Eric,

These include base salary, housing or parsonage allowance, retirement contribution, life and health insurance payments, and educational funds.

Again, those numbers seem unbelievable to me (and I have the 2005 edition). 

I have been talking to a pastor about a full-time children’s/CE position in a church of 270, and they are only offering $28,000 total compensation - which I do believe is way low considering I have four and a half years of senior pastor experience on top of nearly six years combined youth and children’s pastor experience, and am 32 years old with a wife and son.

“Church Attendace 0-99—$32k”

What world are they living in?  In my experience, churches under 100 do not pay that well.  I am currently pastoring a church of 70 and making $9900.00 per year.  And, I find this to be more the norm for small churches.  So, I am I right?  Or is this just the midwest, and I need to move?

Tad Mills

James, you have some very good points for all who are looking for a position to consider. Thanks for your input. I am the Worship Pastor at our small church working about 10 hours a week. I fall in line with the hourly rate (just a little under). However, Our Senior Pastor is in line with the catagories education and length of service but his salary blows the top off of the church income and number of people attending catagories. This is due mainly to our building and property having been paid off for many years. Churches like ours may be causing some of the skew that you see.

By the way, we are in a rebuilding phase after the church almost closed a few years ago.

One last comment, does anyone else find it amusing that the average salary for the Masters Degree is higher than the average salary for the Doctorate?

When I saw these salaries.  I know this must be some way else here in the southeast .. especially person like myself that pastor a bilingual ministry attendance 150-200.. doesn’t even come close.  and I have a M.A.  How do they get these fiqures

Ahhh… back to John Hagee. Somehow I knew we’d come full circle; so I’ll indluge…

I really don’t know what a ‘reasonable’ salary would be.  I would defer to their board of directors.  And this is where I would see the problem as I’ve said before, Bernie.  As I understand it, John Hagee has mostly his family members on the board; and that’s dangerous for setting salaries and the staying away from even the appearance of impropriety.  If I’m taking in 10 million a year; and me and only my family control all the money (given from individual contributors), then there is a problem. This is NO accountability. Hope that makes sense.

Some popular preachers (tv or not) have found financial prosperity thrust upon them.  I think of Rick Warren; and authors like Chuck Swindoll.  I don’t think that we can look down on this when this happens.  In these instances, they are ultimately responsible for how they account for their riches.  Rick Warren, for example, says he’s a reverse tither.  Rick, Chuck, Jim Bakker, Jery Falwell, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy, and you and I are all responsible for the resources God has given us. 

I’m not sure how Hagee’s is broken down… how much is royalties; how much is salary, etc.

Is there a need for a watchdog like you, Bernie?  Perhaps.  But, I guess I would ask (sincerely), a few questions:

--What do you wish to accomplish?  Do you wish merely to expose Hagee? If so, what is your motivation?  And why just pick on him; as there are many many others who abuse the system? If Hagee is exposed, what will that do for the Kingdom, in your opinion?  Do you want him to repent?  If you run into walls (as you are), what will your next step be?  What if he doesn’t repent?  At what point do you let go?

Come to think of it, John Hagee also will give an account.  And if he’s fleecing money off of God’s people for his own gain, then woe to him (and everyone else who does this).

Todd

Hi Todd-

About your Hagee questions:

People like Chuck Swindoll have parachurch org’s and are required to disclose their salary.  Nothing OUTLANDISH there, like Pastor Hagee (although I think he’s also overpaid).  However, for the church side, they are not required to report, so no one knows how much they make (such as Rick Warren).  But when you look at the data for what we do have, for Pastor Hagee and his peers, Pastor Hagee stands-out like no one else (see spreadsheet at:  http://www.freegoodnews.com/christian%20exec11%20chopped7.xls )

My goal is to force Matt. 18 to it’s logical conclusion with Pastor Hagee.  Either the Church (worldwide) will treat him as an outcast for his misdeeds, or he’ll repent.  I will let go when all the church is aware of this situation (Pastor Hagee’s misdeeds are exposed).

Why him? Look at the spreadsheet.  No one else compares.

All this information and more is at:
http://raydehler.com/fgn/ .

Back to your original article, your top category for revenue is “over $1,000,000.” How much revenue do the top mega-churches bring in and pay?  Very curious as to how that compares to Pastor Hagee’s compensation as Senior Pastor at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio for $371K (not including his almost $1 million in compensation from his TV ministry).

By the way, this has nothing to do with royalties.  These people are paid compensation by the org.  Royalties usually go to the ministry directly, if purchased thru the ministry.  If you buy their books at Amazon.com or somewhere else, it’s my understanding that those royalties go directly to the author-- no accounting at all by the ministry.

...Bernie

Do you have similar studies and statistics on Chidlren’s Pastors’ salaries?

How may I receive a copy of the previous post on Senior Pastor salary and compensation?

Correction: I need a copy of the Senior Pastors Salary and Compensation for 2006