that if one reaches one family that learns to tithe what an impact that has on the church’s financial position.

Just my two cents worth.

Interesting that a Christian Education Director whose concern is to teach and train in God’s Word is paid less than a Music Director......

This entire issue really gets down to how the church views their Pastor:  Is he a “gift” from Christ....or an employee they hire?

From my perspective...which is clearly skewed in the Pastoral direction, since I “R” one....Ephesians 4 clearly states we are gifts from Christ to the church.  Does the church value their Pastor or not?  Often times, sadly, churches don’t value their Pastors!

With regard to compensation, I think an excellent rule of thumb is:  Pastors should be paid based on the average income of the church’s membership.  Why should they expect their Pastor to live below their own standard of living??

There is another way to look at this. 

While I am not suggesting that we compare churches to secular businesses, it does illustrate a point.....how many folks do you know who oversee organizations with 100, 200, or 300 employees (or members for the purpose of the illustration) that make $30 or $40K??  I would be willing to bet not a single one.  Why do church feel that they don’t need to reward their Pastor’s expertise and ability in leading their church?

I praise God that my congregation values me and sees me as their “gift” from Christ...and they compensate me accordingly.  I pastor a church of about 100 people and my package totals $40,000.  Which for our area is a very comfortable salary.  For 2006, I am scheduled for a $3000 a year raise.

To sum up a rather voluminous post....I believe the issue of Pastoral compensation really strikes at the heart of the church’s view of what a Pastor is.  Is he a gift from God to be loved, supported and cared for.....or is he an employee to be used and paid a pauper’s wage.

I know some argue here that paying tithe is not Biblical but we need to teach people about giving a percentage of what they earn to the church. Truth is we are not teaching about giving enough. Even though many large/mega churches can absorb a huge percentage of members not paying their tithe that is almost never the case with small churches. We need to require people to take ownership in assisting the financial need required to opperate a church ministry. People need to be givers. It needs to be simply a way of life for Christians. In other words, giving is normal; in both our time and money. The difficulty here is undoing all the poor habits people have developed from poor teaching. I’m not sure about Jensen’s issue but its possible that is the problem there. Undoing bad behavior is very challenging. If you look at the statistics of people who pay tithe to the church you find that the percentage of people who do this pales in comparrison to membership and attenders. We are failing to communicate this and the end result is a lack of funds for ministry. Plus improper use of funds is an issue as well. Also for the most part, churches struggle to stick with their budgets. The key is not to avoid the difficult issue because of the political risk associated with addressing this problem. Again, I know I have said this here before, we can’t let fear drive our decision making. Leading requires risks and we have to take them. We don’t get people to give by promising them a guarantee we cannot keep nor do we treat them as thieves if they don’t. We have to get people to see that giving is part of how we offer ourselves to God. That’s why God says He loves a cheerful giver. Our sacrifice is of no value if we don’t give from our hearts. With that offering God will bless the man/woman who gives not because of what He can do but because of what He has done. He has blessed us in such a way that we are able to give back. Even the widow gave all she had and the value wasn’t much but God seen the heart of the giver. That’s what we need to teach our people; that giving isn’t about getting. God bless.