November 2, 2024 – By John Carter
As a pastor I have spent a lot of time trying to navigate how to consider pastoral pay. I’ve looked through Scriptures for doctrine and scoured the internet for insight on what other churches are doing. My thoughts below are meant to be an easy document for churches, and pastors, to use when considering how to better discuss and plan for pastoral support. This may even be an excellent document to use when hiring a new pastor, considering the annual budget, or simply finding ways to further bless your pastor.
Before we move on to the points below, I need to make clear that my church has been abundantly gracious to me personally. Despite the sacrificial generosity of a handful of believers in the first few years of ministry, my pastoral salary properly reflected every pastoral salary joke. This has not been the case in these latter years. Early on I had a man tell me, “Pastor, the church isn’t paying you enough so I’m not going to give anymore until the church starts paying you more.” Regardless of this man’s foolishness, in these latter years, my church family continues to be concerned with providing financially for their pastor.
Below is a mixture of tangible metrics that I have seen elsewhere or that I have identified when talking with other churches and pastors. To simplify the topics, I have presented them in a question-and-answer format. Due to the fact that economic circumstances fluctuate widely, even within a few miles, these points below should be taken as principles and not commands. With that in mind, let’s get to it.
Does your church prioritize having a full-time pastor?
This idea came originally from Pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and has had a huge impact on my home church. With a resounding “yes” my church wants a full-time pastor for the health of the church, the health of the pastor, and ultimately the spread of the gospel. A church without a full-time pastor will suffer and churches with a full time pastor are better prepared for healthy long-term ministry. You should not only ask, do you want a full-time pastor, you should also ask, do you want a long-time pastor?
How much would it take for a pastor to afford buying a house here?
This is an excellent question for a church looking for a new pastor. This does not mean that if a church cannot afford to help a man buy a house that they cannot afford a pastor. But with careful planning and hope in God, the church can commit to helping the man afford a house. Personally speaking, when we bought a house not only did I think it, but church members told me that they felt a greater sense of stability now that we owned. As a renter there is always that concern, will he leave? But owning a home has a huge stabilizing effect for the pastor and the church. Incidentally, the stabilizing effect of owning a home applies to all church members.
How would he need to be supported to retire and care for his wife after his death?
Too many pastors foolishly plan to “die in the pulpit” without consideration that their wives will probably still sit in the pew. This foolishness is too often over looked by the congregation. God is man’s provider, yet this does not keep him from instructing mankind to prepare for his death. Is the pastor being provided for in such a way that allows him to reasonably save for retirement? There are various ways to accomplish this end, and the church should be concerned for helping to this end.
Can the pastor show hospitality without being entangled in secular affairs?
Here I quote the 1689 Second London Baptist confession. Those parts underlined are for emphasis.
Chapter 26 Paragraph 10
The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in his churches, in the ministry of the word and prayer, with watching for their souls, as they that must give an account to Him; it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability, so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves entangled in secular affairs; and may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others; and this is required by the law of nature, and by the express order of our Lord Jesus, who has ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.[1]
Can he afford to take his family on an annual vacation?
Do you believe that your pastor needs rest? How much? What does that rest look like? This is more than a financial question? Now that pastor doesn’t need to be able to afford an annual trip to Fuji, Japan, but his only trips should not be mission trips. Does the church send him to an annual conference? If that is too much, what about every other year? Can the pastor’s family afford to eat out on their vacation, or pay for a park pass? Or is the pastor expected to lead his family three days into the wilderness fasting? These questions are meant to make you smile, but to also think. Is you pastor just afforded enough to pay the bills, or can he also afford to rest?
Additionally, the church is always under the watchful eye of Christ. But can the pastor get away without chaos ensuing among the sheep?
What can the pastor reasonably expect?
A pastor living in a rural town and who owns his home (no mortgage) is not going to need what a pastor who is lives in San Francisco needs. So although the question is subjective based on geography and local economics, there are real numbers that need to be looked at. Not all pastor will need the same income. Even pastors serving in the same city.
What can the church reasonably expect?
There are many churches that can provide well beyond what the pastor needs. However, there are many more churches that cannot. Those churches in the latter case will need to ask, if we are only offering him $20,000 a year, then how hour many “hours” can we expect of the man? And not only expect, help him to limit himself to? Again, a 60-year-old retired electrician turned pastor may be able to give more with less money. But a 30-year-old man with a young family would need to supplement his income. How many hours would he need to do that? Is he being expected to work 7 days a week to make ends meet?
What is the minimum wage… for managers? Or, what is the salary minimum wage?
I live in California where managers or salary employees are required by law to make twice the minimum wage per hour as regular hourly employees. This metric also applies to those required to work “unlimited” hours while being responsible for any number of problems that arise. If you’re paying your pastor minimum wage, he could go teach a bible study and work at a coffee shop with significantly less stress, and perhaps even make tips.
What are the local Elementary Middle School and High School Principals making?
Although the role of pastor and principal is not a one-for-one correlation, there seems to be quite a bit of overlap as it relates to job responsibilities and education. Office hours are a cute but irrelevant fixture on the office door. A principle is responsible for managing people both young and old. His previous and ongoing education must also be comparable with his job responsibilities. The principal protects the educational norms in the school. I’m am not advocating for CEO pastors. But it does seem that a role of principal is one of the closest parallels between pastoral duties and non-pastoral employment.
How much will he be paying in self-employment or other taxes?
In the United States the taxes for pastors are a headache. There are technical details to consider. Because taxes are taxes it might be helpful to hire a tax advisor for a one time consultation for both the pastor and the church.
How much are you paying guest preachers (pulpit fill)?
Early on I committed to paying those guest preaching in such a way as to demonstrate the high value we place on the preaching of the word. It was a long-term discipling process to show that we value anyone who preaches the word, not just the pastor. We’ve gone through different ways to do this but this is the metric we presently use.
- First time ever preaching: Enough money to go out to lunch
- For a non-pastor: 8 hours at minimum wage
- For any pastor/elder: 8 hours at twice minimum wage (double honor)
Are you blaming God for poor financial stewardship?
This applies to both the pastor and the church. There are many circumstances where the pastor, the church, or both are making foolish financial decisions and therefore blaming the other, or God, for the problem. It must always be stated, that just because everyone is exercising good financial stewardship, that does not mean there will be an abundance of money.
Is he a hired hand fleecing the sheep? Or is he trying to provide for his family?
This is not an easy question to answer. My advice would be to assume the best intentions of everyone involved until demonstrated otherwise.
Is there a double standard?
This is probably the biggest question a pastor’s wife asks, but is still very important. The question could deal with superficial topics like, why does everyone else get to go out for coffee or take the family out to eat? But this isn’t always a question of envy. Especially when more important questions are asked like, why can’t the pastor afford medical benefits? Or, why can’t the pastor’s kids afford music lessons? The particulars are certainly circumstantial, and filled with many opportunities for covetousness. But it still must be asked, if it’s reasonable for a church member to afford certain luxuries, then why not the pastor? As one pastor put it, can your pastor’s kids afford to participate in normal community life?
Final Thoughts
The questions above may certainly open up more questions. But I hope that they provide enough factors to begin formulating quantitative measurements to help pastors and churches find a clear path forward. Even if there is not the ability to pay with a double honor (1 Tim 5:17) there is still the ability to treat him with a double honor. May God bless you and your church as you seek to find ways to provide a living for those who proclaim the gospel (1 Cor. 9:17).
1 Timothy 6:6–11
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (ESV)
[1] Second London Baptist Confession
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