Pastor's Salary

[chev1958]

To avoid hijacking the church budget thread, I pose this question: How should the pastor's salary determined?

[paleblueeyes]

I think that would be up to each individual church, based on several factors, the most influential of which would be resources. This is a highly subjective area.

[Pastorj]

I agree. Typically salary is determine by the area of the church.

What is the median imcome in the area and the church?
What can the church afford?
What does the pastor need (based on the size of his family).

I pastored in two small towns. Average income in both towns was about $35k/yr. My salary was $28 in the first church (all they could afford) and $36 in the second church (what they offered). The church we are attending is a larger church (130 people) and we pay our pastor close to $50k. Average income for the town is around $35k.

[JerryNumbers]

I feel its up to the individual church & its members.

I know of pastors who were over paid & pastors who are under paid. As for me I would rather be under paid than over paid.

Of course if a pastor was overpaid he could solve that by giving back to his church the amount he is overpaid along with his regular offerings. I might add, the pastors that I said were overpaid just might be doing that so be assured I'm not judging them.

I don't know of a pastor who has complained openly that he was paid to little but I have heard a few pastors speak of the members being very generous.

[nikkim74]

At our church,(a very small -45people- country church), our pastor has a fulltime job outside the church, so we just pay for his gas (he drives about an hour one way to church). Thats how most of the small country churches around here do it.

[Pastorj]

Nikkim,

May I suggest you consider paying him more. 1 Tim. says that an elder (Pastor) who rules well is worthy of "double" honor. I pastored a church who couldn't afford to pay me a lot, but they paid me what they could.

Pastor J

[Anon]

Sometimes its hard to tell...for instance if you looked at our salary alone for the area it looks fairly low...but then we live in a parsonage, and we have our utilities and insurance paid. So that makes the "package" higher. We don't live "high on the hog" but we are doing fine. :-) I pull in some extra money doing cakes and it helps alot.

I think the pastor should at least live like the median family in church. If the median income is $35,000 in an area, the pastor should get that to START if the church can afford it, and then go from there. I agree the ministry is all about living by faith..but its not the church's job to see that the pastor lives by faith. haha. It's God's job.

Obviously not all churches can pay their pastors what they would like, and that's fine too. As long as they realize their goal is to eventually raise the salary...and not to get used to their pastor doing without, or working a second job. When you think about it...most pastors have at least a four year degree in theology or something similar....would it be fair for a man with a degree in accounting to do accounting for a company for $100/week and then hold a full time job outside of the accounting job to support his family? Often that is what a pastor does...he works for church using his four year college degree (which he paid for) and then works outside to actually bring money in.

While this happens, and while its noble, and while its fine...its not ideal and not really the way God intended it.

[JerryNumbers]

At our church,(a very small -45people- country church), our pastor has a fulltime job outside the church, so we just pay for his gas (he drives about an hour one way to church). Thats how most of the small country churches around here do it.

Bi-vocational pastor's are very common throughout this area. I receive a freewill offering. Most small churches around here have done it that way for many years, but a few of them have gone to writing the pastor a check each Sunday.

[Pastorj]

Jerry,

I don't have a problem with a freewill offering if that's all the church can afford. A church of 45 people ought to be able to pay their pastor more than just gas money, which is what Nikkim74 stated.

[Anon]

I agree with PastorJ....I wanted to just caution that church people should be still taught to tithe (although I suppose we shouldn't get into THAT debate here...) and not just "give whatever, whenever". We are all commanded to give sacrificially...and that includes the pastor of course. I'd like to think we are an example of giving generously to the Lord (tithes, missions, special offerings and projects, etc), even though we are being paid by the church. And we hope the church people do as well.

I do have a problem with the fact that in many churches, the four (or more) years that a pastor studies for his degree doesn't seem to count as much as anyone else's four year degree. Obviously he knows he is going to give his life over to God for service no matter the cost...but still...it is up to the people to realize that he did get an education (usually) and he is owed whatever the people can possibly give him...because that pastor could be out there making money like everyone else but he chose to be in the ministry and accept and be content with what God allows him to have.

[Pastorj]

I agree Kitagrl. At our current church, the people love their pastor and pay him accordingly.

[Revelation3:20]

Jerry,

I don't have a problem with a freewill offering if that's all the church can afford. A church of 45 people ought to be able to pay their pastor more than just gas money, which is what Nikkim74 stated.

True, unless possibly the church has other expenses that we don't know about. Sometimes churches get in to debt that wisdom would say they shouldn't be getting into and then something happens and the attendance goes down and things get tight.

[Pastorj]

Rev,

Very possible, but gas money. Let's be realistic. 1 hr = @60 miles or 3 gallons of gas. Round trip 6 gallons for a total of $18 at $3 a gallon.

Let's say they give him a $20. 45 people giving $1 each would be $45 at least. So what they are paying him is less than $.50 per person. Quite frankly that is pathetic.

[John81]

Suzy put it pretty well. A pastors salary, if possible should be somewhere around the median salary for the area. Our pastor receives the other benefits Suzy mentioned as well; the parsonage to live in, insurance paid for, etc.

As Jerry said and others have pointed out, a pastor should receive a good salary (Scripture tells us this), but they should not receive an extravagent salary.

Pastorj is correct that the pastor of the 45-member church should be given more than just gas money. Even if the church membership is poor, they should still be able to give a minimum of double the gas money; and likely a fair bit more than that.

As Suzy said, no need to debate tithe, but of those who believe Scripture teaches the tithe was for OT Jews and we are to follow NT giving, I've never heard it taught Christians should "give whatever, whenever". All the preaching and teaching I've heard for NT giving has revolved around sacrificial giving which for most goes well beyond 10% of their incomes.

So, in either case, whether the church teaches tithing or sacrificial NT giving, most churches should be able to pay their pastor a decent salary as well as support the church in general.

[Anon]

Just to point out too..."extravagant" is VERY hard to define... I know a pastor in a wealthy area with wealthy people and compared to us, he lives "wealthy" but according to the church they would not feel it "Extravagant". I also know churches who have bought new vehicles for their pastor...to me that's like "Wow I wish!" haha but again...it is not "extravagant" to that congregation.

The only ones I could say definitively are "extravagant" are the tv evangelists and other evangelists who go around sporting large diamond rings and $1,000 suits and still ask for more money. Otherwise...I don't begrudge a pastor his money. If God chooses to bless a pastor by letting him live nicely...good! We all have our blessings and our trials.