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

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?

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.....

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.

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(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 , so I can read it!  Thanks everyone!)

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.

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

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.

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…

My husband and I work as a team, but I am the only one who gets paid. It is very apparent that the youth ministry would not be what it is without his contribution and hard work. The church appreciates all that he does, but won’t consider hiring him on. In the meantime we are struggling financially and our insurance (which is through the church) is terrible. It’s expensive and gives lousy coverage. In the next couple of years it’s suppose to go up to almost $18,000 (which is way over half of my salary). The church has broken other “promises” to us after we moved here. We do love the youth of this church, and our new pastor is wonderful, but like someone else said, “Love doesn’t pay the bills.” We have four children and simply can’t keep living like this. We are truly seeking God’s direction as to where and how to apply for other positions, because we are a team.  We’re not sure what to do, but we know we can’t stay here much longer. (Finances are not the only reason we are looking to move.) It is hard to minister to others (and have the right frame of mind for ministry) when you are stressing over whether or not your own heating bill will get paid.

Every situation is unique when it comes to compensation from a church for a pastor.  There are some factors that are universal though.  The arguably most important factor is that God puts you where he wants you, and when you are in that place you will be taken care of.  God however, is a creative God who does have various methods of taking care of his people. There may be different ways of bringing in income.  Perhaps there are sources of wealth that are not generated by a congregation. If you find yourself in a position where you feel that you are not being properly cared for by the church, then maybe there is a source of wealth outside that God has set aside for you. We don’t have to limit our inflow to our paycheque or to our church’s financial postion. We are the children of a King, and no good King can stand to see his own children suffer.  When God calls you to the ministry, it is not necesarily a call to poverty. But perhaps there is a different method that God is planning on using to give you wealth that is not found on your church paycheque.

Well, I must tell you all this. God can not further his kingdom if we do not continue to put more money back into the kingdom. Therfore we all must be blessed financialy in order to tithe as per Gods word (I said Gods word not the traditional, watered down just give from the heart teachings we hear so prevelent today) and as it is the only place in the Bible God says to test him, he will also increase your return as He also spells out, this continuing the increase to His children so the increase to the kingdom also will grow with each increase to each child. We need to teach the body the truth about this and you all will not have to worry about it. God will provide for us from His riches in Christ Jesus. But it will come through men. Are we gonna continue to see churches of the Ely system and watch them suffer and deminish or are we going to be the true men of Zadok and start teaching truth (righteousness) to the body so we can all live in victory hear and now as well as in heaven in the there after. Hear me Pastors and Teachers you need to grasp this. Teach your men to be the true spiritual leaders they have been created to be and you will see the church prosper. But remember you can not bring the body of Christ where you are not yourself!! Sorry but that blows on who ever it blows on. Remember this also, that Jesus isn’t coming back until the church is without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Is your Church ready???? We have been trying for 2000 years now and still are not there. It’s time we get it done. This might be hard to hear but it’s Gods words not mine. He wrote the only book we need to live by and that is the Bible!!